Clio vs MyCase for Small Firms: An Operations Comparison

When small firms ask us which practice management platform to choose, Clio and MyCase are almost always on the list. Both are mature, both serve thousands of small firms, and either can run a 1 to 8 attorney practice well. That makes feature lists a poor way to decide, because the lists look alike. What differs is packaging: which capabilities sit in which plan, and what the plan actually costs. Those details decide how much of the system you need, such as court-rules dates, automated task lists and two-way texting, will be available without add-ons. We take no affiliate fees from either company, and the facts below were checked against vendor pages and legal-tech reporting in October 2026.

Who are the companies behind them?

Clio is an independent company and the largest name in small-firm practice management. It bought CalendarRules, a court-rules calendaring product, in 2021, which is why court rules are built into its plans, and it has since expanded into legal research and AI, including a $1 billion acquisition of vLex. At its October 2025 conference it launched a new line-up of AI products, several of which are sold as add-ons.

MyCase was acquired by AffiniPay, the parent of LawPay, in 2022. AffiniPay renamed itself 8am in August 2025, and the same company owns Docketwise for immigration and CASEpeer for personal injury. For a firm that also uses one of those, staying in one company's products can simplify integrations.

Clio vs MyCase: how do the plans compare for operations?

On Clio's pricing page, court-rules calendaring is not included in EasyStart; Essentials includes three rule sets per firm, and Advanced and Expand include ten, with Clio's help center describing coverage across 50 states and 2,200 jurisdictions. Workflow automation is reserved for Advanced and Expand, online intake forms are an add-on on Essentials and included on Advanced, and the client portal and texting start at Essentials. Clio Grow, its intake CRM, is included in Expand.

On MyCase's pricing page, Basic covers case management, billing and trust accounting, payments, reporting, unlimited document storage and a limited client portal. Pro adds workflow automation, intake forms and CRM, two-way texting, unlimited e-signatures and document generation. Advanced adds conflict-check tracking, an open API and advanced document automation. Court-rules calendaring requires a subscription through CalendarRules, which Clio owns, or LawToolBox. MyCase's AI features are branded 8am IQ, with more announced at its September 2026 conference.

What does each cost?

MyCase publishes every plan: in October 2026, Basic was $50 per user per month billed annually or $60 monthly, Pro $100 or $120, and Advanced $130 or $150, with MyCase Accounting an extra $39 per user per month on Pro and Advanced. Clio publishes only EasyStart, starting at $49 per user; Essentials, Advanced and Expand show "Get Pricing," and the page notes annual savings without giving per-plan figures. Third-party trackers list Clio prices, and one recorded a plan rename in August 2026 that Clio's live page had not yet adopted, so we do not repeat those figures. Ask Clio for a written quote for the plan that includes the court-rules allowance and automation you need, then compare it with the equivalent MyCase plan plus a court-rules subscription.

Which one fits your firm?

Clio fits firms that want court-rules calendaring inside the platform, value the largest third-party app ecosystem, or expect to grow into Clio's intake and AI add-ons. MyCase fits firms that want clear published pricing, need automation, intake forms and two-way texting at the middle tier, or already use another 8am product such as Docketwise or CASEpeer. For an immigration firm, our three-way comparison with Docketwise is the better starting point. For anyone else, run the same test we recommend in the configuration-first method: ask each vendor to show your three most common matter types, from intake to closing, in the plan you would actually buy.

What will you still have to configure?

Both platforms hold your calendar and can calculate court-rules dates with the right plan or subscription, but neither, as installed, guarantees that every controlling date the attorney sets gets a named owner, a second human and an escalation if nobody acts. That is the gap behind most missed deadlines at firms using either tool, and it is why we wrote does Clio track deadlines and the other 80 percent of Clio. Whichever you choose, plan the first month around configuring capture, ownership and escalation, using workflows or task templates, not just around importing matters.

Where to go next

• Clio vs Docketwise vs MyCase

  For immigration firms.

• Choosing Practice Management Software

  The configuration-first method.

• Does Clio Track Deadlines?

  What the calendar does on its own.

• Software Comparisons hub

  Every comparison.

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