Smokeball vs Amberlo

Clio

LEAP

8am MyCase

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. 

Principal, Director and CEO

I felt the after hours support was missing..

Legal Assistant

The customer support team is always helpful and responsive, ensuring we get the most out of the software.

Smokeball is powering people-law. Our legal practice management software lightens the administrative burden, so legal professionals have more time to serve the people who need them most. 

Access Controls/Permissions

Accounting

Accounting Integration

Activity Dashboard

Activity Tracking

Alerts/Notifications

Archiving & Retention

Audit Trail

Automatic Backup

Bank Reconciliation

Billable Items Tracking

Billable & Non-Billable Hours

Billing & Invoicing

Billing Rate Management

Built-in Accounting

Calendar Management

Case Management

Case Notes

Client Management

Client Portal

Collaboration Tools

Communication Management

Compliance Management

Compliance Tracking

Conflict Management

Contact Database

Contact Management

Contract/License Management

Credit Card Processing

Customer Database

Customizable Fields

Customizable Forms

Customizable Reports

Customizable Templates

Data Import/Export

Deadline Management

Docket Management

Document Automation

Document Capture

Document Classification

Document Generation

Document Management

Document Review

Document Storage

Document Templates

Drag & Drop

Electronic Payments

Electronic Signature

Email Management

Expense Tracking

File Conversion

File Sharing

For Family Law

For Lawyers

For Legal Professionals

Forms Management

Full Text Search

Invoice Management

Legal Case Management

Mobile App

Online Payments

Payment Processing

QuickBooks Integration

Real-Time Reporting

Reminders

Reporting & Statistics

Search/Filter

Secure Data Storage

SSL Security

Task Management

Task Progress Tracking

Third-Party Integrations

Time & Expense Tracking

Timer

Time Tracking

Trust Accounting

Version Control

Workflow Management

The Smokeball integrations most frequently cited by reviewers are: Microsoft Outlook (an email management product rated 4.5 out of 5 for its integration with Smokeball), Microsoft Word (a document generation product, 5.0), and 8am LawPay (a payment processing product, 4.3).

Integrations

By industry, Smokeball reviewers are most commonly professionals in law practice (73%). The most frequent use case for Smokeball cited by reviewers is law practice management (62% of reviewers).

Smokeball

Web-based

iPhone

iPad

Android

Windows

PracticePanther Legal Software

Amicus Attorney

CARET Legal

Filevine

AbacusLaw

8am CasePeer

CosmoLex

Bill

Boost

Grow

Prosper+

Slow performance and lag

Also, if your computer is old, the software will move very slowly and freeze a lot.

Attorney

At times it is so slow it's hard to get things done.

78% of reviewers feel negative about Smokeball’s performance and speed. Users report frequent slowdowns, lag, and long load times, especially when handling large cases or using older computers. They say the cloud-based nature sometimes results in delays when opening the app, accessing documents, or generating reports. Reviewers find these issues frustrating in fast-paced environments, noting that freezing and sluggish response times can disrupt workflow and productivity during critical tasks.

Recurring bugs and glitches

Paralegal

There are occasional glitches that are not detected until you realize something you expected to complete, does not.

65% of reviewers feel negative about Smokeball’s bugs and technical issues. Users indicate they encounter frequent glitches, such as file naming errors, calendar sync problems, and system slowdowns that can interrupt their work. They mention that updates sometimes introduce new problems or temporarily disable features. Reviewers express frustration with the time it takes to resolve these issues and note that technical problems can hinder their ability to complete essential tasks, making reliability a concern.

Limited and confusing billing

Report capabilities are limited with regard to billing and specific client information.

36% of reviewers feel negative about Smokeball’s billing features. Users report that the billing module is less intuitive and more complicated compared to other parts of the software. They find recurring invoicing and payment tracking lacking, and mention that the system does not automatically re-bill for unpaid invoices. Reviewers say the billing interface can be confusing, with limited reporting capabilities and features that are not adaptable to all billing models, leading to inefficiencies and extra manual work.

Versatile practice area support

It's been a lifestyle change to a more efficient practice.

Founding Attorney

Smokeball is an excellent system that has allowed me to streamline my Estate Planning and Elder Law practice.

95% of reviewers feel positive about Smokeball’s support for diverse practice areas. Users report that the software streamlines workflows across various legal specialties, making their practices more efficient and allowing them to handle more work in less time. They appreciate the systemization of tasks, which reduces the risk of missing steps and provides peace of mind. Reviewers find the platform adaptable for solo practitioners and larger firms alike, noting its positive impact on practice growth and daily business operations.

Comprehensive training and onboarding

The Smokeball team is hyperintelligent and insightful about training and understanding key issues to make processes run smoother.

It's especially helpful when training new hires, as it's intuitive and easy for them to learn.

93% of reviewers feel positive about Smokeball’s training and learning curve. Users appreciate the extensive onboarding support, including one-on-one assistance, recorded tutorials, and ongoing training sessions. They report that customer service is proactive and knowledgeable, making the transition to the software smooth. Reviewers value the availability of resources for new hires and ongoing education, stating that the platform is intuitive to learn and easy to teach. They find the support staff helpful in addressing questions and ensuring users maximize the software’s benefits.

Centralized practice organization

The efficiencies it creates in my law practice are simply invaluable.

97% of reviewers feel positive about Smokeball’s law firm management capabilities. Users think the platform’s ability to organize matters, tasks, and contacts in one place is essential for efficient practice management. They say it helps both small and large firms stay organized and productive, with features like the Activity Tracker supporting accurate time tracking. Reviewers appreciate having constant access to files and believe the software consolidates multiple tools into a single, comprehensive system, which they find invaluable for streamlining daily operations and improving overall firm profitability.

