Centerbase vs Smokeball (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, we pick Smokeball: it is third in our ranking of law practice software, and they share a 2.0 GPA.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Centerbase
Practice management, billing and firm accounting for midsize firms
Paid
Smokeball
Practice management with automatic time capture and court forms
Paid
Which one is for you
Pick Centerbase if
- Fits if you run a midsize firm that has outgrown small-firm practice management
- Works for managing partners and administrators who track profitability and work in progress
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: there's no published price or trial, and licences, onboarding and add-ons come in a quote after a demo
- Skip it if you need to be up and running soon, as onboarding typically takes 12 to 14 weeks
- Watch out: SecureChat, for calling and texting clients from the phone app, is a premium feature
- Watch out: the Centerbase Payments transaction fee isn't published, though you can keep your own processor
- Not for you if you're a solo or small firm, as it's built and priced for midsize firms
Pick Smokeball if
- Fits if your firm files lots of court and agency forms, in areas like family law or personal injury
- Works for lawyers who want time logged against the matter without running timers
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: there's no published price, and a quote depends on users, plan, contract term and add-ons
- Skip it if you want to try it first, as there's no free plan or trial on record, only a demo
- Pricey if you want AutoTime, intake or workflows below Prosper+, as they cost extra on Grow, and Archie AI is an add-on from Boost up
- Not for you if your firm runs on Macs, as the desktop app is Windows only and Boost runs in the browser
- Watch out: online payments and eFiling carry fees, and eSignature runs through InfoTrack
How we grade them
| 2.0GPACenterbaseFair | 2.0GPASmokeballFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price is published. Centerbase gives a price only on a sales call: licences, onboarding and add-ons are set out in a quote after a demo. | CNo price is published. Smokeball gives a price only on a sales call, depending on your number of users, the plan, the contract term and any add-ons. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free on record: no free plan and no trial, only a demo. | FNothing free on record: no free plan and no trial, only a demo with the sales team. |
| Features | BMatters, documents in SharePoint, tasks, two-way calendar sync, ePre-bills, a client portal, intake, trust and firm accounting, three kinds of timekeeping and Centerbase IQ reporting. The listing shows no gap in the core job. | BMatters, tasks and calendars, more than 20,000 court and agency forms, AutoTime, invoicing, online payments, a trust ledger, intake, workflows and the Archie AI assistant across its plans. That's the whole job, though the general ledger sits in QuickBooks Online. |
| Ease of use | CWe have no store rating on file for it. Onboarding is included but typically takes 12 to 14 weeks, with implementation packages scoped and priced to the firm. | CWe have no store rating on file for it. It's a whole firm system with matters, form templates, trust accounts and a QuickBooks link to set up, and you can't sign up yourself: it starts with a demo. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Outlook, Word, SharePoint, Stripe, Billables.ai and AvidXchange. No desktop app of its own on record. | BWeb, a Windows desktop app on Grow and Prosper+, and iPhone and Android apps, with Outlook, Word, QuickBooks Online and InfoTrack. No Mac app, and no API or Zapier on record. |
| Best for | midsize firms that want billing and books together | small firms that file many court forms |
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: Centerbase and Smokeball. How we grade
Where they differ
- Centerbase also covers reports and bookkeeping.
- Smokeball also covers templates.
In commonWebiOSAndroidAI featuresTime trackingInvoicingCase managementTrust accounting
At a glance
| Centerbase | Smokeball | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Centerbase, Inc. | Smokeball |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Centerbase
- Centerbase publishes no prices: licensing, onboarding and add-ons are all set out in a quote after a demo.
- Onboarding is included but typically takes 12 to 14 weeks, with implementation packages scoped and priced to the firm.
- SecureChat, for calling and texting clients from the mobile app, is described as a premium feature.
- Centerbase Payments' transaction fee is not published; firms may keep their existing payment processor instead.
Smokeball
- Smokeball publishes no prices: a quote depends on the number of users, the plan, the contract term and add-ons.
- Boost runs entirely in the browser; Grow and Prosper+ add the native desktop app, which Smokeball's site lists for Windows.
- AutoTime, Intake and Workflows come with Prosper+ only and cost extra on Grow; Archie AI is an add-on on Boost, Grow and Prosper+.
- Online payments and eFiling carry fees, and eSignature runs through InfoTrack.
Key features
Centerbase
- Matters inside Microsoft 365
- Matter, document, task and calendar management. Outlook emails and attachments file to the right matter, calendars sync both ways, and SharePoint can hold the documents.
- Billing and ePre-bills
- Bills go through electronic pre-bill review before they are sent, and a client portal and client intake are included with the plan.
- Trust and firm accounting
- Trust and firm accounting with online banking and automatic trust reconciliation, so the books close in the same system as billing.
- Three levels of timekeeping
- Built-in timers and timesheets, Automated Time Capture that logs client calls, texts and emails from the mobile app, and Billables AI as a partner option.
- Centerbase IQ
- Ask questions about profitability, work in progress or AR aging in plain English and get charts and tables with links back to the records behind each number.
- Centerbase Payments
- Card, debit and ACH payments and automatic trust replenishment, powered by Stripe, with no platform fee; a standard transaction fee applies to each payment.
Smokeball
- Matters, calendars and tasks
- Each matter holds its documents, tasks, events and contacts, with Microsoft 365 Outlook and calendar integration from Boost and iOS and Android apps for checking matters on the go.
- TemplateLab forms and documents
- A library of more than 20,000 court and agency forms and document templates that fill from the matter, with practice-area templates and calculators from Grow.
- AutoTime
- Logs each action against the matter being worked on, so time entries do not have to be started or written up. Included in Prosper+ and an add-on on Grow.
- Billing, payments and trust
- Invoicing, time and expense tracking, online payments and a trust ledger kept current as entries are made, with QuickBooks Online holding the general ledger.
- Archie AI
- An AI assistant that works inside a matter to draft, review documents and answer questions, sold as an add-on from Boost upward.
- Intake and lead management
- Intake forms are an add-on on Boost and Grow; Prosper+ includes them along with lead management, inquiry intake, custom workflows and profitability reporting.
Plans
Centerbase
Pricing could not be confirmed. See centerbase.com.
Smokeball
Pricing could not be confirmed. See smokeball.com.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Centerbase or Smokeball?
As of Oct 24, 2026, Centerbase has no price we could confirm, and Smokeball has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Centerbase or Smokeball?
As of Oct 24, 2026, neither Centerbase nor Smokeball has a free plan.
Which platforms do Centerbase and Smokeball run on?
As of Oct 24, 2026, only Smokeball lists a Windows app. Both list a web app and iOS and Android apps. 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.