Both MyCase IQ and Clio Duo are AI layers bolted on top of established practice management platforms. Both handle drafting, client communication, and billing tasks. But they're built for different buyers, structured differently, and priced very differently. The firm that picks wrong pays for either overengineering or under-capability.
This comparison covers what each product actually does, how the pricing stacks up using published and third-party-reported data, which firm size each tool is designed for, and when it makes sense to skip both.
What MyCase IQ Actually Does
MyCase IQ is the AI layer integrated into MyCase's practice management platform, powered by 8am Legal AI. It's available on the Pro plan at $89 per user per month (annual) and the Advanced plan at $109 per user per month (annual). The Basic plan at $39 per user per month does not include AI features. Monthly pricing adds $10 per user per month across tiers.
On the Pro plan, IQ handles document drafting, writing assistance, and client communication templates. Attorneys can generate first-draft letters, demand letters, and standard legal documents from within the MyCase interface without switching to a separate AI tool. The system is trained to understand legal document types and produces outputs that are closer to usable drafts than generic ChatGPT output.
The Advanced plan at $109 per user per month adds an AI case assistant, advanced document automation, and open API access. The case assistant is the key differentiator: it can synthesize matter information, surface relevant deadlines, and flag issues across active cases. The open API allows firms to connect MyCase IQ to external systems, which matters for practices with custom intake workflows or third-party integrations.
What MyCase IQ does not do well: it does not have a sophisticated billing AI. Invoice review, billing narrative assistance, and time entry analysis are not core strengths of the platform. Firms with complex billing workflows or detailed write-down analysis needs will find MyCase IQ's billing features limited compared to Clio's.
What Clio Duo Actually Does (and How CoPilot Fits In)
Clio Duo is Clio's AI layer for the Clio Manage practice management platform. It's priced as an add-on separate from the base Clio Manage subscription, with pricing available only through Clio's sales team. Clio Manage's base tiers run from $89 (EasyStart) to $119 (Essentials) to $149 (Advanced) per user per month on annual billing, with a custom Expand tier for larger firms.
Clio Duo's core capabilities: calendar automation that drafts meeting summaries and action items, task alert generation tied to matter milestones, AI-assisted client updates, and invoice narrative assistance. In practice, the most-used feature is the document drafting assistant, which surfaces within Clio's document management system and can generate first drafts based on matter context already in Clio.
Clio CoPilot is a related but distinct product. CoPilot is Clio's AI assistant for surfacing information across matters, contacts, and billing records. Think of Duo as the workflow automation layer and CoPilot as the conversational query layer. Many enterprise deployments use both together, which further increases the total cost of the Clio AI stack.
Clio Duo's billing AI is its strongest differentiator. It can review time entries, flag billing gaps, suggest narrative improvements, and generate invoice summaries. For firms where billing efficiency is the primary AI use case, this is where Clio genuinely separates from MyCase.
Feature-by-Feature Matrix
| Feature | MyCase IQ (Pro/Advanced) | Clio Duo (Add-on) |
|---|---|---|
| Document Drafting | Yes — 8am Legal AI, standard legal docs | Yes — Integrated with Clio Docs |
| Client Communication AI | Yes — template generation, email drafting | Yes — client updates, status summaries |
| Billing AI | Limited — basic time entry assist | Strong — invoice review, narrative assist |
| Case Assistant | Advanced plan only ($109/user/mo) | Yes — CoPilot + Duo combination |
| Calendar Automation | Standard scheduling features | AI-assisted meeting summaries, action items |
| Intake AI | Limited in base; add Grow for full intake | Strong with Clio Grow + Duo stack |
| Open API | Yes — Advanced plan | Yes — extensive integration catalog |
| Published AI pricing | Yes — bundled in Pro/Advanced tiers | No — Duo is quote-only add-on |
| Mobile experience | Strong iOS/Android app | Strong iOS/Android app |
Which Firm Size Each Tool Is Actually Built For
MyCase IQ targets small to mid-size firms, particularly solo to 20-attorney practices where predictable per-seat pricing matters and the buyer doesn't want a vendor negotiation to access AI features. The fact that IQ is bundled into published Pro and Advanced tiers is a meaningful differentiator: a solo attorney can get AI features for $89/month without a sales call.
MyCase's overall platform strengths also align with smaller firms: streamlined case management, strong client portal, simple billing, and a mobile app that works well for single-office or remote practices. The open API on Advanced makes it extensible for practices that want to connect intake, document automation, and MyCase without building a full tech stack.
Clio Duo is designed for firms that are already deep in the Clio ecosystem. Clio Manage dominates the 10-to-200-attorney firm segment, and Duo is a natural upsell into that installed base. For firms with complex billing requirements, large document libraries already in Clio, and established CRM workflows through Clio Grow, the Duo add-on is an incremental investment on top of existing infrastructure.
For enterprise firms above 200 attorneys, neither MyCase nor Clio Duo is typically the primary AI system. Firms at that scale are more likely running Harvey, CoCounsel, or custom RAG pipelines on top of their document management systems, with practice management software used for billing and matter tracking rather than AI-driven legal work.
The Verdict: When to Pick Each, When to Use Neither
Pick MyCase IQ if: you're a solo or small firm that wants AI features on a published price, you're not already on Clio, you want document drafting and client communication assistance without a sales negotiation, and billing AI is not your primary need. The Pro plan at $89/user/month is the most price-transparent entry into AI-assisted practice management in 2026.
Pick Clio Duo if: you're already on Clio Manage and the switching cost makes MyCase migration impractical, you have significant billing complexity and need invoice review and narrative AI, or you're running Clio Grow for intake and want a unified AI layer across the full Clio stack. Budget for the Duo quote to land materially above Clio Manage's base price.
Use neither if: you need AI for substantive legal work, research, or complex document review. Both MyCase IQ and Clio Duo are practice management AI tools, not legal research or contract analysis tools. For research and drafting heavy workflows, CoCounsel, Claude, or a dedicated legal drafting tool will outperform either platform's AI layer.
Bottom line: MyCase IQ wins on pricing transparency and solo-to-small-firm fit. Clio Duo wins on billing AI and integration depth for firms already in Clio's ecosystem. Neither is the right tool if your primary AI need is legal research or complex document analysis—those use cases need purpose-built legal AI, not a practice management add-on.