Smokeball captures every minute, per user.
CaseFile drafts the work, flat.
Smokeball is a strong platform — for running a practice: automatic time tracking, template-based document automation, matter management, billing, and trust accounting. But it's priced per user, and the part that steals your evenings usually isn't time capture. It's the drafting. The client letter, the intake form, the case summary — typed from a blank page, again. CaseFile does that with AI in under 60 seconds, for a flat $49/month on one attorney login. Here's the fair, no-spin comparison.
Most firms weighing a Smokeball alternative aren't unhappy with the software.
That's the honest starting point. Smokeball is a capable practice-management platform, and its automatic time tracking — capturing billable minutes in the background so they don't slip away — is a genuine standout, alongside template-based document automation, matter management, billing, and trust accounting. For a firm that wants a full system of record with automatic time capture, that depth is the point, and CaseFile isn't trying to replace it.
So why look for an alternative? Usually the shape of the bill, not a missing feature. Smokeball has AI — Archie drafts documents and, in Smokeball's own words, gives you “a document or matter summary, including meetings, deadlines, and tasks”. But it arrives inside a full per-user platform whose price Smokeball will not tell you without a quote: four plans (Bill, Boost, Grow, Prosper+), every one of them a “Get pricing” button, and the cost set by your user count, plan, contract term and add-ons.
CaseFile is built for exactly that gap. It uses AI to draft client letters, intake forms across 40+ practice areas, and case summaries in under a minute — no template to build first — for a flat $49/month on one attorney login. It is not a practice-management, billing, or time-tracking system, and every draft is reviewed by the attorney. It's the fast drafting layer, not a replacement for how you run the firm.
Who each one is actually for.
⚖️ Smokeball is for you if…
You want a full system of record to run the firm — with automatic time tracking, document
automation, matter management, billing, and trust accounting.
You have repeat documents you can template once and reuse, and you accept per-user pricing as you grow.
Recovering billable time and running operations, not blank-page drafting, is the problem you're solving.
📝 CaseFile is for you if…
Your evenings disappear into drafting — letters, intake forms, case summaries — and you want
AI to write the first draft in seconds, with no template to build.
You'd rather pay a flat $49/month for the one login that does the drafting than a per-user suite.
You're happy to keep your current system (or Smokeball itself) for operations and just fix the drafting.
CaseFile vs. Smokeball, for a solo or small firm.
They barely overlap — one runs the practice per seat with automatic time capture, the other writes the documents with AI at a flat price. Here's where each genuinely wins.
| For a solo / small firm | CaseFile | Smokeball |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $49/mo flat — one attorney login | Per user, quote only — no published price* |
| Pricing model | Flat per-firm | Per user — scales with seats |
| What it's built for | AI drafting — letters, intake, summaries | Full practice mgmt + automatic time tracking |
| Drafting approach | Generative AI — no template needed | Template automation (form library) + Archie AI drafting |
| Automatic time tracking | No — keep your system | Yes — its signature strength |
| Case summaries in <60s | Yes | Matter & document summaries via Archie AI |
| Billing, trust accounting & matter mgmt | No — keep your system | Yes — its strength |
| Works anywhere (web) vs native app | Web — any device | Native desktop (Grow) |
| Per-seat fees | None — flat | Per user |
| Best fit | Killing the drafting that eats your evenings | Running the firm with automatic time capture |
*Smokeball publishes no prices. Its pricing page lists four plans — Bill, Boost, Grow and Prosper+ — each with a “Get pricing” button rather than a rate, and states that cost depends on user count, plan, contract term and optional add-ons (checked 23 Aug 2026). Third-party figures circulate but we do not quote them, because Smokeball has not published them. Plans and pricing change frequently — always get a current quote via smokeball.com. Smokeball is a trademark of its respective owner; CaseFile is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Smokeball.
How CaseFile drafts — with you in control.
