Clio vs Docketwise (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Clio: it is first in our ranking of law practice software, and it grades higher too, 2.8 against 2.0.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Clio grades higher on value for money, features and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Clio
Practice management, legal accounting and legal AI for law firms
Docketwise
Immigration case management with forms, intake and billing
Which one is for you
Pick Clio if
- Fits if you want trust reconciliation and the firm's books in the same tool as billing
- Works for firms that plan to add intake and legal AI from the same vendor later
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: only Starter has a published price, and Core, Signature and Elite are quoted on request
- Tight if you're on Starter, which has no client portal, texting, conflict checks, document templates, custom fields or integrations
- Pricey if you want workflows, custom reports or SSO, which need Signature or Elite, and Clio Grow intake is an add-on on Core and Signature
- Watch out: card payments cost 2.95% (3.75% for Amex), eCheck 1% and Affirm 4.95%, and court e-filing is paid per filing
- Skip it if you want a long trial, as it's 7 days and there's no free plan
Pick Docketwise if
- Fits if you run an immigration practice and want forms and cases together
- Works for firms that need client intake in several languages
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you handle other kinds of law: the forms and flows are immigration-only
- Pricey if you want e-filing, e-signatures or the AI assistant, all Pro at $100 a user
- Watch out: free data migration is listed only for annual Advanced plans
- Watch out: the home page carries a notice about a security incident
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAClioGood | 2.0GPADocketwiseFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStarter is $49 a user a month, the price this category mostly starts at: its cheaper quarter and middle are both $49. The listing doesn't say if that's billed monthly or yearly, and Core, Signature and Elite are priced on request. | D$80 a user a month on yearly billing, at the top of what law-practice tools cost against a $59 middle. The useful extras start at $100 on Pro. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 7-day trial of Clio Manage with no card. No free plan, so a week is all you get before paying. | CFree trial with no card, though its length is not stated. No free plan. |
| Features | BMatters, unlimited documents, calendars, hourly, flat and contingency billing, online payments, trust accounting and legal accounting with bank sync, plus a client portal from Core and Clio Work for AI research and drafting. The listing shows no gap in the core job. | CForms, cases, priority dates, intake, billing and trust accounting. It is immigration only, and e-filing and e-signatures need Pro. |
| Ease of use | AClio rates 4.8 on the US App Store from 9,084 ratings, which puts it at A on our ease ladder. | CNo store rating on record. You build intakes and set up forms, so it is a C. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Outlook, Gmail, Word, QuickBooks, Xero, TrustBooks and Affirm, and a developer API. No desktop app on record. | BWeb only, with Clio, Gmail, Outlook, QuickBooks, LawPay, Zapier and others listed. |
| Best for | small firms that want legal accounting built in | immigration case management and 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: Clio and Docketwise. How we grade
Price against what you get
Clio starts at $49 a month for each person and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Docketwise starts at $80 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
Clio scores higher and starts $31 a month lower. Of the other law practice software on the chart, none scores higher than Clio for less, and 2 score higher than Docketwise for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Clio also covers invoicing and bookkeeping.
- Docketwise also covers workflow automation and forms.
At a glance
| Clio | Docketwise | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $49 per user / month (Starter); billing basis not stated | $80 per user / month, billed yearly ($90 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of Clio Manage, no credit card required | Free trial with no credit card required; length not stated on the pages read. |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Themis Solutions Inc. (Clio) | 8am (DocketWise) |
| Price read from | web.archive.org (not the vendor's own page) | docketwise.com |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Clio
- Clio publishes a price only for Starter; Core, Signature and Elite are quoted on request or after a demo.
- Starter leaves out the client portal, texting, conflict checks, document templates, custom fields and third-party integrations, which start on Core.
- Card payments cost 2.95% (3.75% for Amex), eCheck and ACH 1%, and Affirm pay-later 4.95%; court e-filing is paid per filing.
