Smokeball at a glance
| Question | What Smokeball says (October 21, 2026) | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Plans | Bill, Boost, Grow ("Best Value"), Prosper+ | Stated by the vendor |
| Price | No amounts. Pricing "depends on" users, plan, contract term and add-ons; request a quote | Not published |
| Free trial | Not mentioned on the pricing page | Not published |
| Smokeball AI in plans | "Communicate powered by Smokeball AI" in Boost, Grow, Prosper+; "Intake powered by Smokeball AI" in Prosper+ | Stated by the vendor |
| Archie AI assistant | Add-on on Boost, Grow and Prosper+; works inside a matter to draft, review and answer questions | Stated by the vendor |
| Automatic time tracking | AutoTime: included in Prosper+, add-on on Grow, not listed on Bill or Boost | Stated by the vendor |
| Security | Says it is certified to ISO 27001:2022 and that customer data is not shared with third parties for training or AI modeling | Stated by the vendor |
| Number of forms in the library | The homepage mentions "an extensive library of automated legal forms" with no count | Not published |
| How well Archie or AutoTime performs | No accuracy or time-saved figures on the pages we read | Not verified |
What Smokeball is
Smokeball describes itself as legal practice management software for "people-law" firms, combining matter management, automatic time tracking, document automation, legal billing, trust accounting and reporting. It integrates with Microsoft Word and Outlook, and it says it is trusted by "34,000+ legal professionals worldwide" (a vendor claim we did not verify). Our earlier Smokeball profile quoted "20,000+" forms and a per-user price near USD 99; the current Smokeball pages we read state neither number, so both were removed from that profile on October 21, 2026. Treat them as unverified until Smokeball confirms them in writing.
The AI: Smokeball AI and Archie
Archie is described as an AI assistant that "works inside your matter to draft, review, and answer questions", surfaces suggested next steps as the matter changes, and, in Outlook, summarizes email threads and drafts replies from the matter. Playbooks check documents against rules you define, and Archie Apps cover tasks such as bank statement analysis, legal chronologies and audio transcription. Smokeball says Archie runs under zero-data-retention agreements, works only within the matter you are in, and is visible only to staff assigned to it. The Archie page does not name the underlying model; it names LawY, CaseMark, Novo AI and Supio as partners. For a longer look at the positioning, see Smokeball Archie AI for small law firms.
Automatic time tracking and billing
The question we see most is whether Smokeball captures billable hours without manual entry. The pricing page lists AutoTime as the automatic time tracking feature, and the comparison on that page shows manual time and expense tracking on the Bill plan. AutoTime is included in Prosper+ and can be added on Grow. If your plan is Boost or Bill, ask whether AutoTime is available to you. Billing, online payments and trust accounting are listed from the Bill plan up. Smokeball publishes no figure for how many hours AutoTime recovers.
Document management and forms
Smokeball's homepage points to TemplateLab and an "extensive library of automated legal forms". Grow adds practice area templates and calculators, advanced document automation and automated forms and templates. Whether the library holds 20,000 or any other number of forms is not stated on the pages we read; the two feature pages we tried returned 404. Ask for the forms list for your state and practice area before you rely on it.
Who it fits, and where it is thin
Fits: solo and small firms that want one system for matters, time, billing and forms, and that would use AutoTime and document automation daily.
Thin: published prices (none), a free trial (not mentioned), and any independent evidence of AI quality. Archie costs extra, so budget for it separately.
How it compares
- MyCase: MyCase publishes per-user prices and which AI assistant sits on which plan; Smokeball does not. See MyCase vs Smokeball and our MyCase review.
- Clio Duo: see Clio Duo vs MyCase vs Smokeball and the Clio Duo review.
- Filevine: see Filevine vs Clio for the other end of the market.
What we couldn't verify
- Any price, or the cost of Archie, AutoTime or Intake as add-ons.
- Whether a free trial exists.
- The number of forms in the library, and the "34,000+" customer figure.
- Output quality of Archie, and how accurately AutoTime captures time.
- The underlying model behind Archie, and the scope of the ISO 27001 certificate.
How to test it in a week
- Ask for a quote that itemizes the plan, Archie, AutoTime and Intake, and the contract term.
- Ask for a demo on a matter type you handle most, using your own forms.
- Check the form library against your five most-used documents.
- For AutoTime, run it for a few days and compare against your own record of billable work.
- Ask for the Archie data terms in writing before client files go in.
Sources
- Smokeball pricing (page read October 21, 2026) (Vendor claims; plans, AI by plan, AutoTime, add-ons, no prices)
- Smokeball home (page read October 21, 2026) (Vendor claims; positioning, AutoTime, TemplateLab, 34,000+ claim, ISO 27001, data not used for AI training)
- Smokeball Archie (page read October 21, 2026) (Vendor claims; Archie features, zero data retention, partners, no pricing)
- MyCase pricing (page read October 21, 2026) (Vendor claims; MyCase plan prices and 8am IQ assistants for comparison)
Questions and answers
Which is better for AI features, MyCase or Smokeball?
On what the vendors publish, MyCase is clearer: four named 8am IQ assistants by plan, with Pro at USD 100 and Advanced at USD 130 per user per month billed annually. Smokeball publishes no prices and sells its Archie assistant as an add-on. We have not tested either, so we cannot name a winner on quality. See our MyCase vs Smokeball page.
Does Smokeball offer document management and a 20,000+ legal form library?
Smokeball lists document storage, templates and automated forms, and Grow adds advanced document automation. The pages we read do not state a form count, so we cannot confirm 20,000+. Ask Smokeball for the list for your practice area.
How does Smokeball handle automatic time tracking and billing?
It offers AutoTime for automatic time tracking, included in Prosper+ and available as an add-on on Grow. Billing, payments and trust accounting are listed from the Bill plan. Smokeball publishes no figure for hours captured.
How much does Smokeball cost?
Smokeball does not publish prices. Its pricing page says cost depends on the number of users, the plan, the contract term and add-ons, and directs you to request a quote.
Is Archie included in the plan?
No. Smokeball's pricing page lists the Archie AI assistant as an add-on on Boost, Grow and Prosper+. "Communicate powered by Smokeball AI" is included from Boost up.
Operational information, not legal advice. Tool descriptions are each vendor's own claims, read October 21, 2026; we did not test any product. Prices change; check the vendor page before you decide.
New: Smokeball Alternatives 2026: MyCase, PracticePanther, Filevine