5 Top-Rated Affordable Case Management Software
If you own a small law firm or are a solo practitioner struggling with paperclip bailouts and late-night document scrambling, investing in case management software can be your savior. The tool digitizes your case documents, automates workflow, and tracks team activity to focus on what matters most: your clients.
Fortunately, effective case management software is not only for large firms with a hefty budget. Various affordable solutions are now available for small firms and practices to streamline workflow and boost efficiency.
This article lists five top-rated affordable case management software solutions based on verified user reviews and pricing found on vendor websites. Per our research, we’ve considered products with base plans priced less than $57 per month as affordable software and arranged them in ascending order of their prices. Read more.
The software tools listed in this article focus on simplifying case management workflows and client communication for law firms and solo practitioners.
What is a base software plan?
A base plan is the most affordable pricing tier offered by a software provider. Besides having the lowest price, base plans provide access to all core software features. However, they may have limitations compared to higher-tier plans in terms of the available functionality, storage capacity, number of user seats, support options, etc.
We selected products for this article based on their average ratings between March 2022 - March 2024, which may differ from their current overall average ratings.
1. Bill4Time
The legal practice management software tracks time spent by each team working on assigned projects and generates invoices for client billing. It records billable and non-billable time for employees, contractors, and consultants. Users can also get a list of billing rates, batch invoicing, and automated payment integrated with 24/7 client access to invoices via a secure payment portal.
Bill4Time’s base plan offers time and billing features, including accounting, payment processing, invoicing, automated updates, and document management. Upgrading to a premium version includes all time and billing features along with custom form fields, dedicated account management, trust accounting and conflict checking.
Base plan features:*
Custom invoices: Generate invoices with custom fields and calculations. The feature allows users to add custom financial reports for client cases, trust account activity, appended forms, and scanned invoice copies.
Expense tracking: Take pictures of paper-based receipts from the software mobile application and upload them to the system for daily expense tracking.
Online payments: Allow clients to pay online against shared invoices. The feature allows the creation of customized weekly or monthly payment plans. Users can also leverage it to set automated reminders via email for due payments.
Starting price: $27 per user per month
Cost to upgrade: $45 per user per month
Billing cycle: Annual
Customer support options: FAQs, emails, YouTube videos, blogs, chat, and a knowledge base
Who should consider Bill4Time?
The tool’s time and expense tracking capabilities benefit law practices that bill clients on the time spent working on their projects. The tool handles the entire project lifecycle, from planning and tracking to invoicing and reporting. Furthermore, it provides clients with a convenient way to make online payments for the available services, leading to on-time payments.
2. Clio
Case management within Clio legal software focuses on simplifying workflows for law firms. It offers a centralized dashboard with an overview of all case-related information, including client contacts, case documents, calendar events, time entries, and invoices. The software helps maintain complete and accurate case files by automatically filing emails and attachments from the email inbox to the case files stored within the system. It can automatically record payments received from clients and store all bills and invoices in one centralized location along with the case files. Users can securely access and manage the stored documents when on the go using the tool’s mobile application.
Clio’s base plan offers case and contact management, calendaring, task management, a dashboard, and cloud storage. Upgrading to a higher plan offers additional access to a client portal, workflow automation, and a library of tools for integration.
Base plan features:*
E-signatures: Collect electronic signatures on legal documents from team members and clients directly within Clio’s platform. All stakeholders can sign documents electronically from anywhere, on any device.
Email integration: Directly send and receive emails within the system. The feature automatically converts documents received via email into case files and stores them in the system’s cloud storage.
Calendar management: Create multiple calendars for different purposes, such as case deadlines and client meetings. The feature allows users to assign specific colors to each calendar item, simplifying and speeding up identification of specific items.
Starting price: $39 per user per month
Cost to upgrade: $69 per user per month
Billing cycle: Annual
Customer support options: Blogs, customer stories, guides, training materials, user community, chat, phone calls, help center, FAQs, and emails
Who should consider Clio?
Clio’s centralized dashboard and simplified workflows can benefit law firms and practices with a small information technology (IT) team. The tool’s varied features, including automated email documentation, electronic signatures, and calendar management, simplify case management. It is ideal for law professionals working with remote teams and clients, and need to access case files and related documents on the go.
Pro tip
Find a scalable case management system that can handle the increasing caseload as the firm grows. A case management system that crawls to a halt due to a technical slowdown or failure when you reach a certain number of cases can be a major hindrance to productivity.
3. MyCase
MyCase legal case management software allows users to manage their finances with financial reporting, trust ledger, and reconciliation features. Users can connect multiple bank accounts to track the inflow and outflow transactions filtered by cases or clients. The tool generates financial reports for aging invoices, trust and non-trust account summaries, electronic payments, and time entries.
