Actionstep vs Clio

LEAP

8am MyCase

Clio

Clio is a comprehensive legal practice management software that helps law firms streamline their operations. The platform offers case management, client intake, document automation, and legal accounting features, all integrated into one system. With built-in AI capabilities through Clio Duo, legal professionals can efficiently summarize documents and access matter details while maintaining client communication through a dedicated portal.

LEAP is a cloud-based and AI-enabled legal software that integrates practice management, document automation, billing, and more in a unified platform.

8am MyCase is a legal practice and case management software designed for law firms of all sizes. 

Office Manager

They have never answered the phone when I've called for immediate support, so I've stop trying this and just email even though i feel like for the amount we are paying we should be receiving quicker support.

Partner

Customer service has gone downhill with its growth which appears common in software companies.

Bookkeeper/Financial Reporting

The support staff is very responsive and will try to thoroughly understand and address the issues for us.

Customize each of your matter & case types with a unique workflow, folder structure, custom data fields, document templates, billing arrangements, and reports. Process matters & cases more efficiently and ensure that nothing gets missed.

Access Controls/Permissions

Accounting

Accounting Integration

Accrual Accounting

Activity Dashboard

Activity Tracking

Alerts/Notifications

Archiving & Retention

Asset Accounting

Audit Trail

Automatic Backup

Automatic Billing

Backup and Recovery

Bank Reconciliation

Billable Items Tracking

Billable & Non-Billable Hours

Billing & Invoicing

Billing Portal

Billing Rate Management

Bulk Send

Business Process Automation

Calendar Management

Case Management

Case Notes

Check Writing

Client Management

Client Portal

Collaboration Tools

Communication Management

Compliance Management

Conflict Management

Contact Database

Contact Management

Contingency Billing

Contract/License Management

Credit Card Processing

Cross Ledger Posting

Customer Statements

Customizable Fields

Customizable Forms

Customizable Invoices

Customizable Reports

Customizable Templates

Data Import/Export

Deadline Management

Docket Management

Document Automation

Document Capture

Document Generation

Document Management

Document Storage

Document Templates

Electronic Payments

Email Management

Employee Management

Expense Tracking

Fee Calculation & Posting

File Sharing

Financial Management

For Legal Professionals

Forms Management

Full Text Search

General Ledger

Hourly Billing

HR Management

Invoice Creation

Invoice History

Invoice Management

Invoice Processing

Legal Case Management

Mobile Access

Mobile App

Mobile Payments

Multi-Currency

Online Invoicing

Online Payments

Payment Processing

Performance Metrics

Process/Workflow Automation

Productivity Tools

Projections

Project Management

Real-Time Data

Real-Time Reporting

Receipt Management

Records Management

Recurring/Subscription Billing

Reminders

Reporting & Statistics

Search/Filter

Secure Data Storage

SSL Security

Task Management

Task Progress Tracking

Task Scheduling

Tax Calculation

Tax Management

Third-Party Integrations

Actionstep

Web-based

iPhone

Linux

Android

Windows

iPad

Smokeball

PracticePanther Legal Software

CARET Legal

Practice Management

Legal Accounting Platform

Principal

Actionstep is a blank slate that provides plenty of customisation when setting up a law practice, including templates and trust accounting.

Owner

I am a new user but so far I have used it to mange my client base and it is more than what I need.

We loved the ability to craft work flows based upon our specific practice. But we also had the flexibility to obtain pre-set work flows as well.

I like the client portal very much and the way I can track documents that I share with my clients and vice versa.

Principal and Director

It works, although aspects of the accounting side are a little clunky and some of the field names (for example in contacts) are inappropriate.

Director

The cost of licences has increased from the cheapest software on the market to one of the most expensive with the necessary integration to make it almost useable.

We started using Actionstep in 2019 but we quickly realised that it was not suitable for small law firms.

I now have to find another provider of a similar service which is time consuming and disruptive.

The next number it generated was 653 and today the new number is 686.

It appears that this will not be viable to small firms.

Practice Manager

I was frustrated at the start but online help was reasonable but not as good as live Technical Trainers

When I signed up to Actionstep it was about AUD $80 per user per month.

