Disclosure: we build Caseagent, an AI agent that reads case documents, so we work alongside this category rather than inside it. We do not sell a practice-management platform, none of these vendors pays us, and there are no affiliate links here.
Try it before you read on
Run the live agent on a prepared matter: pick a case, pick a task, and watch it produce a case brief, a deadline timeline, or a drafted response.
All three of these run a US law firm end to end: intake, matter management, calendaring, time tracking, billing, trust accounting, and a client portal. They overlap on most of the checklist, which is why the marketing sounds identical. The real differences are price, how much drafting the software does for you, and how many outside tools you can connect. This guide sets the 2026 numbers side by side and then answers the questions firms actually ask before they sign.
Clio vs Smokeball vs MyCase at a glance
Checked July 2026 against vendor pricing pages and public listings. Clio and MyCase publish per-user tiers on annual billing. Smokeball is quote-only, so its cell shows no per-seat number. Your final figure depends on tier, seat count, and term.
| Dimension | Clio | Smokeball | MyCase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical price | From $49 per user/mo across Starter, Core, Signature and Elite; rates above the entry plan are not published | Quote only, no published prices (Bill, Boost, Grow, Prosper+) | $50 Basic, $100 Pro, $130 Advanced per user/mo, annual |
| Trust / IOLTA accounting | Yes, with three-way reconciliation on higher tiers | Yes, built in, strong on compliance | Yes, included on every plan |
| Document automation | Good, templates plus marketplace add-ons | Best in class, auto-fills forms and drafts from matter data | Solid template merging, lighter than Smokeball |
| Client portal | Clio for Clients, messaging and document sharing | Communicate portal, messaging and e-signature | Strong, one of its selling points, client texting included |
| Integrations / marketplace | Largest in legal, 250-plus apps and an open API | Smaller, focused set, Microsoft Word deep integration | Moderate, covers the common accounting and payment tools |
| AI features | Included on Core and above at no separate charge | Smokeball AI, drafting and summaries inside the product | MyCase IQ, summaries and insights on higher tiers |
| Mobile | Mature iOS and Android apps | Good, plus automatic passive time capture on desktop | Well-reviewed iOS and Android apps |
| Best for | Firms that want the widest integrations and room to grow | Small firms drafting high volumes of documents | Budget-conscious small firms wanting trust accounting included |
Which is cheapest, Clio, Smokeball, or MyCase?
MyCase is the only one of the three with a full published rate card, from $50 to $130 per user per month on annual billing, with a 10-day free trial. Clio publishes only a starting rate of $49 per user per month and quotes its other three tiers. Smokeball does not publish pricing at all: every plan is quote only, so you cannot compare it without a sales call. Before that call, read our Smokeball pricing guide to the old prices still circulating and the seat and renewal terms in its contract.
A note on Clio's numbers, because they changed. Clio has renamed all four plans and withdrawn every published rate above the entry tier. Its pricing page now says only that plans start at $49 per user per month across Starter, Core, Signature and Elite, and it lists Clio Grow and Clio for Personal Injury as add-ons with no stated price. The older EasyStart, Essentials, Advanced and Expand names, and the $49 to $149 ladder that most roundup articles still print, have been retired. One thing did get simpler: AI is no longer a paid extra. Clio's own FAQ states that AI is included on Core and above and comes as part of the plan rather than as a separate add-on, so the roughly $40 per user Clio Duo charge that circulated in 2025 is gone. Treat any specific mid-tier Clio figure you find, here or anywhere else, as unverified until a rep puts it in writing.
Does MyCase have trust accounting?
Yes. MyCase includes trust and IOLTA accounting on every plan, starting with the $50 Basic tier, along with three-way reconciliation and separate ledgers for client funds. That is a genuine differentiator: at Clio, the strongest trust-accounting workflows sit on the higher tiers, so a firm buying purely for compliance often gets there cheaper with MyCase.
Trust accounting is where a lot of firms get into disciplinary trouble, because commingling or a missed reconciliation is a bar-complaint problem, not just an accounting one. Whatever platform you choose, the tool only records the ledgers. Someone at the firm still stays on top of every trust-accounting obligation, from monthly reconciliation to the rules on when earned fees move out of trust.
