Quick answer
PracticePanther publishes every price, from $49 to $114 per user per month billed annually, but we found no built-in AI on its pages. MyCase also publishes every price ($50, $100, and $130 per user per month billed annually) and puts its 8am IQ AI tools on the Pro and Advanced plans. Clio publishes only its starting price ($49 per user), includes AI on Core and above, and offers Vincent-powered Clio Work as a separate AI workspace. Choose PracticePanther if you want a known price and no AI, MyCase if you want AI at a known price, and Clio if you want the deepest AI and research ecosystem and don't mind a sales call.
On this page (9)
- How do Clio, MyCase, and PracticePanther compare at a glance?
- Is Clio worth the extra sales call?
- Does MyCase give you AI at a known price?
- Is PracticePanther the simplest choice?
- Which practice management software should my firm choose?
- Related guides
- FAQ
- Is any of this sponsored?
- Sources (all accessed 2026-10-14)
Prices and features come from each vendor's own pages, accessed October 14, 2026. We haven't tested these tools hands-on, and we publish no star ratings. Prices change, so confirm with the vendor.
Disclosure: Some listings on AI Tools For Law may be sponsored or include affiliate or referral links. Paid placements are always labeled "Sponsored," and payment never changes our verdicts. None of the links in this article are paid placements as of publication. Nothing here is legal advice. Check your own jurisdiction's ethics rules before using AI with client information.
How do Clio, MyCase, and PracticePanther compare at a glance?
All three cover matters, contacts, calendaring, time tracking, billing, online payments, and a client portal on at least some plans. The differences are in pricing transparency, AI, and which tier unlocks what.
| Clio | MyCase | PracticePanther | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Starter, Core, Signature, Elite | Basic, Pro, Advanced | Solo, Essential, Business, Business Pro |
| Published price | "Starting at $49/user"; other tiers go through "Get pricing" | $60 / $120 / $150 per user/month billed monthly; $50 / $100 / $130 billed annually | $59 / $79 / $99 / $124 per user/month billed monthly; $49 / $69 / $89 / $114 billed annually |
| Built-in AI | On Core and above (billing drafts, client updates, task prioritization, and more) | 8am IQ Writing and Document Assistant on Pro; Case Assistant and Discovery Assistant (OCR, which turns scanned pages into searchable text) on Advanced | None found on the pricing, home, or April 2026 release-notes pages |
| Trust accounting | Accounting "on every Clio plan, from Starter up," including trust and operating reconciliation | Trust accounting in Basic; MyCase Accounting add-on with three-way trust reconciliation is $39/user/month on Pro and Advanced | Trust and operating accounting (PantherAccounting Plus) "available exclusively on the Business Pro plan" |
| Intake | Clio Grow included in Elite, add-on for Core and Signature | Client intake forms and Legal CRM on Pro | Intake forms on Business |
| Conflict checks | Core and above | "Conflict Check Tracking" on Advanced | Not listed among plan highlights |
| Free trial | Offered ("Start Free Trial" in the page title) | 10 days, no credit card | 7 days |
What this means for you: MyCase and PracticePanther show every price; Clio shows only its cheapest plan, so you'll need a sales call to price anything above Starter.
What this means for you: Paying for a year up front knocks $10 to $20 off each user's monthly price at MyCase and PracticePanther. That's real money if you're sure you'll stay.
What this means for you: For a three-person firm, the published plans run from about $1,750 to $4,700 a year before add-ons. The jump between tiers matters more than the difference between vendors.
Which plans include what
| Feature | Clio | MyCase | PracticePanther |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in AI | Partial: Core and above | Partial: Pro and Advanced | Not listed: none found on the pages we checked |
| Trust accounting | Yes: every plan, from Starter up | Yes: in Basic; three-way reconciliation (matching your bank statement, trust ledger, and client ledgers, which many bars require) add-on is $39/user/month | Partial: Business Pro only |
| Conflict checks | Partial: Core and above | Partial: Advanced | Not listed: among plan highlights |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes: 10 days, no credit card | Yes: 7 days |
What this means for you: Built-in AI, trust accounting, and conflict checks sit on different plans at each vendor, so compare the plan you'd actually buy, not the brand.
Is Clio worth the extra sales call?
It can be if AI and research matter to you. Clio says AI is included "on Core and above," and it "comes as part of the plan rather than as a separate add-on." The pricing page's AI rows include automated billing, AI-generated client updates, scheduling automation, smart task prioritization, and (from Signature up) performance reports. Clio also says firm data "is never used for AI training."
