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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Smokeball

Pricing could not be confirmed. See smokeball.com.

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.

Smokeball

No public discounts listed.