Gavel vs PracticePanther (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Gavel if

• Fits if you draft the same documents over and over and want them automated
• Works for firms that already run cases in Clio and need document building

Look elsewhere if

• Too light for running a practice: no cases, billing or trust accounting
• Tight if you want more than 10 templates: that needs Standard at $210
• Pricey if you want payments, your own domain or DocuSign: those are Pro at $290
• Watch out: the page's billing toggle may show different prices from the ones read here

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

Gavel

• The pricing page shows a Billed monthly and a Billed annually toggle, and the figures read here may not match the toggle you see; check before buying.
• Template caps apply: 10 on Lite, 50 on Standard and 100 on Pro.
• Gavel Exec contract review has its own pricing tab, which is not covered here.
• The site says Gavel was acquired by Relativity.

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.

Gavel

Word document automation

Templates are built from your own Word documents with custom rules.

PDF form automation

Fillable PDFs are filled from the same questions and data.

Client-facing forms

Workflows collect client information and produce documents, and can be embedded on a website from the Pro plan.

Legal template library

Pre-built legal templates and court forms come with the Pro plan.

Online payments

The Pro plan can collect payments through Stripe, for selling online legal services.

Gavel Exec

A separate contract review product that drafts, reviews and redlines inside Word, priced on its own tab.

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.

Gavel

• Lite$83

  per month, billing basis not shown beside the figure

  1 builder seat, 10 document templates, Word and PDF automation and the Clio Manage integration.

• Standard$210

  per month, billing basis not shown beside the figure

  1 builder seat, 50 templates, saved and reusable data, your logo, Zapier integration and phone support.

• Pro$290

  per month, billing basis not shown beside the figure

  2 builder and 3 organization user seats, 100 templates, legal template library, Stripe payments, custom domain, DocuSign integration.

• Scale$417

  per month and up, billed annually

  Sold through sales: per-seat pricing, custom limits, API access, single sign-on and an account manager.

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.

Gavel

• Annual discount

  2 months free on annual plans

  Annual plans, billed upfront, get 2 months free.

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.