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    MyCase vs Smokeball: Automatic Time Tracking vs Affordable Simplicity

    MyCase vs Smokeball compared on case management, automatic time tracking, document automation, billing, pricing, and ease of use. Find the right fit for your law firm.

    Platform Overview

    MyCase has served the legal industry since 2010, focusing on delivering a clean, affordable practice management experience for solo and small firm attorneys. Since its acquisition by AffiniPay (the parent company of LawPay) in 2022, MyCase has deepened its payment processing integration and expanded its feature set while maintaining competitive pricing. MyCase is particularly popular among solo practitioners and firms with up to 10 attorneys. Smokeball was founded in 2012 in Sydney, Australia and expanded into the US market in 2015 with its headquarters in Chicago. Smokeball differentiates itself with two signature capabilities: automatic time tracking that captures every second of billable work without manual input, and a library of over 20,000 pre-built legal document templates with deep automation features. Smokeball positions itself as the platform that maximizes billable revenue by ensuring no time slips through the cracks. The platform is designed for small firms with 1-30 attorneys across general practice, family law, real estate, estate planning, and litigation.

    Feature Comparison

    FeatureMyCaseSmokeball
    Case ManagementIntuitive case dashboard with custom fields, tags, case status tracking, and linked contactsMatter-centric organization with workflows, stages, and deep document linking per case
    Time TrackingManual timers, bulk time entry, and timer-based tracking; requires attorney to actively start/stop timers
    Automatic time tracking runs in the background; also supports manual timers and entries
    Automatic Time Capture✗Tracks time spent in emails, documents, phone calls, and other activities automatically without user intervention
    Billing & InvoicingTrust accounting, batch invoicing, payment plans, automatic reminders, and LawPay integrationTrust accounting, invoice generation from automatically captured time, and payment processing
    Document Management10 GB per user with templates, folder organization, and built-in e-signaturesUnlimited storage with version control, deep folder structures, and matter-linked organization
    Document AutomationBasic template merge fields for generating documents from case dataAdvanced document assembly with conditional logic, clause libraries, and multi-document generation
    Pre-Built Legal Form LibraryLimited; relies on user-uploaded templates20,000+ state-specific legal forms and templates covering family law, real estate, estate planning, and litigation
    Client PortalFull-featured portal with secure messaging, document sharing, invoice viewing, and online paymentsBasic client-facing portal for document sharing; less feature-rich than MyCase's portal
    Client IntakeBuilt-in intake forms and lead tracking included on all plansBasic intake workflows; less developed than MyCase's built-in lead management
    Online PaymentsLawPay integration with credit card, ACH, and payment plan supportPayment processing integration available; fewer native payment options than MyCase
    CalendarCalendar with Outlook and Google sync, deadline tracking, and schedulingCalendar with Outlook integration, court date tracking, and deadline management
    Integrations30+ integrations including QuickBooks, Zapier, Google, Outlook, and Dropbox30+ integrations including Microsoft 365, QuickBooks, InfoTrack, and LEAP
    ReportingStandard reports for billing, productivity, and case statusDetailed productivity reporting powered by automatic time data; firm performance dashboards
    Mobile AppiOS and Android with core case management and time trackingiOS and Android for viewing matters and time data
    Desktop App✗Native Windows desktop application required for automatic time tracking and document automation features

    Pricing Comparison

    MyCase offers straightforward pricing across three tiers billed annually. The Basic plan at $39 per user per month includes case management, billing, the client portal, and intake forms. The Pro plan at $99 per user per month adds e-signatures, advanced intake, and custom reports. The Advanced plan at $119 per user per month includes workflow automation, advanced analytics, and priority support. Smokeball offers four plans -- Bill, Boost, Grow, and Prosper+ -- all starting at $149 per user per month. Pricing scales based on firm size and the features included. The Bill plan focuses on time tracking and billing. Boost adds case management and the full document automation suite. Grow includes business insights, reporting dashboards, and the full form library. Prosper+ adds advanced productivity analytics and firm management features. Smokeball requires the desktop application for core features like automatic time tracking, which means it is currently Windows-only for the full experience (Mac users can use the web version with reduced functionality). MyCase is generally the more affordable option when comparing equivalent feature sets, especially because its client portal and intake tools are included on all plans. Smokeball's value proposition centers on the revenue recovery from automatic time tracking -- the company claims firms recover an average of one additional billable hour per attorney per day, which can translate to significant revenue gains that more than offset the subscription cost.

    Key Differences

    Which Platform Is Best For Your Firm?

    Choose MyCase if your firm values affordability, a strong client portal, and an all-in-one platform that works on any device and operating system. MyCase is the better choice for firms that handle a variety of practice areas, want built-in client intake tools, and prefer a straightforward setup without desktop software requirements. It is especially well-suited for solo practitioners and firms with up to 10 attorneys who want to keep their technology stack simple and cost-effective. Choose Smokeball if your firm handles high volumes of document-heavy matters such as real estate closings, estate plans, or family law cases. Smokeball is also the right choice if your attorneys struggle to capture all their billable time -- the automatic time tracking alone can recover significant revenue. Firms that rely on state-specific legal forms and need advanced document automation will find Smokeball's template library and assembly tools invaluable. InstaThink automation workflows complement both platforms. For MyCase users, InstaThink can automate intake-to-matter creation, document generation, and billing processes. For Smokeball users, InstaThink adds additional automation for client communications, cross-platform data sync, and workflow triggers that extend beyond what Smokeball handles natively.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Does Smokeball's automatic time tracking really capture all billable time?

    Smokeball's automatic time tracking captures activity in any application running on the desktop, including email clients, document editors, web browsers, and phone calls through integrated VOIP. It associates activity with the correct matter using context clues like email subject lines and document names. However, it cannot capture time spent on activities away from the computer, such as in-person client meetings, court appearances, or phone calls on a personal cell phone. Attorneys still need to manually log those activities. Smokeball reports that firms using automatic time tracking capture an average of one additional billable hour per attorney per day compared to manual tracking methods.

    Can I use Smokeball on a Mac?

    Smokeball offers a web-based version that works on Mac, but the full feature set -- including automatic time tracking and advanced document automation -- requires the Windows desktop application. If automatic time tracking is a primary reason you are considering Smokeball, and your firm uses Macs, this is a significant limitation. MyCase is fully web-based and works identically on Mac, Windows, and Linux.

    Which platform is better for estate planning practices?

    Smokeball has a significant advantage for estate planning practices due to its library of state-specific estate planning forms, advanced document assembly with conditional logic (such as automatically including trust provisions based on client answers), and the ability to generate complete estate plan document packages from a single set of client intake data. MyCase can handle estate planning matters but requires attorneys to create or upload their own templates and does not offer the same depth of automated document generation.

    Can InstaThink help bridge the gap between these platforms' weaknesses?

    Yes. For MyCase users who want better time capture, InstaThink can automate time entry creation based on email activity, calendar events, and document edits. For Smokeball users who want a better client portal and intake experience, InstaThink can build custom intake workflows that feed directly into Smokeball matters. Our automation workflows are designed to complement your existing practice management platform by handling the tasks it does not do well natively.

    Get More From Your Practice Management Software

    InstaThink automation workflows work with MyCase, Smokeball, and other legal platforms to automate your administrative tasks and maximize billable time.

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