Pick the document
A client letter, an intake form for your practice area, or a case summary. CaseFile already knows the shape of solo and small-firm work across 40+ practice areas — no template to build first.
AI drafts in under a minute
A clean, structured first draft in your firm's style appears in seconds — the part that used to mean a blank page and an hour you didn't bill.
You review & send
You edit, finalize, and approve. CaseFile is a drafting tool, not legal advice — the attorney reviews every draft and stays responsible for the final document.
Flat pricing. One attorney login.
Solo
- AI drafting — IRAC brief drafts capped at 10/month on Solo
- Letters, intake (40+ areas), summaries
- One attorney login — no seats to buy
- Month-to-month, cancel anytime
Solo is CaseFile's entry tier. Small Firm ($129/mo) and Firm ($299/mo) lift the brief-draft cap and change nothing else — seat management, SSO and per-seat billing are not built on any tier, so every plan is a single attorney login. Multi-attorney firms are handled by conversation, not a seat button. See full pricing for the current plan details.
Smokeball alternative — questions answered.
Is CaseFile a full Smokeball alternative?
It depends on what you need. Smokeball is a complete practice-management platform, known especially for automatic time tracking and template-based document automation, plus matter management, billing, and trust accounting — priced per user. CaseFile does not replace that. CaseFile is the AI drafting layer — client letters, intake forms for 40+ practice areas, and case summaries in under 60 seconds, with no template to build first — for a flat $49/month on one attorney login. If you need the full suite and automatic time capture, Smokeball is built for it; if drafting is what's eating your evenings, CaseFile fixes that without per-seat pricing.
How much does Smokeball cost compared to CaseFile?
Smokeball publishes no prices at all. Its pricing page lists four plans — Bill, Boost, Grow and Prosper+ — and every one of them shows a “Get pricing” button instead of a rate; Smokeball states the cost depends on your number of users, plan, contract term and optional add-ons (smokeball.com/pricing, checked 23 Aug 2026). What is certain from Smokeball's own wording is that it is priced per user, so it scales with every seat. CaseFile is $49/month flat for one attorney login — there is no seat management to buy, and no second-attorney login either. They aren't priced against each other because they do different jobs — always get a current quote from the vendor.
Isn't Smokeball's document automation the same as CaseFile's drafting?
Two different things sit under that question, so here is the honest version. Smokeball's document automation merges your existing templates with matter data: you build the template once, and it fills in the fields from a large library of legal forms — powerful when a template exists. Separately, Smokeball's Archie AI does draft and summarise from your matter data, so it is not fair to say Smokeball has no generative drafting. The difference is what you have to buy: Archie comes inside a full per-user practice-management platform priced by quote, while CaseFile is a drafting-only layer at a flat $49/month for one attorney login that sits on top of whatever suite you already run. Many firms use both.
Does CaseFile track time and handle billing like Smokeball?
No. Automatic time tracking, billing, trust accounting, and matter management are exactly what Smokeball is built for — and its automatic time capture is a genuine strength that recovers billable time. CaseFile does not try to replace any of that. CaseFile focuses on drafting — letters, intake forms, and case summaries — and pairs with whatever system you already use to track time and get paid.
Does an attorney still review what CaseFile drafts?
Always. CaseFile is a drafting productivity tool, not legal advice and not a substitute for professional judgment. Every draft is a starting point the licensed attorney reviews, edits, and is responsible for. The point is to turn a 60-minute first draft into a 60-second one, not to remove the lawyer.
Get your evenings back — without the per-seat bill.
Start CaseFile free and draft your next client letter, intake form, or case summary in under a minute. Keep the suite you run the firm on — CaseFile just makes the drafting disappear, for a flat $49/month.
Built with solo & small-firm attorneys.
We don't ship invented testimonials or fabricated firm counts. Real attorney quotes will appear here once our early users opt in to share their results. Want to be one of them? Start free and tell us what you draft most.