The base plan subscription of MyCase software offers all financial reporting and management capabilities for legal case management. Upgrading to a higher subscription plan provides access to additional features, such as workflow automation, document generation, rule-based calendaring, and team collaboration.
Base plan features:*
Trust ledgers and reconciliation: Use the three-way reconciliation process (bank statements>trust account balances>client trust ledger) for trust accounts. The feature matches transactions across accounts via automated or manual data entry.
Client portal: Share all the case-related documents with clients via a secured online portal. Clients can access, share, and download the required documents from anywhere and on any device.
Conflict tracking: Track and flag any discrepancies in the captured bank account transactions. Users can verify and replace them with the correct entries.
Starting price: $39 per user per month
Cost to upgrade: $79 per user per month
Billing cycle: Annual
Customer support options: Phone calls, emails, chat, guides, on-demand training, FAQs, videos, blogs, and webinars
Who should consider MyCase?
Law firms looking to manage their financial transactions efficiently along with enhanced case management, can benefit from MyCase. The tool simplifies the bank reconciliation process, ensuring accurate records and reducing the risk of errors. The ability to generate financial reports on different invoice types fosters transparency in client communication and provides actionable insights into the firm’s financial health.
4. PracticePanther Legal Software
PracticePanther case management system's capabilities come with automated event and task workflows and document templates. The tool allows setting up automated tasks based on specific triggers or events within a case. For example, automatically send a welcome email to a new client upon case creation or generate reminders for an upcoming court date. The tool also sends automated daily agenda emails summarizing the upcoming tasks and events of the day so that team members can plan their to-do lists accordingly.
The tool’s base subscription plan offers all workflow automation features along with integration capabilities. Upgrading to a premium subscription plan additionally offers automated payment reminders, recurring invoices, batch entries, and calendar rules.
Base plan features:*
Custom workflows: Design workflows specific to different cases or teams involved. The feature allows for the tailoring of workflows in real time based on changing client requirements.
Document templates: Use pre-designed templates for commonly used legal documents, such as intake forms, retainer agreements, or client letters. The feature allows customizing templates to include the firm’s branding, standard clauses, and other relevant information.
History logs: Track and record user activity within a specific case file, providing a detailed record of changes, updates, and actions taken in the documents and workflows over time.
Starting price: $49 per user per month
Cost to upgrade: $69 per user per month
Billing cycle: Annual
Customer support options: Guides, blogs, live training, chat, and emails
Who should consider PracticePanther Legal Software?
Law firms and practices with small teams can leverage the automation capabilities of PracticePanther to free up lawyers’ time from administrative tasks. Instead, they can use the tool to focus on complex cases and changing client requirements. The ability to design workflows allows the software to adapt to the specific needs of different practice areas within a firm. Additionally, the daily agenda email assists the involved team members in staying organized and on top of their deadlines.
Pro tip
Analyze your current workflow to identify pain points, including which tasks take the most time and what data gets lost in the shuffle. Make a list of essential features that can resolve such issues, including document management, calendaring, or billing before you start your software search.
5. eIMMIGRATION
eIMMIGRATION, by Cerenade, offers a comprehensive set of features designed to streamline the immigration case management process for law firms. Users can leverage the tool’s artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to summarize case documents, translate intake forms, or extract the form data. The tool provides an intuitive e-forms engine that allows users to create fillable PDF forms for common immigration applications and petitions. Clients can use the self-service portal to electronically complete their forms directly within the system.
The base plan for eIMMIGRATION comes with all the mentioned AI case management capabilities along with templates for forms, letters, and e-filing. This plan also offers up to 1GB of cloud storage per usage and enables selecting one feature from its optional module that includes e-filing, time tracking, case initiation, and conflict of interest checks. Upgrading to a high-end plan provides unlimited storage and access to the optional features.
Base plan features:*
Pre-configured immigration templates: Access a library of pre-designed immigration form templates, such as visa applications, petitions for citizenship, or green card renewal. Users can customize these templates for specific fields based on the client's requirements.
Letter templates with tags: Get pre-formatted letter templates for various immigration processes, including case applications, update letters on case progress, fee agreements, or case closure notifications. The letter templates are tagged with relevant client information, such as name, identification number, application number, and case type.
E-filing: Submit certain immigration applications and petitions directly to the country’s embassy or consulate from the system. The feature sends automated alerts when the status of the application changes.
Starting price: $55 per user per month
Cost to upgrade: $70 per user per month
Billing cycle: Monthly
Customer support options: Blogs, webinars, online training, phone calls, emails, and user community
Who should consider eIMMIGRATION?
