Law Practice Software

Contents

1. 01WelcomeWhat these tools do, how many we grade and what to know before choosing
2. 02Our top threeThe three we'd look at first, and who each one suits
3. 03The gradesThe highest graded, and how the whole category does on each subject
4. 04Keep or make?Which are worth paying for, and which you could make yourself
5. 05Every toolAll of them, best graded first, with what each costs
6. 06Quick answersThe questions people ask when choosing, each answered in a line or two
7. 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from each tool’s own pages, their app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on the Law Practice Software page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 24, 2026.

Cases, documents, hours and billing for a small law firm, all in one place.

Before you choose, here are 4 things to know about law practice software, worked out from every one we grade.

1. 1

   We grade 10 law practice software

   0 of them are free or have a free plan, and 6 more let you try before paying. Everything in this guide comes from their own pages and our grades.

2. 2

   9 of 10 have iPhone and Android apps

   10 run in a web browser and 1 have a Windows app. Check the one you need before you fall for anything.

3. 3

   The middle GPA is 2.0

   0 score 3.0 or higher. The highest is Clio, at 2.8.

4. 4

   10 worth keeping, 0 you could make

   By our keep-or-make rules, 10 do something you couldn't reasonably build yourself, 0 are simple enough to make with an AI app builder, and 0 are a close call.

Part 02 · Top three

Our top three

The three we'd look at first, and who each one suits

The three law practice software we'd look at first. First place suits the most people; second and third are the best picks for the people it leaves out. Each has an Insider's Guide of its own.

1. 1st

   

   2.8GPA

   Clio

   Free trial · from $49/mo

   For: Most solo and small firms

   Clio Manage holds matters, contacts, unlimited documents, calendars, time, billing, online payments and trust accounting, with legal accounting on every plan: bank sync, trust and operating reconciliation and a free licence for the firm's accountant. Starter is $49 a user a month after a 7-day trial with no card, and its iPhone and iPad app averages 4.8 from about 9,100 ratings. Know the limits: the $49 comes from a third-party source and its billing basis isn't stated; Core, Signature and Elite are priced on request; Starter has no client portal, texting, conflict checks, templates or integrations; and card payments cost 2.95%.

   The Clio Insider’s Guide

2. 2nd

   

   2.2GPA

   PracticePanther

   Free trial · from $49/mo

   For: Firms that want every plan's price up front

   PracticePanther's Solo plan, $49 a user a month billed yearly ($59 monthly), covers matters, time, invoices, a client portal, document templates, workflows, card and eCheck payments and a trust ledger with a three-way reconciliation report, with iPhone, iPad and Android apps. Every plan's price is published. It is second because no store rating is on record and the extras climb: email and calendar sync need Essential at $69; texting, intake forms, eSignature, Zapier and the API need Business at $89; the general ledger needs Business Pro at $114; the trial is 7 days; and court rules need a LawToolBox subscription.

   The PracticePanther Insider’s Guide

3. 3rd

   

   2.0GPA

   Smokeball

   Paid

   For: Family law, injury and real estate firms that file many forms

   Smokeball fills more than 20,000 court and agency forms and templates from a matter's details, and AutoTime logs each action against the matter so time entries need no timer. It has invoicing, online payments, a trust ledger, a Windows desktop app on Grow and Prosper+, and iPhone and Android apps. It is third because no price is published and there is no trial, only a demo; AutoTime, intake and workflows are included only on Prosper+; the general ledger sits in QuickBooks Online; there is no Mac app; and online payments and eFiling carry fees.

   The Smokeball Insider’s Guide

Every tool gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. Here are the 10 highest graded law practice software, then how the whole category does on each subject.

Tool	Value	Free	Features	Ease	Platforms	GPA
Clio	C	C	B	A	B	2.8
CosmoLex	C	C	C	C	B	2.2
MyCase	C	C	C	C	B	2.2
PracticePanther	C	C	C	C	B	2.2
Centerbase	C	F	B	C	B	2.0
Filevine	C	D	C	C	B	2.0
Rocket Matter	D	C	C	C	B	2.0
Smokeball	C	F	B	C	B	2.0
Actionstep	C	F	C	C	B	1.8
Lawmatics	C	F	C	C	B	1.8

Some software does something you couldn’t reasonably build yourself. Some is simple enough that an AI app builder could make the core of it in an afternoon. Here’s where law practice software land, by the same rules for every tool.

• 10

  Keep it

  It does something you could not reasonably make for yourself, or it costs nothing.

• 0

  Your call

  You could make the core of it, and you would give something up.

• 0

  You could make this

  What it does is the kind of thing an AI app builder makes well, and it charges every month.

Every law practice software we grade, with its GPA and what it costs. Each one has a page of its own on toolgpa.com, with its Insider’s Guide.

1. 1ClioFree trial · from $49/mo2.8
2. 2CosmoLexFree trial · from $49/mo2.2
3. 3MyCaseFree trial · from $50/mo2.2
4. 4PracticePantherFree trial · from $49/mo2.2
5. 5CenterbasePaid2.0
6. 6FilevineFree trial2.0
7. 7Rocket MatterFree trial · from $59/mo2.0
8. 8SmokeballPaid2.0
9. 9ActionstepPaid1.8
10. 10LawmaticsPaid1.8

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

• 3,189

  tools graded

• 94

  categories

• 426

  price changes on record

• 579

  apps priced in 12 countries