Honest Comparison — Cited pricing, verified 2026-04-29

CaseFile vs Clio, MyCase & Smokeball
The pricing math at a 5-attorney firm

Clio, MyCase, and Smokeball are mature legal-practice platforms. CaseFile is AI-first and flat-priced. Below is the math, with links to each vendor's own pricing page so you can verify.

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How we compared. We assumed a 5-attorney firm needing AI drafting, client intake, billing, document management, and matter management. Competitor prices were taken from each vendor's published pricing page, last verified 2026-04-29 (links in the table below). Per-user vendors are computed at 5 seats on the tier whose feature list is closest to CaseFile Firm. Prices change — always confirm on the vendor's own page before signing.

Monthly cost at 5 attorneys

Sticker price only — does not include onboarding fees, payment-processing, or premium add-ons.

Platform Tier compared Per-user? Monthly @ 5 users
CaseFile Firm Firm (top tier) No — flat $299
Clio Manage EliteSuite Yes ≈ $795 ($159/user)
MyCase Advanced Yes ≈ $599 ($119/user)
Smokeball Grow / Prosper+ Yes (quoted) Quote-based, typically $400–$700

This comparison uses CaseFile's top Firm tier ($299/mo flat) to match a 5-attorney firm. Smaller practices start lower — Solo $49/mo, Small Firm $129/mo.

Sources linked above. Verify on the vendor's pricing page before purchase. Smokeball does not publish per-user pricing; range reflects publicly reported quotes.

Feature parity at the comparison tier

Capability CaseFile Firm Clio EliteSuite MyCase Advanced Smokeball
Matter management
Client portal & intake forms
AI brief / motion drafting Claude-powered, included Clio Duo add-on MyCase IQ add-on Archie AI add-on
After-hours voice intake Orbit voice receptionist
Time tracking & invoicing Auto-time
Document templates 8 practice areas 20,000+ templates
Court-rules / docketing Roadmap CourtRules add-on Limited
Free trial 14 days, cancel anytime 14-day free trial 10-day free trial Demo required
Contract length Month-to-month Annual saves Annual saves Annual contract typical

Annual math at 5 attorneys

Sticker price × 12. Onboarding, payment processing, and AI add-ons not included.

CaseFile Firm
$3,588
$299 × 12
Clio EliteSuite
≈ $9,540
$795 × 12
MyCase Advanced
≈ $7,188
$599 × 12
Smokeball
≈ $4,800–$8,400
Quote-based
CaseFile is roughly 50% cheaper than MyCase Advanced and ≈ 60% cheaper than Clio EliteSuite at this firm size.

When the competitor is the better choice

Honest comparisons matter. Here is when each platform genuinely wins.

Pick Clio if
You need their court-rules library, deep accounting integrations (Clio Accounting), or want the largest legal-software ecosystem on the market.
Pick MyCase if
Your firm is heavy on personal-injury or family-law settlement tracking and wants the IQ add-on for billing.
Pick Smokeball if
You want auto-time-capture and the 20,000-template library, and you are comfortable with a longer sales cycle and annual contract.

Common questions

Why is CaseFile so much less expensive?
CaseFile is flat-priced and AI-first — no per-user license fees and no separate AI add-on. Most competitors charge per user and bill AI features as upgrades.
Can I migrate matters and clients from Clio or MyCase?
Yes — CaseFile imports CSV/JSON exports from both. Concierge migration is included with the Firm plan during your free trial.
Is CaseFile compliant with attorney advertising rules?
CaseFile is software, not a law firm. AI drafts include "attorney review required" footers and ABA Model Rules 1.1, 1.6, and 5.3 disclaimers. You are still responsible for the final work product — same as with any practice-management tool.
How current are the prices on this page?
Last verified 2026-04-29 from each vendor's published pricing page. Prices change — always confirm on the vendor's own page before signing a contract.

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