| All-in-one practice management | Already built into Clio. Built by Clio and included with your Manage subscription, Clio Payments lets you manage your clients, matters, billing, reporting and payments from one place. Payments are automatically recorded against the correct matter and synced to your accounting platform. | Third-party platform. Requires managing payments and client information in two different places. |
| Debit and credit card processing rates | Transparent, flat rate for all card types. Pay one low rate of 2.95% for all standard cards and 3.5% for American Express*—with no per-transaction fees. Surcharging is also supported in eligible states. | Variable rates and additional fees for every card type. Foreign cards cost extra and per transaction costs are charged on all cards. |
| Card network fees | No card network fees. Clio doesn’t pass on card network fees when you run a card. Always know what you’re paying with one simple, flat rate per transaction and no hidden fees. | Additional fees may apply. Additional card network fees are typically applied to most transactions. |
| Text to Pay | Built-in capabilities to text bills to clients. Send instantly-payable bills, trust requests, and client balances to clients by text—so you collect faster. | Not available. No ability to send bills, trust requests, and client balances to clients by text message. |
| Google Pay & Apple Pay | Included for all transactions. Let clients pay online instantly using stored cards on Apple Pay or Google Pay. By removing the need for a physical card, you make it possible for clients to pay the moment they see your invoice. | Not supported. Clients must manually type in card numbers, expiry dates, and CVVs for every bill. |
| Pay Later | Included for all transactions. Give your clients the flexibility to Pay Later with Affirm while your firm gets paid the full amount upfront (net of fees). You choose whether to offer it, allowing clients to break large bills into smaller, monthly instalments. | Not supported. Pay Later with Affirm is not supported. |
| eCheck & Direct ACH payments | Included for all transactions. Accept direct ACH and eCheck payments for just 1% per transaction. Offer both methods, so clients can choose to pay via Plaid or pay directly into your bank account, through the ACH network. | Not available. eCheck and Direct ACH are not supported. |
| In-person payments | Multiple options to get paid quickly and easily. Turn your phone into a payment terminal. Collect in-person payments in seconds via QR codes, or directly from your phone using Tap to Pay. With no extra hardware required, you can settle bills on the spot and get on with your day. | Manually record payments. In-person payments must be keyed in manually. |
| Mobile-friendly client portal | Share bills and get paid with Clio for Clients. Share bills and get paid through Clio’s secure, mobile-friendly client portal. | Not available. Client portals are not supported. |
| Payment plans | Multiple plans per client. Total flexibility for you and your clients. Easily manage multiple plans across different matters and accept both cards and eChecks. Clio lets you edit active plans on the fly or set up recurring payment schedules for ongoing work—keeping your cash flow steady without the admin rework. | One payment plan per client. Create only one payment plan per client, without the ability to accept eChecks. No ability to edit payment plans after they’re live. |
| Payment storage | Securely store multiple payment methods, at any stage of the process. Easily request and store payment methods at intake, over the phone, or by sharing a secure link. Save payment information with the highest level of PCI compliance at any time during your client’s case. | Securely store credit card information. Payment information can only be stored when clients are making a payment. No ability to request payment information separate from a bill, or at intake. |
| Autocharge | Collect payments automatically, on your terms. Set your trigger (e.g. bill approval or due date) and Autocharge charges a client’s stored payment method automatically. No manual steps, no chasing. | Not supported. Supports recurring payment schedules only—no ability to automatically charge a stored payment method based on set triggers. |
| Chargeback support | Easily navigate and handle chargebacks. Get notified about chargebacks by email. Handle the chargeback process and view your progress right in Clio Manage. | Managed in LawPay. Chargebacks can only be managed by logging into the LawPay portal. |
| Ability to choose how processing fees are incurred | Choose daily or monthly. It’s up to you when fees are incurred: per transaction, or in one lump sum each month. | Monthly only. Processing fees are billed and deducted monthly. |
| Refund management | Full refund flexibility. Manage all of your accounts with ease. Issue full or partial refunds for both trust and operating payments directly within Clio—without any workarounds. | Operating account refunds only. No support for refunding IOLTA (trust) transactions, meaning you can only refund operating payments. |