Clio vs CARET Legal (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 CARET Legal if

• Fits if you want matters, billing and accounting in one cloud product
• Works for firms that live in Outlook and Word on Windows

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you want dashboards, workflows or custom permissions, which start at $99 a user a month
• Tight if you hate fees on top: a one-time implementation fee applies and the amount isn't published
• Skip it if you want a clear trial, since its length isn't stated
• Watch out: zolasuite.com now redirects to caretlegal.com and the vendor doesn't explain how the names relate

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.

CARET Legal

• Pricing is per user plus a one-time implementation fee whose amount is not published.
• The zolasuite.com address now redirects to caretlegal.com, and the vendor's pages do not say how the two names relate.
• Dashboards, automated workflows, custom permissions and AI document summaries start at Enterprise Plus ($99 per user / month).
• The Outlook and Word plugins are listed for Windows only, and the free trial length is not stated.

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.

CARET Legal

Matters, email and calendars

Matter management with automated workflows, tasks and a calendar, plus email that syncs with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or any IMAP account.

Billing and accounting

Time tracking, LEDES and split billing, pre-billing and legal accounting in one system. The vendor's billing page says it follows ABA and IOLTA guidelines.

Payments

Clients can pay retainers and invoices by credit card, ACH or e-check through the client portal, using the vendor's CARET Pay processing.

AI features

Quick Summary condenses long documents, and the vendor lists Capture for suggesting billable time, Command for flagging items that need attention and Court Rules for deadline calculation.

CARET Analytics

Standard dashboards and reports come with Enterprise Plus. Enterprise Insights lets a firm configure its own dashboards and metrics.

Mobile app

Native iOS and Android apps for tasks, contacts, calls and texts, with Touch ID protection and a business card scanner.

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.

CARET Legal

• Enterprise$79

  per user / month, billed annually

  Email, documents, calendar, tasks, billing, accounting, client portal, LEDES invoicing, integrated payments and 24/7 phone support. Implementation fee extra.

• Enterprise Plus$99

  per user / month, billed annually

  Adds CARET Analytics standard dashboards, automated workflows, custom permissions, department-based accounting, native document editing and AI document summaries.

• Enterprise Insights$119

  per user / month, billed annually

  Enterprise Plus plus configurable CARET Analytics reports and dashboards, with custom visualizations and metric selection.

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%.

CARET Legal

No public discounts listed.