Clio vs MyCase
Both are self-serve systems with published per-user prices and trust accounting written for North American rules. Clio, from Canada, wins on the size of its integration list but sells intake, payments and accounting separately. MyCase is simpler, with a client portal firms actually use, and thinner reporting. Growing firms take Clio; small American firms wanting ease take MyCase.
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Choose Clio ifyou want the largest integration list in legal, expect the firm to grow beyond a few fee earners, and accept intake, payments and accounting as separate line items.
Choose MyCase ifyou are a small American firm whose staff resist complicated software, want a client portal people will switch on, and do not need partner-level reporting.
Clio and MyCase side by side
| Clio | MyCase | |
|---|---|---|
| Our legal practice management rank | #1 of 13 | #3 of 13 |
| Established in | Canada | United States |
| Pricing | Per user per month, published, from $49; intake (Clio Grow) an add-on below Elite | Per user per month, published; payment processing extra |
| Free tier | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | Small firms that want to buy and configure without a consultant | Small American firms that want staff productive within a week |
| Not for | German or Dutch firms needing local filing and fee rules | Firms with complex reporting or non-American accounting rules |
Both are reviewed in full in our legal practice management ranking: Clio and MyCase.
Where they differ
Clio 1 · MyCase 1 · open 2- 01
Connecting the tools you already use
Clio has the largest integration list in legal, covering most of what a small firm bolts on, so almost any tool already in use has a connection. MyCase's strengths lie elsewhere, in having matters, calendars, documents and the portal a click apart. A firm with an established set of outside tools is better served by Clio.
Edge: Clio
- 02
Adoption by non-technical staff
MyCase is easy in the way that decides whether a system gets used: the paralegal who refuses a complicated product adopts this one, and staff are productive within a week. Its client portal is one firms actually switch on. Clio is quick to set up too, but MyCase's whole identity is ease for everyday users.
Edge: MyCase
- 03
What sits outside the licence
Clio's real bill exceeds the licence: intake and marketing are a second product, payments carry a processing cut, and accounting means its module or an external ledger. MyCase charges payment processing extra, its accounting depends on the tier bought, and it is owned by a payments business. Both headline prices understate the total.
Depends on the buyer
- 04
Headroom as the firm grows
MyCase's ceiling arrives with growth: reporting is shallow once there are more than a handful of fee earners and cannot answer partner-level questions. Clio is the default choice for small firms and its integrations let a firm add capability as needs appear; our data records no similar reporting ceiling for it.
Depends on the buyer
When neither fits
A firm outside North America gets billing from either but not the client money ledger its regulator expects. Osprey Approach and CosmoLex each include the ledger that satisfies their own regulator, and Osprey connects to English search and filing services.
Clio or MyCase: questions
3 answersIs MyCase cheaper than Clio?
Both publish per-user monthly prices, but our data holds no figures to rank them. The extras matter more: Clio prices payments and intake separately and accounting is a further purchase, while MyCase adds payment processing and ties accounting to a higher tier.
Do Clio and MyCase handle client money for firms outside North America?
Not in the way a European regulator expects. Clio's trust accounting follows North American rules, not the SRA Accounts Rules or a Dutch client account foundation, and MyCase is unsuitable for non-American accounting rules.
Ask either vendor to run your regulator's reconciliation report in a demo.
Which is easier to leave, Clio or MyCase?
Clio is the better documented: it can be bought, configured and left without a partner, and it provides a full export without a fight.
We hold no information on MyCase's export, so request a complete one during the trial and check documents keep their matter links.