Clio versus Smokeball

See why Australian law firms have made the switch from Smokeball to Clio.

Are you considering Smokeball or currently a Smokeball customer who has to deal with device compatibility issues on MacOS [1] [2]  and rigid multi-year contracts?

Ask one of our experts to show you why law firms prefer Clio to Smokeball.

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Clio is the most widely used and highly rated legal practice management system

Clio is trusted by more than 150,000 legal professionals, garnering the most 5-star reviews of any legal practice management system available.

Clio is recommended by bar associations and law societies.

Clio’s trust accounting software has been certified by the Law Society of New South Wales as being compliant with the Legal Profession Uniform General Rules 2015.

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Clio optimises the mobile experience, so you and your clients can manage your cases from anywhere, at any time.

Compare Clio vs Smokeball mobile apps

The #1 legal practice management solution

G2 has ranked Clio as the #1 legal practice management solution and #1 in market presence seven years in a row.

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Here's why law firms are switching from Smokeball to Clio

Month-to-month subscriptions with flexible licences

At Clio, we know that headcount can vary, especially during uncertain times, or in the early days of your firm. That’s why we offer upfront subscriptions that can be billed either month-to-month or annually. In a few clicks, you can add or reduce users from your monthly subscription at any time—with no hidden fees.

Cloud access from anywhere, on any device—even on Mac

Not all cloud products are made equal. With Clio you can securely and easily work from any web browser, on a Mac or a PC—or from Clio’s mobile app, available for iOS and Android. For Mac users, Smokeball is tricky to use: you will need to create a virtual Windows environment which comes at an additional cost and can also lead to bugs and delays on your Mac device.

Training and migration support from an award-winning team

Data migration and training is included in your Clio subscription cost and is available 24 hours per day, five days per week. These essentials can often be an additional cost with Smokeball and other case management applications.

This is available for all customers except those on the EasyStart Plan.

Trust in enterprise-grade security

Clio protects your clients’ information and your firm’s data with leading security features and protocols trusted by 150,000+ firms and 100+ law societies and bar associations worldwide.

Clio also offers a financially backed, 99.9% uptime guarantee service level agreement (SLA). This is our promise to you that you’ll be able to access your work when you need it.

  • Clio helps you stay connected across all of your devices and accounts

    Manage your firm’s billing, documents, client communications, and more all from one platform. Available for PC and Mac, Clio delivers the same experience across all of your firm’s technology. Clio is 100% cloud-based, meaning it’s always up to date and available from anywhere and any device.

  • App partners

    Clio integrates with your most used industry-leading apps

    Whether you’re using familiar communication tools like Gmail, Outlook, and Zoom, or niche tools that support your individual practice areas, Clio offers the largest breadth and depth of integrations on the market. With Clio, you can truly customise your product experience by connecting your data across all your firm’s technology.

  • Generate, automate, and manage new client demand with Clio

    Manage your pipeline of new clients, and make it easy to get in touch with your firm with online appointment booking and intake forms.

    Tackle repetitive tasks with automated workflows that cuts down the time it takes to onboard new clients without being overly complicated.

  • We needed bills to be professional, clear, accessible and easy to the eye. A lot of law firms have lengthy invoices, but Clio is very clear.

    AMY CARR O’MEARA
    Inside Eagles, Sydney

  • There are no locked in contracts with Clio, and you pay by the user. This stood out so much as being the new way of selling software as a service.

    IAN ALDRIDGE
    Progressive Legal

  • Clio was fresh, simple and got the work done.

    NARIN XAVIER DE SAINI
    Ascenta Corporate & Commercial Law, Melbourne

  • Product Marketing Video Thumbnail

    Clio pairs sophistication with simplicity

    Clio provides the perfect balance between sophistication and simplicity. Whether you’re a large established firm with unique processes or a new firm just figuring it all out, Clio meets you where you are and scales with you as you grow.

  • Ready to get started with Clio?

    We understand migrating data from one system to another can be overwhelming. That’s why our dedicated onboarding team is ready to assist your firm’s transition to Clio.

    Migration Consultation Icon

    Migration
    Consultation

    Export and Processing Icon

    Data Export
    & Processing

    Import and Review Icon

    Data Import
    & Review

  • “Clio has been one of the many parts of the business that helps achieve our objectives. It has made a fundamental difference to how we deliver legal services in a timely manner. I’m so glad I found Clio when I did and I don’t know what we would do without it now.”

    IAN AlDRIDGE 

    Progressive Legal

[1] Smokeball System Requirements lists minimum operating system as Windows 10 (64-bit) or 11 (64-bit), information obtained February 2024: sourced from https://support.smokeball.com/hc/en-au/articles/17274499748759-Smokeball-System-Requirements
[2] Clio vs Smokeball Legal Software – Complete Comparison, information obtained August 2024: https://www.softwaresuggest.com/compare/clio-vs-smokeball