Law firms handling foreign immigration matters, such as citizenship, visa application, or green card, can leverage the case management capabilities of eIMMIGRATION software. The tool enhances the documentation process with AI-enabled summarization, data extraction, and language translation capabilities. It offers various templates that users can tailor to their requirements, saving time and ensuring compliance with the application regulations.
Top 5 case management software features users rate as highly critical
All the products listed in this article include the features mentioned below. To identify these, we asked users to rate, on a scale of “low importance” to “critical,” how important different features are for case management software. The features showcased are those that the highest percentage of reviewers rated as “highly important” or “critical” over the past two years (as of March 13, 2024).
Feature name | Criticality rating (%) | Description |
Case management | 97% | Work on a set of tasks related to a particular legal issue, or any other complex entity or process. |
Client management | 94% | Manage communication with clients on ongoing matters. These include progress, court dates, and billing and invoicing. |
Case notes | 89% | Access and track notes regarding case activities and updates within case files. |
Document management | 83% | Collect, upload, store, track, and share all electronic case documents in a centralized location. |
Billing and invoicing | 82% | Generate, share, and manage invoices for the firm’s resource utilization during case management. |
How much does case management software cost?
Case management software solutions can cost as low as $27 per user per month or up to $149+ per user per month, depending on various factors—features, number of users, form and letter templates, AI capabilities, training availability, deployment options, and storage. Most case management solutions typically include the following pricing plans:
Free trial: No-cost plans ranging from a week to a month, giving users access to all or limited software features. These are ideal for businesses that wish to try out a tool before purchasing it.
Free version: Free software plans offer access to basic features and limited premium features. These are ideal for small business owners with a limited budget.
Entry-level: Starts at $27 per user per month and offers essential case management features, such as time tracking, expense management, contact management, invoicing, and document templates. These are ideal for small law firms and practices with basic case management needs.
Mid-tier: Ranges from $45 to $129 per user per month and offers features such as an optical character reader, PDF editor, and customer relationship management. These are ideal for firms and practices that have outgrown basic case management solutions and don’t require the full range of functionality offered by enterprise-level tools.
High-end: Advanced software plans go up to or over $149 per user per month and offer unlimited entry-level and mid-tier features with cloud storage and priority support. These advanced features are ideal for larger businesses spread across the globe.
Hidden costs associated with affordable case management software
Besides the software license, additional costs may be associated with case management software systems, including:
Implementation and training: Include data migration, customization, and employee training. These can be substantial, especially for complex systems or large organizations.
Cloud storage: The additional digital storage costs that can add up quickly, particularly for larger volumes of client data and case files.
Stock templates: Additional costs may be incurred for accessing premium forms and letter templates.
Frequently asked questions when selecting case management software
Here are some questions to ask software providers before making a final purchase of the best case management software:
Does the software cater to different aspects of case management?
Case management often involves managing finances, billing clients, tracking the time spent on cases, calendar management, and other relevant tasks. Not all case management software tools are equal in terms of features, making it important for you to assess your firm's or practice’s requirements before purchase.
Does the software integrate with other software solutions?
Law firms or practices may use tools, such as CRM, database management, and market research tools. Furthermore, you may want to integrate the selected software with other solutions based on the available features, such as document management, billing and invoicing, and trust accounting software. Therefore, it is important to check if the selected case management software allows integration with other software tools and what are the available integration methods.
How does the software ensure the security of client data?
Security of your client data is paramount when looking for case management tools. Look for data encryption capabilities both at rest and in transit, access controls to restrict access to critical information, data backup and recovery to minimize the risk of loss, and security audits to identify and eliminate potential vulnerabilities. Additionally, you can assess the data compliance and regulations depending on your location and type of clients. These include the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Methodology
To be considered for this list, products had to:
Each product should be a part of Software Advice’s Frontrunners Report 2023 for case management software.
Include case notes, client management, and document management as core features.
Must meet our market definition for case management software: “Legal case management software coordinates documents, scheduling, conflicts, contacts, and reporting associated with legal cases.”
For all the 25 products included in the FrontRunners report, we assessed the monthly subscription price of the base plans and found the average price to be $57—we considered only products with publicly available pricing information. We then shortlisted products with a monthly base price lower than $57 for this article.
*Our research team identified these features from vendor websites (as of March 13, 2024) based on their analysis of what users find valuable in or expect from case management software. This list is not exhaustive. For additional features, refer to the vendor's website.
Editorial independence: We select and rank products based on an objective methodology developed by our research team. While some vendors may pay us when they receive web traffic or leads, this has no influence on our methodology.
Note: Products evaluated for the pricing calculation were taken from Software Advice’s case management software directory. The pricing ranges exclude freemium versions of the products. The features highlighted were identified based on their relevance and the percentage of products in the Software Advice directory that offer them.