The CARET Legal Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about CARET Legal 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.
CARET Legal
The Insider’s Guide
Cloud practice management with billing and accounting for law firms
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among law practice software, read from CARET Legal’s own pages.
Made by CARET · checked Nov 12, 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 CARET Legal’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on CARET Legal’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.2
GPA, above 29 of the 35 other law practice software we grade
CARET Legal is a cloud practice management platform for law firms. The old Zola Suite address, zolasuite.com, now redirects to its site, and the login still runs on a zolasuite.com subdomain. It covers matters, email, calendars, tasks, contacts, documents, time and billing, legal accounting, a client portal and integrated payments. Higher plans add workflow automation, AI document summaries and the CARET Analytics dashboards.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about CARET Legal, taken from its own pages and our grades.
A practice and accounting system comes with an implementation fee and setup.
- 1
Best for cloud practice management with billing
CARET Legal, the new name on the old Zola Suite address, is cloud practice management with matters, billing, accounting and payments, from $79 a user a month.
- 2
Paid plans start at $79 a month for each person
As its pricing page puts it: $79 per user / month, billed annually.
- 3
You can try it first
Free trial offered on request; the length is not stated on the pricing page
- 4
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, iOS and Android.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
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.
- 8
A 2.2 GPA, above 29 of 35
That is against the other law practice software we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace CARET Legal 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.
CARET Legal at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $79 per user / month, billed annually
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- Free trial offered on request; the length is not stated on the pricing page
- Runs on
- Web, iOS, Android
- Made by
- CARET
- Category
- Law Practice Software
- Our grade
- 2.2 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for cloud practice management with billing
CARET Legal, the new name on the old Zola Suite address, is cloud practice management with matters, billing, accounting and payments, from $79 a user a month. The workflows, dashboards and AI summaries sit on the $99 plan, and an implementation fee is added whose amount isn't published.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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 | D | A trial is offered on request, and its length isn't stated. No free plan. |
| Features | B | Matters, 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 | C | No store rating on record. A practice and accounting system comes with an implementation fee and setup. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web with iPhone and Android apps and eight integrations. The Outlook and Word plugins are Windows only. |
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 CARET Legal is for
- Fits if you want matters, billing and accounting in one cloud product
- Works for firms that live in Outlook and Word on Windows
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- Small and mid-sized firms that want billing and accounting inside the case system
- Firms that work in Outlook or Word and want plugins for both
- Firms that want a phone support line open around the clock
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$79
A month to start, for each person
CARET Legal is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $79 per user / month, billed annually.
A trial is offered on request, and its length isn't stated.
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.
Trying it first
Free trial offered on request; the length is not stated on the pricing page
Read from caretlegal.com on Nov 12, 2026.
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
Cloud practice management with billing and accounting for law firms. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: workflow automation, time tracking, invoicing, bookkeeping, case management, trust accounting, dashboards.
Matters, email and calendars, billing and accounting, payments and a mobile app.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Microsoft 365
- Google Workspace
- QuickBooks Online
- Lawmatics
- NetDocuments
- OneDrive
- HotDocs
- LawToolBox
CARET Legal is made by CARET.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
29/35
Other law practice software it is graded above
CARET Legal's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 29 of the 35 other law practice software we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on features (B, above 25 of 35) and worst on free plan and trial (D, above 22).
Its paid plans start at $79 a month for each person, against a middle price of $50 for the category: 9 of the 12 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 1 tool scores higher and costs less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 36 law practice software we grade, cut by the letter each got. CARET Legal’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 6 of 35
- DFree plan and trialAbove 22 of 35
- BFeaturesAbove 25 of 35
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 35
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 7 of 35
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 13 law practice software. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. CARET Legal is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
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 CARET Legal 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.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.2 is higher than 29 of the 35 other law practice software we grade. It costs $948 a year.
What you could make
- Case management, time tracking and invoicing: 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.
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- Connections that pull numbers from dozens of other services.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. CARET Legal’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
Clio, MyCase, PracticePanther, Smokeball and CosmoLex
The 5 tools CARET Legal is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.8GPA
Clio
Free trial · from $49/mo
Practice management, legal accounting and legal AI for law firms.
- CARET Legal also covers workflow automation and dashboards.
- 2.2GPA
MyCase
Free trial · from $50/mo
Case management, billing and client portal for small law firms.
- CARET Legal also covers workflow automation, bookkeeping and dashboards.
- MyCase also covers forms and business texting.
- 2.2GPA
PracticePanther
Free trial · from $49/mo
Law practice management with built-in payments and accounting.
- CARET Legal also covers workflow automation, bookkeeping and dashboards.
- PracticePanther also covers forms and business texting.
- 2.0GPA
Smokeball
Paid
Practice management with automatic time capture and court forms.
- Only Smokeball lists a Windows app.
- CARET Legal also covers workflow automation, bookkeeping and dashboards.
- Smokeball also covers templates.
- 2.2GPA
CosmoLex
Free trial · from $49/mo
Law practice management with trust and business accounting built in.
- CARET Legal also covers workflow automation and dashboards.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
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 CARET Legal free?
No, CARET Legal is a paid product, but you can try it first. Free trial offered on request; the length is not stated on the pricing page.
How much does CARET Legal cost?
CARET Legal lists 3 plans. Enterprise: $79 per user / month, billed annually.
What platforms does CARET Legal work on?
CARET Legal is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does CARET Legal have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. CARET Legal is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does CARET Legal have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. CARET Legal is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is CARET Legal open source?
CARET Legal is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
What does CARET Legal integrate with?
CARET Legal's listing names Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, QuickBooks Online, Lawmatics, NetDocuments, OneDrive, HotDocs and LawToolBox.
Who makes CARET Legal?
CARET Legal is made by CARET.
What are the alternatives to CARET Legal?
The closest alternatives to CARET Legal in our directory are Clio, MyCase, PracticePanther, Smokeball and CosmoLex.
How does CARET Legal compare with other law practice software?
CARET Legal's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 29 of the 35 other law practice software we grade, and level with 5.
Is CARET Legal good value for money?
ToolGPA grades CARET Legal C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $79 a month for each person, against a middle price of $50 for the category: 9 of the 12 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of CARET Legal?
To replace CARET Legal 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 CARET Legal’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from CARET Legal's own pages on 12 November 2026. 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 CARET. Prices change, so check caretlegal.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 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.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- CARET Legal, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/zola-suite
- 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, "CARET Legal: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/zola-suite
Know someone choosing between law practice software?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/zola-suite/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded law practice software after CARET Legal, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Law Practice Software Insider's GuideEvery one of the 36 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
- Lawcus Insider's GuidePractice management with billing and trust accounting for 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 CARET Legal’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. CARET Legal is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by CARET. Prices and plans change: check caretlegal.com before you buy.