Actionstep vs Filevine (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, Filevine grades higher than Actionstep: 2.0 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 by ToolGPA
Filevine grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Actionstep
Practice management and legal accounting for midsize law firms
Paid
Filevine
Case management and the LOIS legal AI system, sold by quote
Free trial
Which one is for you
Pick Actionstep if
- Fits if you run a midsize firm and want matter workflows built around each practice area
- Works for firms in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand or Canada
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: there are no published prices, and each product and add-on is per user plus implementation fees, by quote
- Skip it if you want to try it yourself, as there's no trial and setup runs through certified partners
- Not for you if you're outside North America and want the Legal Accounting suite, which isn't sold there
- Pricey if you need document automation, intake forms, AI time capture or analytics, as each is an add-on module
- Watch out: AI workflow automation is listed as coming soon, so it isn't there yet
Pick Filevine if
- Fits if your firm runs heavy caseloads, such as personal injury or mass torts
- Works for prosecutors, public defenders and other government legal offices
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a price before a demo, as every package is quoted by the sales team
- Watch out: intake, depositions and signatures are separate packages, and analytics, court deadline rules and the client portal are extensions
- Not for you if you want to try case management first, since the free LOIS Explore trial is AI only and closed to existing customers
- Not for you if you'd rather set it up yourself, as setup runs through Filevine's certified partners
- Skip it if you need phone apps, as the listing has it as web only
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAActionstepWeak | 2.0GPAFilevineFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price is published. Actionstep gives a price only on a sales call: each product and add-on is priced per user, plus implementation fees. | CNo price is published. Filevine gives a price only on a sales call, after a demo, and intake, depositions and signatures are separate packages on that quote. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free on record: no free plan and no trial, just a demo or a call with sales. | DThe only free thing is LOIS Explore, a no-card trial of the AI research and drafting. It leaves out case management and is closed to existing customers, so the main product can't be tried before a demo. |
| Features | CMatters, configurable workflows, calendaring, time capture, billing and trust accounting, with accounting, document automation, intake and AI as extras. The gaps the listing shows: no client portal on record, and the Legal Accounting suite is North America only. | CMatters, unlimited documents, document assembly, LOIS AI, deposition tools, intake, timekeeping, LEDES billing and payments. The gaps the listing shows: no trust ledger on record, and analytics, court deadline rules and the client portal are paid extensions. |
| Ease of use | CWe have no store rating on file for it. It's built for midsize firms and set up through Actionstep's certified partners rather than a sign-up, with implementation fees to match. | CWe have no store rating on file for it. Setup goes through Filevine's certified implementation partners rather than a sign-up you run yourself, so there's a project before the first matter. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Outlook, Word, Microsoft 365 and Lexidesk. No desktop app, and only four integrations on record. | BWeb, with Outlook, Word, Gmail, Zoom, Dialpad, Workato and Domo. The listing has no desktop or phone apps, so away from a browser it can't follow you. |
| Best for | midsize firms that set their own workflows | firms with heavy caseloads, like personal injury |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Actionstep and Filevine. How we grade
Where they differ
- Actionstep also covers workflow automation, bookkeeping and trust accounting.
- Filevine also covers reports and business texting.
In commonWebAI featuresTime trackingInvoicingCase management
At a glance
| Actionstep | Filevine | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | Not published | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | LOIS Explore: a free trial of its AI research and drafting for verified legal professionals, without case management |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Actionstep | Filevine, Inc. |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Actionstep
- Actionstep publishes no prices: each product and add-on is priced per user plus implementation fees, by quote.
- It is built for midsize firms and set up through Actionstep's certified partners rather than self-serve sign-up.
- The Legal Accounting suite, with the general ledger and payables, is sold only in North America.
- Document automation, intake forms, AI time capture and analytics are separate add-on modules; AI workflow automation is listed as coming soon.
Filevine
- Filevine publishes no prices: every package is quoted by its sales team after a demo.
- Intake, depositions and signatures are separate packages; analytics, court deadline rules and the client portal are extensions to Matters.
- The free LOIS Explore trial covers AI research and drafting only, not case management, and is closed to existing Filevine customers.
- Setup is handled by Filevine's certified implementation partners rather than self-serve onboarding.
Key features
Actionstep
- Matters and workflows
- Matter and case management with task and process management, advanced calendaring and workflow automation that a firm shapes to each practice area.
- Time, billing and trust accounting
- Time capture with time suggestions and timesheets, billing, and trust and client accounting are included with practice management.
- Legal Accounting
- A multi-currency general ledger, bank reconciliation, payables and receivables, P&L statements, budgeting, forecasting and revenue recognition. North America only.
- Builder and Capture
- Builder fills letters, forms and contracts from matter data with conditional fields and a Word integration. Capture adds branded intake forms that can be embedded on a firm's site.
- Actionstep Intelligence
- Trace passively records billable work across Actionstep, Outlook and Word and drafts time entries; Acumen answers plain-language questions about firm performance.
- Mobile app
- iOS and Android apps to see appointments and tasks, run timers and create time entries, add file notes by voice, and search matters and contacts.
Filevine
- Matter management
- Each matter collects tasks, contacts, deadlines, calendar events, emails and notes, with custom reports and dashboards built from any field in Filevine.
- Document management and assembly
- Unlimited document storage with search, PDF splitting and combining, and document assembly that fills templates from matter data.
- LOIS legal AI
- Ask LOIS answers questions about a matter with cited sources, AI Drafting writes from case facts, LOIS for Word works inside Microsoft Word, and LOIS Legal Research checks case law.
- Deposition tools
- Schedule depositions and book court reporters, get live transcription and follow-up suggestions from Depo Copilot, and keep summarized transcripts in a searchable library.
- Intake with Lead Docket
- Captures and qualifies leads, tracks referral fees, takes online payments and moves signed clients into case files, with AI lead summaries as an option.
- Timekeeping, billing and payments
- Multiple timers, time tracked from email, LEDES billing codes and bulk invoicing, with Filevine Payments for online payment that it says is IOLTA compliant.
Plans
Actionstep
Pricing could not be confirmed. See actionstep.com.
Filevine
Pricing could not be confirmed. See filevine.com.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Actionstep or Filevine?
As of Oct 24, 2026, Actionstep has no price we could confirm, and Filevine has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Actionstep or Filevine?
As of Oct 24, 2026, neither Actionstep nor Filevine has a free plan. Filevine has a free trial.
Which platforms do Actionstep and Filevine run on?
As of Oct 24, 2026, only Actionstep lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.