Is Smokeball worth it for a small firm?
If your firm drafts a lot of documents, yes. Smokeball's document automation is the deepest of the three: it merges matter data into Word templates and standard court forms, and it captures time passively while you work, which recovers billable hours most attorneys forget to log. For a high-volume family, estate, or immigration practice, that automation can pay for the higher price.
The trade-offs are cost and openness. Smokeball is quote-only with no published prices, its integration list is smaller than Clio's, and its automation leans on a Microsoft Word and desktop workflow. A firm that lives in the browser or wants a big app marketplace will feel that constraint. A firm that produces the same document types over and over will barely notice it.
Which has the best document automation?
Smokeball, clearly. It was built around document generation, and it auto-populates forms and letters from matter fields with less setup than the others. Clio is capable through its own templates plus marketplace tools like Lawyaw, and MyCase handles template merging well but stays lighter. If drafting is the bottleneck in your practice, that ranking should carry real weight in the decision, and it is worth comparing what a dedicated legal document automation tool does beyond what any of the three include.
Which has the best integrations?
Clio, by a wide margin. Its app marketplace is the largest in legal, past 250 integrations, with an open API that most legal tech vendors build to first. If you rely on a specific accounting, e-signature, VoIP, or intake tool, Clio is the safest bet that it will connect. Smokeball and MyCase cover the common ones but expect you to work mostly inside their own walls.
Where an AI agent fits
One honest point, since we build in this space. Caseagent is not a practice-management platform, and it will not replace Clio, Smokeball, or MyCase. It does not do your billing, your trust ledgers, or your calendar of record. It is an AI agent that reads the case file, calendars deadlines from incoming orders, and drafts documents for attorney review. It works alongside whichever platform you pick.
That division matters when you compare tools. A platform stores your matter and tracks the money. The agent acts on the contents: take a scheduling order, compute the deadlines it creates, and produce a first draft of the response. If you are still choosing the platform underneath, start with our guide to legal practice management software, then widen the field with our broader legal case management software comparison.
Which should your firm buy
Tight budget, want trust accounting included: MyCase. The $50 Basic tier and included IOLTA workflows make it the value pick for a small firm watching every dollar.
Want the widest integrations and room to grow: Clio. The marketplace and open API mean you rarely hit a wall, and the four tiers give you a clear upgrade path as the firm scales.
High-volume drafting, small firm: Smokeball. The automation and passive time capture earn back the quote-based premium if documents are the daily grind.
Clio vs Smokeball vs MyCase, common questions
Does Smokeball publish its pricing?
No. Smokeball is quote-only across its Bill, Boost, Grow, and Prosper+ tiers and publishes no prices. You have to talk to sales for a real number, which will vary with practice area, seat count, and the modules you turn on.
Is there a free trial?
MyCase offers a 10-day free trial with no card required, which is the quickest way to test its trust accounting and client portal. Clio offers a free trial as well. Smokeball, being quote-based, runs a guided demo rather than a self-serve trial, so plan for a sales conversation before you can drive it.
Do all three do trust accounting?
Yes, all three handle IOLTA and trust accounting with three-way reconciliation. MyCase includes it on every plan, Smokeball is strong on compliance out of the box, and Clio delivers the deepest workflows on its higher tiers. If trust compliance is your main driver, MyCase reaches it at the lowest published price.
What about AI features?
Each ships its own assistant: Clio's, included from the Core tier up rather than charged separately, Smokeball AI for in-product drafting and summaries, and MyCase IQ on higher tiers. These are helpers inside the platform. They summarize and suggest, but they do not take an order and independently calendar the deadlines and draft the filing it triggers.
Which is best for a solo attorney?
For a solo on a budget, MyCase Basic at $50 per user per month billed annually is hard to beat, especially with trust accounting included. A solo who drafts constantly should still price Smokeball, since the automation may save more hours than the price difference costs. Clio suits a solo who expects to grow and wants the integration headroom.
The platform stores the matter. The agent reads it.
Clio, Smokeball, and MyCase run the business of your firm. Caseagent reads the case file: what an incoming order changed, what deadlines it creates, and a first draft of the response for attorney review. It sits alongside whatever platform you choose. Built for US firms, flat per firm.