Clio vs MyCase (2026): which should you pick?

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 MyCase if

• Fits if you're a solo or small firm that wants cases and billing in one place
• Works for firms that already take card payments through LawPay

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you need intake forms, eSignature, workflows or texting, which all need Pro at $100 a user billed yearly
• Tight if you want conflict check tracking, split billing, Desktop Drive or the open API, as those are Advanced only at $130
• Watch out: three-way trust reconciliation is the $39 a user MyCase Accounting add-on, and Basic can't have it
• Watch out: court-rules calendaring is a separate subscription, and fees already paid aren't refunded if you cancel
• Skip it if you want to stay free, as there's only a 10-day trial and no free plan

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.

MyCase

• Intake forms, the legal CRM, eSignature, workflows and two-way texting all need Pro at $100 per user / month, billed annually.
• Conflict check tracking, split billing, Desktop Drive and the open API are limited to Advanced.
• MyCase Accounting, for three-way trust reconciliation, is a $39 per user / month add-on on Pro and Advanced only.
• Court-rules calendaring needs a separate subscription, and fees already paid are not refunded on cancelling.

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.

MyCase

Cases, calendar and documents

Each case holds its notes, tasks, events, documents and contacts. A shared firm calendar shows statute of limitations dates, and document storage is unlimited on every plan.

Time, billing and trust accounting

Track time and expenses, turn them into invoices, and keep trust ledgers per client and per case with reconciliation. LEDES and batch billing, payment plans and interest come with Pro.

Payments through LawPay

Clients pay by card, eCheck or financing through 8am LawPay, with next-business-day deposits. LawPay has no monthly fee; processing rates apply.

Client portal and texting

Clients see their case and messages in a secure portal (limited on Basic). Pro adds unlimited two-way texting with images, a call log, internal chat and online intake forms.

8am IQ assistants

Pro includes AI writing and document assistants. Advanced adds a Case Assistant for summaries and timelines and a Discovery Assistant that runs OCR on 5,000 pages per user a month.

Claude connector and open API

An official read-only MCP connector lets Claude look up cases, documents and firm financials. The open API for building other links is on the Advanced plan.

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.

MyCase

• MyCase Basic$50

  per user / month, billed annually ($60 billed monthly)

  Case and contact management, time entry, invoicing, trust accounting, online payments, unlimited document storage and a limited client portal.

• MyCase Pro$100

  per user / month, billed annually ($120 billed monthly)

  Adds unlimited eSignature, document generation, workflows, intake forms and legal CRM, two-way texting, premium billing and the 8am IQ writing assistant.

• MyCase Advanced$130

  per user / month, billed annually ($150 billed monthly)

  Adds the 8am IQ Case and Discovery assistants, advanced document automation, Desktop Drive, conflict check tracking, split billing and the open API.

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%.

MyCase

• Annual discount

  Save up to 16% with yearly billing

  MyCase's pricing page lists savings of up to 16% for paying a year upfront: $120 a year per user on Basic and $240 a year per user on Pro and Advanced.

• Other savings

  Bar association member discounts

  MyCase lists a member benefit for each of its partner bar associations and legal groups; ABA Advantage members, for example, get a 20% lifetime discount.