Docketwise vs Smokeball (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 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 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Docketwise grades higher on the free plan. Smokeball grades higher on value for money and features. They get the same grade on 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
Smokeball
Practice management with automatic time capture and court forms
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 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
| 2.0GPADocketwiseFair | 2.0GPASmokeballFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | 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 | CFree trial with no card, though its length is not stated. No free plan. | FNothing free on record: no free plan and no trial, only a demo with the sales team. |
| Features | CForms, cases, priority dates, intake, billing and trust accounting. It is immigration only, and e-filing and e-signatures need Pro. | 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 | 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. 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 only, with Clio, Gmail, Outlook, QuickBooks, LawPay, Zapier and others listed. | 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 | immigration case management and forms | 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: Docketwise and Smokeball. How we grade
Where they differ
- Docketwise also covers workflow automation and forms.
- Smokeball also covers templates and invoicing.
At a glance
| Docketwise | Smokeball | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $80 per user / month, billed yearly ($90 billed monthly) | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free trial with no credit card required; length not stated on the pages read. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | 8am (DocketWise) | Smokeball |
| Price read from | docketwise.com | Not confirmed |
| 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.
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
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.
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
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.
Smokeball
Pricing could not be confirmed. See smokeball.com.
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.
Smokeball
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Docketwise or Smokeball?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Docketwise starts at $80 per user / month, billed yearly ($90 billed monthly), and Smokeball has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Docketwise or Smokeball?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Docketwise nor Smokeball has a free plan. Docketwise has a free trial.
Which platforms do Docketwise and Smokeball run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Smokeball lists Windows, 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.