Comparison · Legal

Actionstep vs Smokeball

Actionstep and Smokeball side by side for legal: scores by criterion, native features, and pricing.

Updated September 26, 2026

Legal software

Actionstep

6.8

Fairout of 10

Adaptable practice management with matter workflows, intake forms, documents, client portal, billing, and regional legal accounting options. Priced per user plus implementation — no universal public rate card on the pricing page.

Contact for pricing

Read full profile Official site

Higher scoreLegal software

Smokeball

7.2

Fairout of 10

Practice management built around documents and automatic time — Bill → Boost → Grow → Prosper+ plans. Client portal and case management from Boost; lead/intake depth concentrates on Prosper+ or Intake add-ons. No public dollar rate card.

Contact for pricing

Read full profile Official site

Criteria where Actionstep wins

Ties

Criteria where Smokeball wins

Score by criterion

In green, who wins the criterion. The overall score uses legal weights: matters and deadlines and fees and billing weigh more.

CriterionActionstepSmokeball

Matters and deadlines1.4×
Matter intake, case status, and deadline or court-rules calendaring without a parallel spreadsheet.
8.7
8.8
Fees and billing1.2×
Time, invoices, trust or client accounting, and collections in the same system as the matter — not a parallel bookkeeping tool.
8.0
8.0
Relationship and intake1.1×
Client portal, post-engagement updates, and a native path from lead to hired matter — not only a “won” stage.
8.0
7.6
Native messaging0.8×
Native SMS or messaging inbox on the matter or contact card, with team history. WhatsApp Business API also counts. Portal-only chat and marketplace apps do not.
3.5
6.8
Price and transparency0.9×
Public plan in USD or GBP, trial, and what sits outside the monthly fee. Mandatory add-ons for day-to-day work lower the score.
4.2
4.2
Learning curve0.8×
English UI, matter and billing vocabulary, and time until a fee earner can work without a long implementation project.
6.0
6.8
Overall score
6.8
7.2

Native features

Only what is part of the product counts. Marketplace integrations or third-party apps are out.

FeatureActionstepSmokeball

Matters & case trackingYesYes
Deadlines & docketsYesYes
Fees & billingYesYes
Documents & filingsYesYes
Client portalYesYes
Native messagingNoYes
Intake CRMYesYes
Vendor mobile appNoYes

Compare with another rival

Each pair has its own page. The ranking only highlights the main duels — the rest are here and on each CRM profile.