Comparison · Legal

Clio vs Smokeball

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

Updated September 26, 2026

Higher scoreLegal software

Clio

8.1

Strongout of 10

Category-leading legal practice management — matters, billing, client portal, court rules, and mobile app in Clio Manage. Intake CRM (Clio Grow) is a higher-tier include or add-on, not the base Manage SKU.

From $49/user/mo (US starter tier); UK from £69/user/mo billed annually

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Legal 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

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Criteria where Clio 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.

CriterionClioSmokeball

Matters and deadlines1.4×
Matter intake, case status, and deadline or court-rules calendaring without a parallel spreadsheet.
9.0
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.
8.6
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.
7.4
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.
7.8
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.
7.8
4.2
Learning curve0.8×
English UI, matter and billing vocabulary, and time until a fee earner can work without a long implementation project.
7.6
6.8
Overall score
8.1
7.2

Native features

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

FeatureClioSmokeball

Matters & case trackingYesYes
Deadlines & docketsYesYes
Fees & billingYesYes
Documents & filingsYesYes
Client portalYesYes
Native messagingYesYes
Intake CRMNoYes
Vendor mobile appYesYes

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.