The comparison
| Tool | Main job | Who it's built for | Published pricing | What we couldn't verify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MyCase (8am) | Case, contact, billing, trust accounting, client portal, intake, with 8am IQ AI assistants | Law firms; homepage lists criminal defense, family, immigration, bankruptcy, personal injury, trust and estate | Basic USD 50, Pro USD 100, Advanced USD 130 per user per month billed annually (USD 60, 120, 150 monthly) | AI accuracy, the "19,000+ firms" claim, which tier includes the 8am MyCase MCP and Document Assistant add-ons beyond what the page states |
| PracticePanther | Case management, calendaring, billing, PantherPayments, accounting | "Firms of All Sizes" per its homepage, from solo to large | Solo USD 49, Essential USD 69, Business USD 89, Business Pro USD 114 per user per month billed annually (USD 59, 79, 99, 124 monthly) | Any AI features (none listed by the vendor), integrations depth, the "paid 70% faster" claim |
Prices are what each vendor's page showed on October 21, 2026, in USD per user per month. Both vendors may change them.
Who each is for
MyCase. A firm that wants AI working on its own case files and is willing to pay for the higher tiers. The Writing and Document Assistants sit on Pro, and the Case Assistant (summaries, timelines, cited answers) and Discovery Assistant (OCR of scanned documents) are on Advanced, per the pricing page. It's thinner at the low end: Basic has a "Limited" client portal and no eSignature, intake forms or texting, which start at Pro. The MyCase IQ page on this site covers the AI side in more depth.
PracticePanther. A firm that mainly wants practice management and billing without AI, with a lower entry price and a clear ladder of tiers. Its own pricing page lists no AI features. Its thin spot, for a firm that cares about trust accounting, is that Trust Accounting and Operating Accounting are listed on the top tier, Business Pro, so the cheaper plans may not fit if you hold client funds. For the three-way comparison with Clio and Rocket Matter see our Clio vs PracticePanther vs Rocket Matter guide.
Pricing, as shown on October 21, 2026
From the MyCase pricing page, read October 21, 2026: MyCase Basic is USD 50 per user per month billed annually (USD 60 monthly), Pro is USD 100 (USD 120 monthly), Advanced is USD 130 (USD 150 monthly). The page says pricing depends on the number of active firm users and that there's no setup fee or long-term contract. LawPay payments show a USD 0 monthly fee with "competitive processing rates." MyCase Accounting is an add-on at USD 39 per user per month on Pro and Advanced. The Discovery Assistant includes 5,000 pages per user per month shared across the firm, with extra blocks of 5,000 pages at USD 30. The trial is 10 days, no credit card.
From the PracticePanther pricing page, read October 21, 2026: Solo is USD 49 per user per month billed annually (USD 59 monthly), Essential USD 69 (USD 79), Business USD 89 (USD 99), Business Pro USD 114 (USD 124). The page shows an annual saving of USD 120 per user per year. Trial: 7 days, no credit card.
What's gated: on MyCase, eSignature, document generation, workflows, intake, texting and the Writing and Document Assistants start at Pro; Case and Discovery Assistants, split billing, conflict check tracking and the open API start at Advanced. On PracticePanther, native 2-way texting, intake forms, unlimited eSignature and LEDES billing start at Business; trust and operating accounting are listed on Business Pro; its page also says Calendar Rules requires a LawToolBox subscription.
Billing and payments: MyCase Basic includes time entry, invoicing, trust accounting and online payments with next-day deposits. PracticePanther lists native ePayments with PantherPayments from Solo, and its features page describes payment plans and retainer deposits into trust.
What we couldn't verify
- Accuracy of any AI output. MyCase's AI page says the assistants are in beta, use pre-configured prompts and may be inaccurate.
- Security: the MyCase AI page says data goes to OpenAI, which it describes as SOC2 compliant, and doesn't claim a certification for MyCase itself. We didn't find PracticePanther's certifications on the pages we read.
- Customer counts and speed claims on both homepages.
- Whether PracticePanther has AI tools elsewhere. We saw none on its pricing, home or features pages. One third-party review mentions some, but we found no official confirmation.
- Integration depth for either (both advertise integration directories).
- Add-on details for MyCase's Document Assistant and MCP, which the pricing page lists without naming a tier.
How we'd test the two in a week
- Pick one closed matter with real invoices, a trust deposit and a scanned discovery set.
- Start both free trials (10 days at MyCase, 7 at PracticePanther) and load the same contacts and matter.
- Bill the matter end to end: time entry, invoice, client payment, trust deposit. Note which plan each step needs.
- At MyCase, ask the AI assistants for a summary and timeline of your documents and check each citation. Remember the Case Assistant needs Advanced.
- Total the per-user cost of the plan each tool needed for steps 3 and 4 against your headcount.
Sources
- MyCase pricing (page read October 21, 2026) (Vendor claims; plan prices, tiers, add-ons, trial)
- MyCase legal AI software (page read October 21, 2026) (Vendor claims; 8am IQ assistants, beta caveat, OpenAI SOC2 statement)
- MyCase home (page read October 21, 2026) (Vendor claims; practice areas, 19,000+ firms (not used as fact))
- PracticePanther pricing (page read October 21, 2026) (Vendor claims; plan prices, tiers, trial, no AI listed)
- PracticePanther home (page read October 21, 2026) (Vendor claims; positioning, no AI mentioned)
- PracticePanther features (page read October 21, 2026) (Vendor claims; billing, trust, payments, no AI)
- Web search for third-party AI mention (October 21, 2026) (Single third-party review, unverified, not used as fact)
Questions and answers
MyCase vs PracticePanther: which is better for a small law firm?
We haven't tested either. On published information, MyCase lists 8am IQ AI assistants and PracticePanther lists none, while PracticePanther's annual plans start at USD 49 against MyCase's USD 50. See the Clio Duo vs MyCase vs Smokeball comparison for other options.
Does PracticePanther have AI?
Its pricing, homepage and features pages, read October 21, 2026, list no AI features. Check with the vendor for anything newer.
How much does MyCase cost?
Its pricing page shows USD 50, USD 100 and USD 130 per user per month for Basic, Pro and Advanced when billed annually, and USD 60, 120 and 150 billed monthly. Pricing depends on active users.
Which MyCase plan includes the AI Case Assistant?
MyCase Advanced, per its pricing page and AI page. The Writing and Document Assistants are listed on Pro. See MyCase IQ vs Clio Duo.
Which plan do I need for trust accounting at each?
MyCase lists trust accounting on Basic. PracticePanther lists Trust Accounting under Business Pro, the top tier. Both pages were read October 21, 2026, and your state's rules still apply, so confirm with each vendor.
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.