How Much Does Legal Practice Management Software Cost?

As of Oct 16, 2026, paid entry plans for legal practice management software start at $45 per user per month, based on vendors' own pricing pages. 15 of the 28 tools we checked only quote, and add-ons, payment fees and setup charges can push the total higher.

Clarra also lists a free plan, and LawToolBox, which only does calendaring, starts at $19.

How we priced this#

We read each vendor's own pricing page on Oct 15–16, 2026, and recorded the published price per user per month, with the check date on every row. Tools that only quote are listed separately, with what to ask them. Prices change, so confirm with the vendor before you buy.

What are you actually paying for?#

Practice management software is the system a firm runs on. It holds your matters (the legal term for cases or client files), your calendar and deadlines, your documents, your time entries and your bills. Most tools also handle trust accounting: tracking client money you hold before you've earned it, often in an IOLTA account (Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts, the pooled trust account most small firms use). Trust money has strict handling rules, and they vary by state, so check yours.

Two pricing phrases come up constantly. Per user per month means you pay that amount for every person with a login, every month. Five people on a $50 plan is $250 a month, not $50. Billed annually means the monthly figure is real, but you pay all twelve months up front. The "monthly" price on many pricing pages is that annual rate divided by twelve, which is why it looks cheaper than the month-to-month option.

What do published plans cost per user? (checked Oct 16, 2026)#

Each figure is per user per month at the lowest listed rate. Where a vendor shows both annual and month-to-month pricing, the month-to-month figure is in brackets.

Sources: Clio, MyCase, PracticePanther, CosMoLex, Rocket Matter, CARET Legal, Tabs3, Lawft, Clarra, TimeSolv, CasePeer, Docketwise, LawToolBox.

Prices are what vendors publish on their own pages as of the check date. Your quote may differ. Practice-area tools (CasePeer, Docketwise) and calendaring-only tools (LawToolBox) are listed for comparison but do different jobs.

For Clio, check Clio's pricing page for current prices. Rocket Matter lists only annual prices, so ask whether a monthly option exists.

What this means for you: The sticker price is per user, so multiply by everyone who needs a login, including staff. Then check whether trust accounting is on the plan you're pricing; on several tools it's a higher tier or an add-on.

How do Clio and MyCase prices compare?#

Check MyCase's pricing page for current prices. For Clio, check Clio's pricing page for current prices.

Sources: Clio pricing, MyCase pricing.

What this means for you: For Clio, price the tier you'll actually use.

Which option is cheapest for a solo attorney?#

On published prices only, the lowest paid entry plan we found is Lawft Solo at $45 per user per month, billed annually (checked Oct 16, 2026). Next comes PracticePanther Solo ($49 billed annually). If you want month-to-month, PracticePanther Solo is $59. For MyCase, check MyCase's pricing page for current prices. Ask CosMoLex for its current Launch price.

Cheapest isn't the same as cheapest for what you need. Lawft puts trust accounting on Alto at $99, not on Solo. If you hold client money, price the plan that handles it. Clarra's free plan costs nothing but is capped at 5 open matters, which is enough to test, not to run a practice.

What this means for you: For a solo, the lowest published entry plans sit within a few dollars of each other. The real decision is which of them includes the trust accounting and billing you'll use, and whether you can live with paying a year up front.

Which tools don't publish a price?#

Fifteen practice management tools in our directory quote instead of listing a price (vendor pages checked Oct 15, 2026). With these, the first number you hear is a starting position.

One example contract (Filevine). A public county legal office signed a three-year deal for 30 users at $119.40 per user per month for the core product, about $67,944 a year once add-ons were included (checked Oct 15, 2026). It's one negotiated government contract, not a list price and not what Filevine costs you. It does show how fast add-ons stack up.

What this means for you: If a vendor only quotes, ask for the per-user price, the term length, every add-on and the setup fee in writing, so you can line it up against this table.

What costs aren't on the plan line?#

Add-ons priced separately#

For MyCase, check MyCase's pricing page for current prices and ask which add-ons you'd need. Tabs3 charges extra for PracticeMaster, its matter-management piece: $35 per user on Cloud, $32 on OnSite.

Rocket Matter's CRM (client relationship management, meaning lead tracking and intake) is only available on Pro and Premier. Core CRM is $39 per user per month on annual billing; Enterprise CRM is $147 a month for up to 3 users. TimeSolv's marketing and intake add-on is also $147 a month on annual billing for up to 3 users. Clarra sells accounting as an add-on and doesn't list a price, so ask.

Setup, onboarding and migration#

Rocket Matter charges a one-time $399 onboarding fee for its CRM. Amberlo charges $299 one-time for onboarding. CARET Legal and Actionstep both charge one-time implementation fees without publishing the amount. Filevine's implementation runs through a separate partner contract, so that's a second quote.

