The Centerbase Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Centerbase in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Centerbase
The Insider’s Guide
Practice management, billing and firm accounting for midsize firms
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among law practice software, read from Centerbase’s own pages.
Made by Centerbase, Inc. · checked Oct 24, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Centerbase’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Centerbase’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 24, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.0
GPA, above 2 of the 9 other law practice software we grade
Centerbase is practice management software for midsize law firms that keeps matters, documents, timekeeping, billing, and trust and firm accounting in one platform, without a separate bookkeeping system. It works inside Outlook and Word, and Centerbase IQ answers plain-English questions about firm performance. Every subscription is quoted and comes with a structured onboarding.
To get you started, here are 7 things to know about Centerbase, taken from its own pages and our grades.
- 1
Best for midsize firms that want billing and books together
Centerbase keeps matters, billing, timekeeping and trust and firm accounting in one system that works inside Outlook and Word, for midsize firms.
- 2
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, iOS and Android.
- 3
Matters inside Microsoft 365
Matter, document, task and calendar management. Outlook emails and attachments file to the right matter, calendars sync both ways, and SharePoint can hold the documents.
- 4
Billing and ePre-bills
Bills go through electronic pre-bill review before they are sent, and a client portal and client intake are included with the plan.
- 5
Trust and firm accounting
Trust and firm accounting with online banking and automatic trust reconciliation, so the books close in the same system as billing.
- 6
A 2.0 GPA, above 2 of 9
That is against the other law practice software we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 7
Keep it
To replace Centerbase you would be making client trust accounts kept the way bar rules require. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Centerbase at a glance
- Pricing
- Paid
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Centerbase, Inc.
- Category
- Law Practice Software
- Our grade
- 2.0 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for midsize firms that want billing and books together
Centerbase keeps matters, billing, timekeeping and trust and firm accounting in one system that works inside Outlook and Word, for midsize firms. But there's no published price or trial, onboarding typically takes 12 to 14 weeks with implementation priced to your firm, and the payments fee isn't published.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | No price is published. Centerbase gives a price only on a sales call: licences, onboarding and add-ons are set out in a quote after a demo. |
| Free plan and trial | F | Nothing free on record: no free plan and no trial, only a demo. |
| Features | B | Matters, documents in SharePoint, tasks, two-way calendar sync, ePre-bills, a client portal, intake, trust and firm accounting, three kinds of timekeeping and Centerbase IQ reporting. The listing shows no gap in the core job. |
| Ease of use | C | We have no store rating on file for it. Onboarding is included but typically takes 12 to 14 weeks, with implementation packages scoped and priced to the firm. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, iPhone and Android, with Outlook, Word, SharePoint, Stripe, Billables.ai and AvidXchange. No desktop app of its own on record. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Centerbase is for
- Fits if you run a midsize firm that has outgrown small-firm practice management
- Works for managing partners and administrators who track profitability and work in progress
Who it is not for
- Watch out: there's no published price or trial, and licences, onboarding and add-ons come in a quote after a demo
- Skip it if you need to be up and running soon, as onboarding typically takes 12 to 14 weeks
- Watch out: SecureChat, for calling and texting clients from the phone app, is a premium feature
- Watch out: the Centerbase Payments transaction fee isn't published, though you can keep your own processor
- Not for you if you're a solo or small firm, as it's built and priced for midsize firms
Good to know
Good for
- Midsize firms that have outgrown small-firm practice management
- Managing partners and administrators who need profitability and WIP reporting
- Firms whose lawyers live in Outlook and Word
Worth knowing
- Centerbase publishes no prices: licensing, onboarding and add-ons are all set out in a quote after a demo.
- Onboarding is included but typically takes 12 to 14 weeks, with implementation packages scoped and priced to the firm.
- SecureChat, for calling and texting clients from the mobile app, is described as a premium feature.
- Centerbase Payments' transaction fee is not published; firms may keep their existing payment processor instead.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Centerbase's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site.
Centerbase gives a price only on a sales call: licences, onboarding and add-ons are set out in a quote after a demo.
We could not confirm Centerbase’s current prices from its own site, so this guide lists no plans. centerbase.com has them.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: Web, iOS and Android
Practice management, billing and firm accounting for midsize firms. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, time tracking, invoicing, reports, bookkeeping, case management, trust accounting.
The listing shows no gap in the core job.
- Matters inside Microsoft 365
- Matter, document, task and calendar management. Outlook emails and attachments file to the right matter, calendars sync both ways, and SharePoint can hold the documents.
- Billing and ePre-bills
- Bills go through electronic pre-bill review before they are sent, and a client portal and client intake are included with the plan.