- Automated workflows, custom reports and SSO need Signature or Elite, and Clio Grow intake is an add-on on Core and Signature.
Docketwise
- Built for immigration practices only, so a general practice would find the forms and workflows narrow.
- E-filing, e-signatures, lead management, texting and the AI assistant need the Pro plan or higher.
- Free data migration is listed only for annual Advanced plans.
- The site carries a notice of a security incident on its home page.
Key features
Clio
- Matters, documents and calendars
- Every plan stores contacts, matters and unlimited documents, with calendaring, tasks, a firm dashboard and Clio's iOS and Android apps.
- Billing and online payments
- Hourly, flat-rate and contingency billing, payment plans, UTBMS and LEDES codes, and online payment by card, eCheck, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
- Legal accounting built in
- Bank sync, a chart of accounts, trust and operating reconciliation, check printing and cash or accrual reports on every plan, with a free licence for the firm's accountant.
- AI inside Clio Manage
- From Core, AI drafts bills on a schedule, writes client updates from matter activity, turns documents into calendar events and tasks, and ranks tasks.
- Clio Work
- A legal AI workspace that reads a matter's files to build timelines and spot gaps, finds jurisdiction-matched authority checked by a citator, and drafts in Clio Work or Microsoft Word.
- Client portal and texting
- From Core, clients use the Clio for Clients portal and app to message, share documents, pay and follow their matter, and the firm can text reminders.
Docketwise
- Immigration forms
- Smart Forms fill immigration forms from case data, and intake questionnaires can be built in several languages.
- Case and priority date tracking
- Cases, tasks and priority dates are tracked in one place, with calendaring and a client portal for document requests.
- Billing and trust accounting
- Time tracking, invoicing and trust accounting are listed, with a LawPay integration for online payments.
- E-filing and e-signatures
- e-Filing and e-signatures start on the Pro plan.
- DocketWise IQ
- A legal AI assistant for writing and document help, included from the Pro plan.
- Messaging and leads
- The Pro plan adds a lead management CRM, text messaging and bulk messaging.
Plans
Clio
Starter$49
per user / month; monthly or annual billing not stated
Matters, contacts, unlimited document storage, time and billing, online payments, trust accounting and built-in legal accounting. Three eSignatures.
CoreCustom
Adds AI billing and client updates, conflict checks, client portal and texting, document templates, integrations and 15 eSignatures. Price on request.
SignatureCustom
Adds matter stages, automated workflows, split and multi-currency billing, custom reports, SAML SSO and unlimited eSignatures. Price on request.
EliteCustom
Signature plus the Clio Grow intake suite: AI lead handling, intake forms, online booking, review requests and a website builder. Price on request.
Docketwise
Basic$80
per user / month, billed yearly ($90 billed monthly)
Smart forms, case management, multilingual intakes, priority date tracking, client portal, calendaring, time tracking and unlimited cloud storage.
Pro$100
per user / month, billed yearly ($120 billed monthly)
Adds e-filing, e-signatures, lead management, texting, QuickBooks integration and the DocketWise IQ legal AI.
Advanced$120
per user / month, billed yearly ($140 billed monthly)
Adds multiple branches, permission groups, priority support, tailored setup and a 5GB file size limit.
Ways to pay less
Clio
- Other savings
Elite bundle saving
Clio's pricing page labels Elite, which bundles Signature with the Clio Grow intake suite, as saving over 17%.
Docketwise
- Annual discount
Yearly billing is $10 to $20 less per user
Yearly prices are $80, $100 and $120 per user per month against $90, $120 and $140 billed monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Clio or Docketwise?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Clio is cheaper to start with: $49 a month for each person, against $80 a month for each person for Docketwise. Clio starts at $49 per user / month (Starter); billing basis not stated, and Docketwise starts at $80 per user / month, billed yearly ($90 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Clio or Docketwise?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Clio nor Docketwise has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Clio and Docketwise run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Clio 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.