Migration means moving your existing clients, matters, documents and billing history out of your old system and into the new one. Ask whether it's included and what format your old data needs to be in.

Card and ACH processing#

When clients pay online, the processor takes a cut on card payments and on ACH and eCheck payments, which are bank-to-bank transfers. For Clio, check Clio's pricing page for current processing rates. Ask the vendor which account the fees are drawn from. Keeping processing fees out of client trust money is a trust-account rule question, and rules vary by state, so check yours.

Monthly vs annual billing#

Where vendors show both rates, the annual price is lower:

On each of these entry plans, month-to-month costs $10 more per user per month.

What this means for you: Annual billing is usually cheaper per month, but you're committed for the year. If you're not sure the tool fits, use the free trial (PracticePanther 7 days, CosMoLex with no card required) before you pay annually.

What would a 3-lawyer firm pay in a year?#

Say you run a 3-lawyer firm and want trust accounting built in, billed annually.

• MyCase: check MyCase's pricing page for current prices, and ask which plan and add-ons include trust accounting.
• PracticePanther Business Pro: $114 per user per month. $114 × 3 × 12 = $4,104 a year.

Assumptions: 3 users, annual billing, no payment fees, published prices checked Oct 16, 2026. Not a quote. Add a paralegal or an office manager and the PracticePanther figure grows by a third, to $5,472 a year for 4 users.

What should you ask before you get a quote?#

• Is the price per user or per firm, and who counts as a user?
• Is the quoted price billed monthly or annually, and what's the month-to-month rate?
• Which tier includes trust accounting?
• What costs extra: AI features, accounting, e-signature, CRM, extra storage?
• Is there a setup, onboarding or migration fee, and how much?
• When can we reduce seats: anytime, or only at renewal?
• What will the renewal price be, and is any increase capped?
• How do we export our data, in what format, and for how long after we leave?

Write the answers down, and get them in the quote itself.

Frequently asked questions#

How much does legal practice management software cost per month?#

On vendor pages we checked Oct 16, 2026, paid entry plans start at $45 per user per month. Clarra lists a free plan. 15 of the 28 tools we checked don't publish prices and quote by firm size, term and modules, so ask for a written breakdown.

Is there free practice management software for lawyers?#

Clarra lists a free plan (checked Oct 16, 2026) that it limits to 5 users, 5 open matters and 10 GB of storage, with one workspace. That suits a very small caseload or a test drive. Most other vendors offer free trials rather than free plans, such as PracticePanther for 7 days, so you can test before paying.

How should I compare Clio and MyCase prices?#

For MyCase and Clio, check MyCase's pricing page and Clio's pricing page for current prices. Compare the tier you'll actually need, not the entry plan.

Why don't some vendors publish prices?#

Quote-only vendors usually price by the number of users, the contract length and which modules you add, and many negotiate. That makes a single list price hard to print. Ask for the per-user price, the term, every add-on and any setup fee in writing, then compare it against the published prices in our table.

What is the cheapest practice management software for solo attorneys?#

On published prices checked Oct 16, 2026, Lawft Solo is lowest at $45 per user per month billed annually, then PracticePanther Solo and TimeSolv at $49. For MyCase, check MyCase's pricing page for current prices. Clarra has a free plan capped at 5 open matters. Check whether the plan you pick includes trust accounting before you count the savings.

Are there setup or migration fees?#

Sometimes. Rocket Matter publishes a $399 CRM onboarding fee and Amberlo a $299 onboarding fee (checked Oct 15–16, 2026). CARET Legal and Actionstep charge implementation fees without listing the amount. Always ask what moving your data will cost.

Is monthly or annual billing better?#

Annual is cheaper per month on every tool that shows both; on the entry plans we checked, the gap was $120 per user per year (Oct 16, 2026). Monthly keeps you flexible if the tool doesn't fit. Either way, read the cancellation and refund terms before you sign, since some vendors don't refund annual plans.

Does practice management software include trust accounting?#

It depends on the tier. CosMoLex includes trust accounting from its entry tier. PracticePanther puts full trust and operating accounting on Business Pro, and Lawft starts trust accounting at Alto. For Clio and MyCase, ask which plan includes it. This isn't advice on trust rules, which vary by state.

Next step#

Compare costs, features and contract terms across every tool we track: Compare practice management listings.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Trust-account and ethics rules vary by state; check yours. Some listings on AI Tools For Law may be sponsored or include affiliate or referral links, and paid placements are always labeled "Sponsored"; see our disclosure. None of the links in this guide are paid placements as of publication. Prices change often, so confirm with the vendor before you buy.