Docketwise vs PracticePanther (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick PracticePanther: it is second in our ranking of law practice software, and it grades higher too, 2.2 against 2.0.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
PracticePanther grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Docketwise
Immigration case management with forms, intake and billing
PracticePanther
Law practice management with built-in payments and accounting
Which one is for you
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
Pick PracticePanther if
- Fits if you're a solo lawyer who wants a published per-user price
- Works for small firms that want card and eCheck payments in the same tool as billing
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're on Solo, which has no email or calendar sync, batch billing, payment plans or automatic payment reminders
- Pricey if you need texting, intake forms, eSignature, LEDES billing, Zapier or the API, all on Business at $89 a user
- Watch out: the general ledger and operating accounting are on Business Pro only, at $114 a user billed yearly
- Watch out: PantherPayments takes 2.95% on cards and 1% on eChecks, and court-rules calendaring needs LawToolBox
- Skip it if you want more than a week to try it, as the trial is 7 days and there's no free plan
How we grade them
| 2.0GPADocketwiseFair | 2.2GPAPracticePantherFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CSolo is $49 a user a month billed yearly, $59 monthly, which is where this category's cheaper quarter and middle both sit. The jumps come quickly: Essential is $69, Business $89 and Business Pro $114. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree trial with no card, though its length is not stated. No free plan. | CA 7-day trial with no card, and nothing free after it. That's a short look at a system you'd run the firm's money through. |
| Features | CForms, cases, priority dates, intake, billing and trust accounting. It is immigration only, and e-filing and e-signatures need Pro. | CMatters, workflows, time, invoices, PantherPayments, a client portal and a trust ledger with a three-way reconciliation report on every plan. Texting and intake forms wait on Business at $89 a user. The gap the listing names: court-rules calendaring needs a separate LawToolBox subscription. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You build intakes and set up forms, so it is a C. | CWe have no store rating on file for it. Workflows, trust accounts and payments need setting up, and Solo comes with one live training session. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Clio, Gmail, Outlook, QuickBooks, LawPay, Zapier and others listed. | BWeb, iPhone, iPad and Android, with QuickBooks Online, Outlook, Gmail, Google Calendar, Dropbox, Zapier and an API. No desktop app, and Zapier and the API need Business. |
| Best for | immigration case management and forms | small firms that want payments and billing in one app |
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: Docketwise and PracticePanther. How we grade
Price against what you get
Docketwise starts at $80 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. PracticePanther starts at $49 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and PracticePanther starts $31 a month lower. Of the other law practice software on the chart, 2 score higher than Docketwise for less, and none scores higher than PracticePanther 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
- Docketwise also covers workflow automation.
- PracticePanther also covers invoicing and business texting.
At a glance
| Docketwise | PracticePanther | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $80 per user / month, billed yearly ($90 billed monthly) | $49 per user / month, billed annually ($59 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free trial with no credit card required; length not stated on the pages read. | 7-day free trial, no credit card needed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | 8am (DocketWise) | PracticePanther |
| Price read from | docketwise.com | practicepanther.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
PracticePanther
- Two-way texting, intake forms, eSignature, LEDES billing, Zapier and the API all need Business at $89 per user / month, billed annually.
- Solo has no email or calendar sync, batch billing, payment plans or automatic payment reminders; they start on Essential.
- Operating accounting, the general ledger and the guided trust reconciliation come only with Business Pro.
- PantherPayments charges 2.95% on cards and 1% on eChecks. Court-rules calendaring also needs a LawToolBox subscription.
Key features
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.
PracticePanther
- Contacts, matters and workflows
- Matters link contacts, notes, documents and invoices. Workflows apply a set of tasks and events to a matter in one click, and conditional steps can trigger checklists.
- Time, billing and PantherPayments
- Multiple timers and invoices on every plan, with batch billing, payment plans and automatic reminders from Essential. Clients pay by card, eCheck or ACH, or through a OneLink payment link.
- Trust and operating accounting
- Every plan has a trust ledger with a three-way reconciliation report. Business Pro adds a general ledger, chart of accounts, expense tracking and a step-by-step reconciliation wizard.
- Client portal, texting and eSignature
- A secure two-way messaging portal on every plan. Business adds texting from a business number, unlimited eSignature sends and text reminders for events and deadlines.
- Intake forms and legal CRM
- Unlimited custom intake forms that feed new contacts and matters, which can be embedded on the firm's website, plus a CRM for following up with prospects.
- Mobile apps and sync
- iPhone, iPad and Android apps for time and billing on every plan. From Essential, Outlook and Gmail add-ons sync email, and calendars sync with Google Calendar, Outlook and Exchange.
Plans
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.
PracticePanther
Solo$49
per user / month, billed annually ($59 billed monthly)
Matters, time and expenses, client portal, PantherPayments, document templates, task and event workflows, internal chat. One live training.
Essential$69
per user / month, billed annually ($79 billed monthly)
Adds custom fields and roles, batch billing, payment plans and reminders, email and calendar sync, multiple bank accounts and check printing.
Business$89
per user / month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly)
Adds two-way texting, intake forms, unlimited eSignature sends, LEDES billing, Zapier and the API, court-rules calendaring and VIP support.
Business Pro$114
per user / month, billed annually ($124 billed monthly)
Adds PantherAccounting Plus: trust and operating accounting, a general ledger, expense management and guided three-way reconciliation.
Ways to pay less
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.
PracticePanther
- Annual discount
Save $120 per user a year with annual billing
PracticePanther's pricing page shows every plan $10 a month cheaper per user when billed annually, a saving it states as $120 per user a year.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Docketwise or PracticePanther?
As of Nov 12, 2026, PracticePanther is cheaper to start with: $49 a month for each person, against $80 a month for each person for Docketwise. Docketwise starts at $80 per user / month, billed yearly ($90 billed monthly), and PracticePanther starts at $49 per user / month, billed annually ($59 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Docketwise or PracticePanther?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Docketwise nor PracticePanther has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Docketwise and PracticePanther run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only PracticePanther 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.