Clio Pricing Plans & Cost Guide (Feb 2023)

Shlomi Lavi

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Clio pricing: How much does it cost in 2024?

Clio offers 4 plans and a free trial. These plans are EasyStart, Essentials, Advanced, and Complete. The charges of the plans are as follows:

• EasyStart: Clio charges $49 per user/month on month-to-month payment basis and $39 per user/month on an annual payment basis.

• Essentials: Clio charges $69 per user/month on month-to-month payment basis and $79 per user/month on an annual payment basis.

• Advanced: Clio charges $99 per user/month on month-to-month payment basis and $119 per user/month on an annual payment basis.

• Complete: Clio charges $129 per user/month on month-to-month payment basis and $149 per user/month on an annual payment basis.

Prices and Plans Compared

The Clio pricing structure are surprisingly close-knitted in terms of features, unlike PracticePanther, which has a big difference in the low-tier and top-tier pricing model.

The EasyStart plan has few features but is ladened with billing and reporting features. Aside from these features, users only get basic legal management dashboard features like Case and Contact Management and Task Management.

The Clio Essential plan has all features of the EasyStart plan but has more integrations and sharing features that are missing in the EasyStart plan. Also, compared with the EasyStarter plan, the Essential plan has the Court Calendaring Rules (which ensures that firms can calculate and track court calendar deadlines) and Originating Attorney Reporting feature not found in EasyStarter.

Compared to the EasyStarter and Essential plans, the Advanced plan is heavy on reporting features. Users on the plan get the Matter Budgets, allowing firms to assign budgets to a case and monitor it. Also, they can send unlimited document sending for E-signatures, which is limited to just 3 per user per month on the EasyStarter plan and 15 per user per month on the Essential plan.

The Complete plan, as expected, has all the features of the Clio practice management solution. What caught our eye is the inclusion of the Clio Grow add-on (worth $49 per user per month) into this plan.

Which Plan Is Right for You?

Clio pricing plans are designed for various levels of needs any law firm can have. We could see that the cheapest plan, EasyStarter, is designed for law firms comfortable with mostly billing and basic practice management features.

The Essential plan focusing on integration would fit firms that work with access to Apps and Integrations. If your firm is a small sized law firm interested in having reports and staying organized (in addition to other features), then the Advanced plan would be a fit.

However, the Complete plan might seem the most expensive, but it is not. Users on the Complete plan are not charged the +$399 onboarding fee, receive an unlimited document-sending feature for E-signatures, and do not have to pay $49 per user/month for the Clio add-ons. These are just some of the things offered and should fit if your firm is looking for full legal practice management solution without incurring some extra charges.

Additional Costs

For Clio payments, there are some additional costs that you should know about. Some hidden costs are the Clio Grow add-on cost (+$49 per user per month) for all plan packages except the Complete plan. Also, there is an additional +$399 Grow account onboarding fee charged.

Another additional cost is the eCheck payment charge per transaction for U.S. firms only, and it is fixed at $2. Also, there is a credit/debit card transaction charge that is set at 2.8% of the transaction for the U.S. and 2.95% for Canadian-based firms.

Clio vs. competitors (pricing)

Cost of software customizations

Customizing the software to meet the specific needs of the organization can be a costly process, especially if the customization requires significant development or integration work. The average cost of customization can range from a few thousand dollars to several hundred thousand dollars, depending on the complexity of the customization work.

Data migration cost Relevant for Clio

Migrating data from old systems to the new software can be a time-consuming and costly process, especially if the data is large or complex. The average cost of data migration can range from a few thousand dollars to several hundred thousand dollars, depending on the size and complexity of the data.

Cost of training

How many groups (different departments, usages, type of users) are needed for Clio training? Training employees to use the new software can be a significant cost, especially if the software is complex or requires specialized knowledge. The average cost of training can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars per employee, depending on the complexity of the software and the duration of the training.

Cost of maintenance

Ongoing maintenance and support for the software can be a significant cost, especially if the software requires frequent updates or has a high rate of bugs or issues. The average cost of maintenance can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars per year, depending on the complexity of the software and the level of support required.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Our Veredict

Choosing between Clio or its alternatives is not a straightforward decision. Regarding pricing, PracticePanther is the only alternative that does not have additional pricing. Smokeball has credit card fees, Clio has an onboarding fee with other fees, and Rocket Matter has onboarding fees with other fees.

Regarding features available in these legal management systems, Clio and its alternatives are closely matched, but Rocket Matter has more unique features than the rest. Rocket Matter has the practice-specific Insurance Defense Module, Conflict Check, and DNI/Digital Ad Keyword Tracker, which is not seen in most Clio alternatives.