Time-saving document automation

Attorney Owner

Document automation is critical to create documents and updating document fields when someone changes their address is super easy.

Owner

It's document automation allows me to save a ton of time with document prep.  

93% of reviewers feel positive about Smokeball’s document automation features. Users say automation tools save them significant time on document preparation and repetitive administrative tasks. They highlight the ease of generating documents, updating fields, and organizing files, which boosts productivity. Reviewers appreciate integrations with tools like DocuSign, as well as the ability to combine documents and automate assembly. They find the automation functions user-friendly and critical for efficient case management, making document handling less tedious and more accurate.

Managing Attorney

It is also missing the ability to create matters on the phone app. If you use Smokeball with Classic Outlook, it can sync up with your calendar when you create the matter in Outlook. If that features exists in the New Outlook, I cannot seem to find it, so while I would like to use the New Outlook for various reasons, I cannot right now, since that syncing feature is so important to me.

Smokeball has helped keep our communication on the same page, generate templates that ease time, and keep workflows consistent so that nothing falls through the cracks on our cases.

It had a feature that allows you to input discovery deadlines, but the deadlines do no show up anywhere.  

Office Manager

We are close to finishing our third month using Smokeball, and all of the staff are comfortable working with all of the main Smokeball features, or have someone to reach out to or resources to guide them when questions arise.

Associate Attorney

Smokeball's excellent drafting functionality for concisely summarizing matters is extremely useful, especially when drafting basic motions requiring basic data input and form-filling.

Founder Principal

Smokeball is a full document management and document Storage platform as well as a case management platform, so it is able to do a lot more quickly than otherwise would be the case.

In addition, the ability to easily track and complete time sensitive tasks gives me the piece of mind that critical contingency dates and deadlines will not be overlooked.

We have a separate Smokeball folder on our Dropbox where we put Smokeball documents that have to be downloaded from another source before they can be imported to Smokeball.

You have to stop what you’re doing with inputting the data, close that window, and then open up another window in that matter to get the information and then reopen the first window to input the info.

Administrator

As an administrator, I’ve found Smokeball to be an invaluable tool for managing workflow and accountability across our firm.

Owner and Sole Shareholder

Integration with Microsoft products, especially Outlook; forms library, the new AI, billing integration with QBOLA!  

Lawyer

It tracks all my deadlines, fees, billing, drafts closing statements, etc.  

The law firm I work at just recently switched to Smokeball, and the changeover has been as smooth as we could have hoped for.

paralegal

Its automatic time tracking ensures every billable minute is captured, boosting revenue and accuracy.

Senior Associate Attorney

The billing software is modern and allows a real time look at daily +\- for all client files.

Our office has used Smokeball for 10 years and has greatly increased our efficiency with automation of documents and file set up.

The platform keeps everything organized and accessible, from contracts and settlement documents to emails and deadlines.

The character limit in title of case can keep esign feature from working.

Managing Partner

The accounting features don't stack up against all of the thoughtful process designed for case management.

Sometimes the syncing across all accounts isn't the best, even after closing out of the matter and reopening sometimes we're still unable to see what someone else has uploaded.

Although helpful, the legal forms library may not cover every jurisdiction or niche area of law, requiring some manual customization.

The overall user experience is seamless, and I truly believe this tool has helped me complete my work with much more ease and speed. If I had this software at previous jobs, it would have made a huge difference in my workflow.

I wish the reporting and customization options were a bit more flexible.

As a firm administrator, I appreciate how intuitive Smokeball is for onboarding new staff and maintaining consistent workflows.

Legal assistant

Everything is stored on Smokeball, so any contact information, emails, documents, appointments etc.

Integration with Family Law Software has issues when you need to update it, but it doesn't let you know when it's time to update it.

There is a way to file documents online using Court systems like PACER and Odyssey directly from Smokeball.

Amount of features that are available to the practice, to include billing and running multiple reports.

You still have to add the deadline to tasks.

Lega Assistant

The ability to create customizable task lists and modify them as necessary is essential.

Also, small detail, the emails do not sort by date sent or received in the emails tab automatically.

I like how Smokeball will draft legal documents for you and keeps all of my files organized in one place.

The only issue we have experienced with Smokeball is the billing software.   When we first started using Smokeball the billing software left much to be desired.  

Their AI, Archie, does a pretty good job preparing documents.

From automatic time tracking to quick document generation and seamless team coordination.

I can't think of any down sides to Smokeball except maybe that at times I can't get it to sync with Outlook 365 if we calendar through Outlook.

As a general practice firm we always appreciate the updates and the constant changes being made that allow us to use it across  all of our departments.

Doctor

With its versatile features, Smokeball lets me track and distribute tasks, activities and projects between myself and my collaborators: it's a real time-saver. And the automated time planning is a real treat!  

owner

I like the collaborative management function, it has allowed me to centralize all the relevant information for each case, which has facilitated communication and collaboration between colleagues.

Smokeball makes it easier for myself and staff to stay on top of our files and communicate with our clients.  

Intake Specialist

Sometimes it freezes up, some of the forms are not exactly what I want but I've submitted to help desk for help to get it resolved.

Law Clerk

What I like most about Smokeball is that it is a user-friendly case management software that helps streamline workflow by integrating various interfaces, which significantly increases work productivity.

Our overall experience with smokeball has been great, and it is extremely helpful to help manage, organize and quickly access different files and needed information.

We have been using Smokeball for about eight years.   As our firm has grown, Smokeball has become more and more important in the management of our files.  

We are a Plaintiff's Personal Injury firm with a very busy team.

Smokeball vs Amberlo Comparison (2026)

Smokeball

Amberlo

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives