Smokeball captures every minute, per user.
CaseFile drafts the work, flat.
Smokeball is a strong platform — for running a practice: automatic time tracking, template-based document automation, matter management, billing, and trust accounting. But it's priced per user, and the part that steals your evenings usually isn't time capture. It's the drafting. The client letter, the intake form, the case summary — typed from a blank page, again. CaseFile does that with AI in under 60 seconds, for a flat $49/month for the whole firm. Here's the fair, no-spin comparison.
Most firms weighing a Smokeball alternative aren't unhappy with the software.
That's the honest starting point. Smokeball is a capable practice-management platform, and its automatic time tracking — capturing billable minutes in the background so they don't slip away — is a genuine standout, alongside template-based document automation, matter management, billing, and trust accounting. For a firm that wants a full system of record with automatic time capture, that depth is the point, and CaseFile isn't trying to replace it.
So why look for an alternative? Two reasons, usually. First, per-user pricing — every person you add raises the bill (the document-automation tiers commonly run around $139 per user, every month), even when the work is the same. Second, and bigger: Smokeball's document automation fills templates from its form library. When there's no template — the one-off demand letter, a new practice area's intake, the case summary — you're still typing from scratch.
CaseFile is built for exactly that gap. It uses AI to draft client letters, intake forms across 40+ practice areas, and case summaries in under a minute — no template to build first — for a flat $49/month, whole firm, no per-seat fee. It is not a practice-management, billing, or time-tracking system, and every draft is reviewed by the attorney. It's the fast drafting layer, not a replacement for how you run the firm.
Who each one is actually for.
⚖️ Smokeball is for you if…
You want a full system of record to run the firm — with automatic time tracking, document
automation, matter management, billing, and trust accounting.
You have repeat documents you can template once and reuse, and you accept per-user pricing as you grow.
Recovering billable time and running operations, not blank-page drafting, is the problem you're solving.
📝 CaseFile is for you if…
Your evenings disappear into drafting — letters, intake forms, case summaries — and you want
AI to write the first draft in seconds, with no template to build.
You'd rather pay a flat $49/month for the whole firm than a per-user suite.
You're happy to keep your current system (or Smokeball itself) for operations and just fix the drafting.
CaseFile vs. Smokeball, for a solo or small firm.
They barely overlap — one runs the practice per seat with automatic time capture, the other writes the documents with AI at a flat price. Here's where each genuinely wins.
| For a solo / small firm | CaseFile | Smokeball |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $49/mo flat — whole firm | ~$49–$139+ per user/mo (quote)* |
| Pricing model | Flat per-firm | Per user — scales with seats |
| What it's built for | AI drafting — letters, intake, summaries | Full practice mgmt + automatic time tracking |
| Drafting approach | Generative AI — no template needed | Template-based automation (form library) |
| Automatic time tracking | No — keep your system | Yes — its signature strength |
| Case summaries in <60s | Yes | Not a core feature |
| Billing, trust accounting & matter mgmt | No — keep your system | Yes — its strength |
| Works anywhere (web) vs native app | Web — any device | Native desktop (Grow) |
| Per-seat fees | None — flat | Per user |
| Best fit | Killing the drafting that eats your evenings | Running the firm with automatic time capture |
*Smokeball doesn't publish full pricing and quotes by firm size and features. Its entry Bill plan is advertised around $49 per user per month; the tiers that include document automation and automatic time tracking run higher — commonly reported around $139 per user per month for a single user, and up from there, billed per user. Plans and pricing change frequently — always verify current details on smokeball.com. Smokeball is a trademark of its respective owner; CaseFile is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Smokeball.
How CaseFile drafts — with you in control.
Pick the document
A client letter, an intake form for your practice area, or a case summary. CaseFile already knows the shape of solo and small-firm work across 40+ practice areas — no template to build first.
AI drafts in under a minute
A clean, structured first draft in your firm's style appears in seconds — the part that used to mean a blank page and an hour you didn't bill.
You review & send
You edit, finalize, and approve. CaseFile is a drafting tool, not legal advice — the attorney reviews every draft and stays responsible for the final document.
Flat pricing. The whole firm, not the seat.
Pro
- Unlimited AI drafting
- Letters, intake (40+ areas), summaries
- No per-seat fees, ever
- Month-to-month, cancel anytime
Pricing shown is CaseFile's current pricing as of mid-2026. See full pricing for the latest plan details.
Smokeball alternative — questions answered.
Is CaseFile a full Smokeball alternative?
It depends on what you need. Smokeball is a complete practice-management platform, known especially for automatic time tracking and template-based document automation, plus matter management, billing, and trust accounting — priced per user. CaseFile does not replace that. CaseFile is the AI drafting layer — client letters, intake forms for 40+ practice areas, and case summaries in under 60 seconds, with no template to build first — for a flat $49/month for the whole firm. If you need the full suite and automatic time capture, Smokeball is built for it; if drafting is what's eating your evenings, CaseFile fixes that without per-seat pricing.
How much does Smokeball cost compared to CaseFile?
Smokeball doesn't publish full pricing and quotes by firm size and features. Its entry Bill plan is advertised around $49 per user per month, and the tiers that include document automation and automatic time tracking run higher — commonly reported around $139 per user per month for a single user, and up from there. It's per user, so it scales with every seat. CaseFile is a flat $49/month for the whole firm, with no per-user fees. They aren't priced against each other because they do different jobs — always verify current pricing on each vendor's own site.
Isn't Smokeball's document automation the same as CaseFile's drafting?
Not quite — and this is the honest distinction. Smokeball's document automation merges your existing templates with matter data: you build the template once, and it fills in the fields from a large library of legal forms. That's powerful when a template exists. CaseFile is generative AI drafting: it writes a first draft from the matter context when you don't have a template, across 40+ practice areas, and it also produces case summaries — something template automation doesn't do. Many firms use both: templates for repeat forms, CaseFile for the blank-page drafts and summaries.
Does CaseFile track time and handle billing like Smokeball?
No. Automatic time tracking, billing, trust accounting, and matter management are exactly what Smokeball is built for — and its automatic time capture is a genuine strength that recovers billable time. CaseFile does not try to replace any of that. CaseFile focuses on drafting — letters, intake forms, and case summaries — and pairs with whatever system you already use to track time and get paid.
Does an attorney still review what CaseFile drafts?
Always. CaseFile is a drafting productivity tool, not legal advice and not a substitute for professional judgment. Every draft is a starting point the licensed attorney reviews, edits, and is responsible for. The point is to turn a 60-minute first draft into a 60-second one, not to remove the lawyer.
Get your evenings back — without the per-seat bill.
Start CaseFile free and draft your next client letter, intake form, or case summary in under a minute. Keep the suite you run the firm on — CaseFile just makes the drafting disappear, for a flat $49/month.
Built with solo & small-firm attorneys.
We don't ship invented testimonials or fabricated firm counts. Real attorney quotes will appear here once our early users opt in to share their results. Want to be one of them? Start free and tell us what you draft most.