Smokeball vs CARET Legal (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Smokeball: it is third in our ranking of law practice software, though CARET Legal grades higher (2.2 against 2.0) on the free plan.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Smokeball
Practice management with automatic time capture and court forms
Paid
CARET Legal
Cloud practice management with billing and accounting for law firms
Free trial · from $79/mo
Which one is for you
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
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
How we grade them
| 2.0GPASmokeballFair | 2.2GPACARET LegalFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | C$79 a user a month billed annually, which is where the dearer quarter of law-practice tools starts. Dashboards and workflows need $99. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free on record: no free plan and no trial, only a demo with the sales team. | DA trial is offered on request, and its length isn't stated. No free plan. |
| Features | 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. | BMatters, email and calendars, billing and accounting, payments and a mobile app. Nothing basic is missing, though the extras are on higher plans. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo store rating on record. A practice and accounting system comes with an implementation fee and setup. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb with iPhone and Android apps and eight integrations. The Outlook and Word plugins are Windows only. |
| Best for | small firms that file many court forms | cloud practice management with billing |
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: Smokeball and CARET Legal. How we grade
Where they differ
- Smokeball also covers templates.
- CARET Legal also covers workflow automation, bookkeeping and dashboards.
In commonWebiOSAndroidTime trackingInvoicingCase managementTrust accounting
At a glance
| Smokeball | CARET Legal | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | Not published | $79 per user / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Free trial offered on request; the length is not stated on the pricing page |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Smokeball | CARET |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | caretlegal.com |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
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.
Key features
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.
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.
Plans
Smokeball
Pricing could not be confirmed. See smokeball.com.
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Smokeball or CARET Legal?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Smokeball has no price we could confirm, and CARET Legal starts at $79 per user / month, billed annually.
Which has a free plan, Smokeball or CARET Legal?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Smokeball nor CARET Legal has a free plan. CARET Legal has a free trial.
Which platforms do Smokeball and CARET Legal run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Smokeball lists a Windows app. Both list a web app and iOS and Android apps. 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.