- Trust and firm accounting
- Trust and firm accounting with online banking and automatic trust reconciliation, so the books close in the same system as billing.
- Three levels of timekeeping
- Built-in timers and timesheets, Automated Time Capture that logs client calls, texts and emails from the mobile app, and Billables AI as a partner option.
- Centerbase IQ
- Ask questions about profitability, work in progress or AR aging in plain English and get charts and tables with links back to the records behind each number.
- Centerbase Payments
- Card, debit and ACH payments and automatic trust replenishment, powered by Stripe, with no platform fee; a standard transaction fee applies to each payment.
Where it runs
- Web
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Word
- SharePoint
- Stripe
- Billables.ai
- AvidXchange
Centerbase is made by Centerbase, Inc.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
2/9
Other law practice software it is graded above
Centerbase's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 2 of the 9 other law practice software we grade, and level with 3.
It stands best on features (B, above 7 of 9) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 10 law practice software we grade, cut by the letter each got. Centerbase’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 1 of 9
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 9
- BFeaturesAbove 7 of 9
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 9
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 9
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Centerbase you would be making client trust accounts kept the way bar rules require. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 4 of the 9 other law practice software grade higher.
What you could make
- Case management, time tracking, invoicing and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Client trust accounts kept the way bar rules require.
- Live feeds from your bank, which take an agreement with each bank or a service that has them.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It plugs into other products, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word and SharePoint among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Centerbase’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Actionstep, Clio, Filevine, CosmoLex and Smokeball
The 5 tools Centerbase is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 1.8GPA
Actionstep
Paid
Practice management and legal accounting for midsize law firms.
- Centerbase also covers reports.
- Actionstep also covers workflow automation.
- 2.8GPA
Clio
Free trial · from $49/mo
Practice management, legal accounting and legal AI for law firms.
- Centerbase also covers reports.
- 2.0GPA
Filevine
Free trial
Case management and the LOIS legal AI system, sold by quote.
- Only Centerbase lists iOS and Android apps.
- Centerbase also covers bookkeeping and trust accounting.
- Filevine also covers business texting.
- 2.2GPA
CosmoLex
Free trial · from $49/mo
Law practice management with trust and business accounting built in.
- Centerbase also covers reports.
- 2.0GPA
Smokeball
Paid
Practice management with automatic time capture and court forms.
- Only Smokeball lists a Windows app.
- Centerbase also covers reports and bookkeeping.
- Smokeball also covers templates.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
10
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Centerbase free?
No. Centerbase is a paid product.
What platforms does Centerbase work on?
Centerbase is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does Centerbase have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 24, 2026. Centerbase is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Centerbase have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 24, 2026. Centerbase is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Centerbase open source?
Centerbase is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 24, 2026.
What does Centerbase integrate with?
Centerbase's listing names Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, SharePoint, Stripe, Billables.ai and AvidXchange.
Who makes Centerbase?
Centerbase is made by Centerbase, Inc.
What are the alternatives to Centerbase?
The closest alternatives to Centerbase in our directory are Actionstep, Clio, Filevine, CosmoLex and Smokeball.
How does Centerbase compare with other law practice software?
Centerbase's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 2 of the 9 other law practice software we grade, and level with 3.
Could I make my own version of Centerbase?
To replace Centerbase you would be making client trust accounts kept the way bar rules require.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Centerbase’s own pages on Oct 24, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 24, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Centerbase's own pages on 24 October 2026. Centerbase's site would not load for our reader on 24 October 2026, so its facts are as the listing has them. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Centerbase, Inc. Prices change, so check centerbase.com before you buy.
- centerbase.com/
- centerbase.com/pricing
- centerbase.com/our-story
- centerbase.com/solutions/iq
- centerbase.com/solutions/mobile-app
- centerbase.com/solutions/payments
- centerbase.com/solutions/timekeeping
- centerbase.com/marketplace/integrations/microsoft-365
- centerbase.com/marketplace
- apps.apple.com/us/app/centerbase/id1483482137
- play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.centerbase.centerbase&gl=US
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Centerbase, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/centerbase
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Centerbase: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 24, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/centerbase
Know someone choosing between law practice software?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/centerbase/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded law practice software after Centerbase, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Law Practice Software Insider's GuideEvery one of the 10 law practice software we grade, compared
- Clio Insider's GuidePractice management, legal accounting and legal AI for law firms2.8 GPA
- CosmoLex Insider's GuideLaw practice management with trust and business accounting built in2.2 GPA
- MyCase Insider's GuideCase management, billing and client portal for small law firms2.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Centerbase’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Centerbase is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Centerbase, Inc. Prices and plans change: check centerbase.com before you buy.