The comparison
| Tool | Main job | Who it's built for | Published pricing | What we couldn't verify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MyCase | Case and practice management with billing, trust accounting, client portal, document generation and 8am IQ assistants (Writing, Document, Case, Discovery) | Small and midsize firms, per its plans | USD 50 / 100 / 130 per user per month billed annually (Basic / Pro / Advanced); USD 60 / 120 / 150 billed monthly. 10-day free trial, no credit card required | Which model powers the assistants, output quality, MCP connector plan inclusion |
| Smokeball | Practice management with AutoTime, document automation, billing, trust accounting; Smokeball AI and the Archie assistant | Solo, small and growing "people-law" firms | None. Plans (Bill, Boost, Grow, Prosper+) show no amounts; quote required. Trial not mentioned | Any price, Archie add-on cost, form count, AI quality |
Who each is for
MyCase. A firm that wants a stated price and a clear map of which AI assistant comes with which plan. Basic lists no AI; the Pro plan lists the 8am IQ Writing and Document assistants, and Advanced adds the Case and Discovery assistants. Discovery OCR comes with a shared page allowance (5,000 pages per user per month, shared across the firm). Thin spots: it publishes no accuracy figures, and the pricing page does not say which model sits behind the assistants. See our MyCase review and MyCase IQ profile.
Smokeball. A firm that wants automatic time capture and document automation in the same system as matters and billing. AutoTime is included in Prosper+ and offered as an add-on on Grow. Archie works inside a matter to draft, review and answer questions, and Smokeball says it runs under zero-data-retention agreements. Thin spots: no published price, no trial mentioned, and Archie is an add-on. See our Smokeball review and Smokeball profile.
Pricing, as shown on October 21, 2026
MyCase's pricing page (read October 21, 2026) shows Basic at USD 50, Pro at USD 100 and Advanced at USD 130 per user per month billed annually, or USD 60, USD 120 and USD 150 billed monthly. MyCase Accounting is USD 39 per user per month on Pro and Advanced. Extra discovery pages are USD 30 per 5,000 pages for the whole firm. Smokeball's pricing page (read October 21, 2026) lists no amounts: it says pricing depends on users, plan, contract term and add-ons, and invites a quote request. An older figure of roughly USD 99 per user per month appears on our earlier Smokeball profile; the current Smokeball pages do not support it.
What we couldn't verify
- Output quality of any AI assistant on either side. We did not run them.
- Smokeball's prices, free-trial terms, and the cost of Archie, AutoTime and Intake add-ons.
- MyCase's underlying AI model and its data terms for AI. Smokeball does not name Archie's model either.
- Workflow automation depth. MyCase Pro lists automated workflows; on Smokeball, Workflows is an add-on on Grow and included in Prosper+. We compared the labels, not the products.
- Client communication: Smokeball lists "Communicate powered by Smokeball AI" from Boost; MyCase's pricing page lists a limited client portal on Basic and does not describe an AI communication tool.
How we'd test the two in a week
- Ask Smokeball for an itemized quote (plan, Archie, AutoTime, Intake); start MyCase's 10-day trial.
- Run the same three tasks on both: summarize a record, draft a client email, extract dates from a document, using non-sensitive files.
- Test time capture: AutoTime on Smokeball against MyCase's time entry for the same few days of work.
- Ask each vendor for its AI data terms in writing.
- Compare the total yearly cost for your user count, including the AI tier, not the entry price.
Sources
- MyCase pricing (page read October 21, 2026) (Vendor claims; plan prices, 8am IQ assistants by plan, trial, add-ons)
- Smokeball pricing (page read October 21, 2026) (Vendor claims; plans, Smokeball AI, Archie add-on, AutoTime, no prices)
- Smokeball Archie (page read October 21, 2026) (Vendor claims; Archie features and data terms)
Questions and answers
Which is better for AI features, MyCase or Smokeball?
Neither is proven better, because we have not tested either. MyCase publishes four assistants by plan with prices; Smokeball sells Archie as an add-on with no price published. Pick the one whose AI you can trial on your own documents.
Does Smokeball or MyCase have better workflow automation?
Both list it. MyCase's Pro plan lists automated workflows and Advanced adds advanced document automation; Smokeball lists Workflows as a Grow add-on and includes it in Prosper+. We did not test either.
Is Smokeball more expensive than MyCase?
We cannot say. MyCase publishes USD 50 to USD 130 per user per month on annual billing; Smokeball publishes no price.
Which has automatic time tracking?
Smokeball names AutoTime for automatic time tracking, included in Prosper+. MyCase's pricing page lists time entry and a Smart Time Finder, not a feature called automatic time tracking.
What should a small firm check first?
Ask each vendor what the AI costs at your user count and where client data goes. MyCase states a price per tier; Smokeball needs a quote.
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.
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