Managing Member

I wish the software had better search functions including an ability to look up contacts by phone number.

It has helped to automate case management and save time but the system is very glitchy and constantly "breaks".  

I can't see what type of law firm they could be targeting.

To migrate to another platform will cost a fortune.

Very fussy product which is very hard to customise.

Principal Lawyer

The ability to build my practice management system my way, using tools available within Actionstep and also through the integration of other applications.

BILLING: If you close your billing at the end of the month be prepared to manually enter Trust payments to allocate the funds on the closing date and not for the next billing cycle, since the automated billing will automatically post these payments on the date you are running them, not on the date which you wish will be allocated.

Principal 

Clearly they are no longer interested in sole practitioners.

For a sole practitioner it's unaffordable.

The price steadily increased over the next 5 years.

Emails "stored" in their system are lost and/or corrupted and are irretrievable.

Lawyer

The automation is fantastic. Once you learn how to use the triggers and actions effectively you can run a much smoother operation.

The plug in drops off when the user logs into a different device

No option for 2 sales taxes, which is essential in my jurisdiction.

Setting up the system to integrate with office procedures is difficult and very expensive.

I mention this because I came to love the ability to create a unique email address for each and every matter, but I do acknowledge that the need for higher levels of security is the reason that this feature had to be retired.

Lawpay: If you use lawpay their integration is useless since it only grabs new charges and does not include any past due amounts.

Office Manager 

There's no phones number anywhere to contact them.

Once a ticket is raised with their support you will be ignored.

lawyer

I get the most satisfaction when I get a new client and need to create a document that I have set up document assembly for, and am able to generate in seconds a document that would have taken an hour or more to create manually.  

Attorney / Owner

We are disappointed in our ability to utilize all the data we have stored because of the terrible document and data search functions, limited document generation abilities and difficulty importing or exporting data to other software we use for drafting and client contact.

INTEGRATIONS: If you're looking to switch to AS because of the integrations they offer make sure they actually work exactly how you intend them to.

You can bring up the contact and drag your mouse over various places on the contact form to copy the address, then do it again for the name, then do it again for the email address, then do it again for the phone number, then do it again for the fax number. But be careful not to *click on the(I ran out of space on this form)

Paralegal 

We have realized many benefits from ActionStep with respect to not only just organizing the firm's information but the fact that it offers so much more regarding document saving (cloud), billing, and portal capabilities.  

They help us keep our law office on track and help us keep deadlines and make sure we do not miss a step in complicated transactions.

Great robust software that, if working properly, would allow practitioners to set up what they want by way of workflows and templates for each practice area.

Office Administrator

The basic accounting reports, like the income statement and balance sheet, are fine. But some of the others, like the ones that look at time entries or payments by clients, are difficult to understand.

Solicitor 

All of the information for a legal file is arranged in the one user friendly place.

I reckon there could be a better way to organise uploaded files.

Easy to use, intuitive, and in many ways better than Leap

Associate Attorney

Emailing directly from Actionstep takes care of the record keeping, but we often lose the formatting of our email signatures despite best attempts to keep it true-to-form.

Customer Support

Pricing

Law Firm Management

Email Integration

Client Document Portal

Billing and Invoicing

Integrations

Small Business

Mid-size Business

Freelancers

Actionstep Software

Smokeball is a cloud-based practice productivity software designed to help users manage small law firms with email, document, calendar and task management functionality, plus time tracking and billing technology. With native mobile apps for iOS and Android, Smokeball affords users the flexibility to access and manage practice information anytime, anywhere.

Founding Partner

Very quick response time from their tech support, and most of the people are very nice and courteous even if they can't help you with what you want.

Beyond the tech, right from the beginning many years ago Clio stood out in customer service in terms of being very responsive, striving to find a solution to every problem where available, and being straight up in simply admitting that they don't have certain features developed yet and it's not available rather than trying to do a sales job or sugarcoat the fact that there will always be limitations in software meeting everyone's different needs perfectly.

Legal billing software that gives you beautiful, customizable invoices. Generating a bill with Clio is quick and easy, and so is receiving payment.

Actionstep vs Clio Comparison (2026)

Actionstep

Clio

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives