MyCase vs Smokeball
Which legal practice management software is right for your firm?
Quick Answer
MyCase is more affordable and better for client communication, with built-in 2-way texting and legal AI (8am IQ). Smokeball wins for document-heavy practices — 8,000+ built-in legal forms, deep Microsoft 365 integration, and automatic time capture in its top tier. If you do estate planning, real estate, or family law with heavy document drafting, Smokeball's document library can be a game-changer.
At a Glance
| MyCase | Smokeball | |
|---|---|---|
| Price Range | $39-$109/user/mo | From $149/mo (firm-based pricing) |
| Best For | Client communication & legal AI | Document-intensive practices & auto time capture |
Feature Comparison
| Feature | MyCase | Smokeball |
|---|---|---|
| Time Tracking | Manual | Manual (AutoTime in Prosper+) |
| Automatic Time Capture | Prosper+ plan | |
| Billing & Invoicing | ||
| Client Portal | Boost+ plans | |
| Trust Accounting (IOLTA) | Add-on ($39/mo) | |
| Built-in Legal Forms Library | 8,000+ forms (Grow+) | |
| Document Automation | Advanced ($109) | Grow plan |
| Microsoft 365 Deep Integration | Basic integration | Deep (Word & Outlook) |
| 2-Way Client Texting | Pro ($89/mo) | |
| Legal AI Assistant | 8am IQ (Pro+) | AI features in Prosper+ |
| Lead Management | Pro tier | Prosper+ plan |
| Mobile App | ||
| Workflow Automation | Pro tier | Prosper+ (add-on in Grow) |
Pricing Comparison
MyCase Pricing
- Case & contact management
- Time tracking
- Billing & payments
- Client portal
- Unlimited storage
- Everything in Basic
- 8am IQ Legal AI
- 2-way texting
- eSignature
- Client intake
- Integrations
- Everything in Pro
- Document automation
- Full text search
- Split billing
- Open API
Smokeball Pricing
- Invoicing
- Time & expense tracking
- Online payments
- Trust accounting
- QuickBooks integration
- Everything in Bill
- Client & matter management
- Task & calendar management
- Microsoft 365 integration
- Client portal
- Everything in Boost
- 8,000+ practice area forms
- Document automation
- Email management
- Classic Outlook integration
- Everything in Grow
- AutoTime (automatic time tracking)
- Custom workflows
- Lead management
- Firm Insights reporting
- Smokeball AI
Who Should Choose What?
✅ Choose MyCase if...
- Budget is a primary concern — MyCase starts at $39/user/month vs $149/month minimum
- Built-in 2-way client texting is important to your practice
- You want legal AI writing assistance (8am IQ) built into your software
- Your firm handles varied practice areas without heavy document drafting
- You need a transparent, predictable per-user pricing model
✅ Choose Smokeball if...
- Your practice area involves heavy document drafting (family law, real estate, estate planning)
- You want 8,000+ pre-built legal forms that auto-fill with case data
- Deep Microsoft Word and Outlook integration is essential to your workflow
- Automatic time capture (AutoTime in Prosper+) would recover significant billables
- You need detailed firm productivity and profitability reporting
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Smokeball's pricing structure different from MyCase?
Smokeball uses a firm-based pricing model with a monthly minimum rather than strict per-user pricing. Their plans start 'from $149/month' which represents the base price for small firms, scaling up with user count. MyCase charges a clear per-user rate ($39-$109/user/month). For a solo or 2-attorney firm, Smokeball may cost more per effective user than MyCase, but for larger teams needing the document library, the value proposition shifts.
What is Smokeball's AutoTime and is it worth it?
AutoTime is Smokeball's automatic time tracking feature available in the Prosper+ plan. It runs in the background and tracks time spent on emails, documents, phone calls, and other matter-related activities without requiring manual timer starts. Firms typically recover 20-30% more billable time compared to manual tracking. For hourly-billing firms, this often pays for the plan upgrade within the first month or two.
Which is better for client communication?
MyCase wins for client communication. Its Pro plan ($89/month) includes unlimited 2-way texting with clients, a robust client portal, and secure document sharing. Smokeball has a client portal (starting from the Boost plan) but doesn't include native 2-way text messaging. If staying in contact with clients via text is a practice priority, MyCase is the clear choice.
Which software has better document tools?
Smokeball has significantly better document tools for practice-area-specific drafting. Its 8,000+ legal forms library (available in the Grow plan) auto-fills with case data, saving hours per week for firms doing wills, deeds, family law agreements, and similar document-heavy work. MyCase's Advanced plan includes document automation but lacks the depth of Smokeball's practice-area forms library.
Does MyCase integrate with Microsoft Office?
MyCase integrates with Microsoft Outlook for email and calendar sync, but the integration is not as deep as Smokeball's. Smokeball has native Microsoft Word integration that allows attorneys to draft documents directly within Word while the software tracks time and links documents to matters. For firms that live in Microsoft Office, Smokeball's integration is more seamless.
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The Verdict
MyCase is the better choice for most small to mid-size firms that want affordable pricing, strong client communication tools, and legal AI without a large upfront commitment. Smokeball wins for practices with heavy document drafting needs — family law, real estate, estate planning — where the 8,000+ forms library and AutoTime can meaningfully improve productivity and billing capture. The choice often comes down to whether your firm's primary bottleneck is client communication or document efficiency.
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