The bigger AI story is Clio Work, Clio's AI workspace for research, drafting, and contract review. Clio's help center calls Vincent AI, from Clio's November 2025 acquisition of vLex, "your legal assistant within Clio Work." We didn't find a published Clio Work price.
Watch the tier details. Starter has no conflict check, no document templates, no apps and integrations, and no client portal, and it allows three e-signatures. Automated workflows start at Signature.
Does MyCase give you AI at a known price?
Yes. MyCase is the only one of the three that publishes both its prices and its AI features. The Pro plan ($100 per user per month billed annually, $120 monthly) includes the 8am IQ Writing and Document Assistant, automated workflows, unlimited eSignature and document generation, and client intake forms with a legal CRM. Advanced ($130 annually, $150 monthly) adds the 8am IQ Case Assistant ("AI-powered case analysis and research assistant") and the Discovery Assistant. The Discovery Assistant is OCR with 5,000 pages per user each month, shared across the team, and more pages cost $30 per 5,000.
Payments run through LawPay with "no monthly fee." The pricing page also lists an official Claude MCP connector ("8am MyCase MCP"), which most small firms won't need on day one but is worth knowing about.
The cheapest plan is the one that includes the features you'd otherwise buy separately. Price the whole stack, not the sticker.
Is PracticePanther the simplest choice?
It's the most straightforward on price. All four PracticePanther tiers are published, and every plan includes contact and matter management, billable time and expense tracking, a secure client portal, unlimited data storage, and mobile apps. Solo already includes PantherPayments ePayments, document templates, and task and event workflows. Business adds native two-way texting, intake forms, unlimited eSignature, and LEDES billing.
The trade-offs:
- No AI that we could find. The home page, pricing page, and April 2026 release notes didn't describe built-in generative AI features. If AI matters to you, ask PracticePanther directly.
- Full trust and operating accounting is top tier only. The April 2026 release notes say PantherAccounting Plus (trust and operating accounting, chart of accounts, reconciliation) is "available exclusively on the Business Pro plan." Ask how lower tiers handle trust balances before you choose.
- Answering-service integration exists. PracticePanther lists a Smith.ai integration that syncs calls, notes, and activities.
Which practice management software should my firm choose?
Choose based on how much AI you want and whether a published price matters to you.
Related guides
- Best AI tools for small law firms
- AI tools for family law firms
- AI answering services: Smith.ai vs Ruby vs Answering Legal
FAQ
Which is cheapest: Clio, MyCase, or PracticePanther?
On published entry prices billed annually, Clio Starter and PracticePanther Solo both start at $49 per user per month, and MyCase Basic is $50. The entry plans include very different features, so compare the tier you'd actually use.
Which one has AI built in?
Clio includes AI on Core and above. MyCase includes 8am IQ tools on Pro and Advanced. We didn't find built-in generative AI on PracticePanther's pages.
Do all three handle trust accounting?
Clio says accounting is on every plan. MyCase includes trust accounting and sells a $39/user/month accounting add-on for Pro and Advanced. PracticePanther's full trust and operating accounting is on Business Pro.
Do they offer free trials?
MyCase advertises a 10-day free trial with no credit card. PracticePanther advertises a 7-day free trial. Clio's pricing page offers a free trial but doesn't state the length.
Can I switch later?
Clio says you can export data "in open, nonproprietary formats at any time while your account is active, or within 90 days of cancellation." Check each vendor's export terms before you sign.
Is any of this sponsored?
Not as of publication. If that changes, the listing will be labeled "Sponsored," and payment won't change the verdict.
Sources (all accessed 2026-10-14)
- Clio pricing (read via WebFetch; direct download blocked): https://www.clio.com/pricing/
- Clio Work: https://www.clio.com/work/
- Clio help center, "Understand Clio Work" (quoted from a search result): https://help.clio.com/hc/en-us/articles/48791655710235-Understand-Clio-Work
- Clio press release (Nov 10, 2025): https://www.clio.com/about/press/clio-completes-landmark-1b-vlex-acquisition-series-g-5b-valuation/
- MyCase pricing: https://www.mycase.com/pricing/
- PracticePanther pricing: https://www.practicepanther.com/pricing/
- PracticePanther home: https://www.practicepanther.com/
- PracticePanther release notes, April 2026: https://support.practicepanther.com/en/articles/14301330-release-notes-april-2026
- PracticePanther Smith.ai integration: https://www.practicepanther.com/integration/smithai/
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