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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Clio

    Score8.2 out of 10
    N/AClio is web-based legal practice management software for solo practitioners and small firms. It is designed to replace multiple different systems (like document management, case management, and accounting software) to streamline the amount of technology that small firms need to manage.

    $49

    per month

    FreshBooks

    Score9.2 out of 10
    Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
    FreshBooks is an accounting service for small businesses. The solution enables users to send and manage invoices, track billable time and collect online payments. The vendor’s value proposition this that their solution provides a straightforward service that simplifies the billing process.

    $21

    per month

    Pricing
    ClioFreshBooks
    Editions & Modules
    EasyStart
    $49
    per user/per month
    Clio Grow
    $59
    per user/per month
    Essentials
    $89
    per month per user
    Advanced
    $129
    per month per user
    Complete
    $159
    per month per user
    Lite
    $21
    per month
    Plus
    $38
    per month
    Premium
    $65
    per month
    Select
    Custom Pricing
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    ClioFreshBooks
    Free Trial
    YesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsAll pricing tiers have a 7-day free trial. Discount available for annual pricing.10% discount for annual pricing.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    ClioFreshBooks
    Considered Both Products
    Clio
    No answer on this topic
    FreshBooks
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    59%
    Would buy again
    10 Answers
    69%
    Would buy again
    9 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    59%
    Delivers good value for the price
    10 Answers
    82%
    Delivers good value for the price
    9 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    53%
    Happy with the feature set
    9 Answers
    54%
    Happy with the feature set
    7 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    56%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    9 Answers
    64%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    7 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    53%
    Implementation went as expected
    9 Answers
    62%
    Implementation went as expected
    8 Answers
    Features
    ClioFreshBooks
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of Clio and FreshBooks
    Feature
    Clio
    -
    Ratings
    FreshBooks
    9.1
    35 Ratings
    18% above category average
    API for custom integration00 Ratings9.330 Ratings
    Plug-ins00 Ratings9.026 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of Clio and FreshBooks
    Feature
    Clio
    -
    Ratings
    FreshBooks
    10.0
    41 Ratings
    20% above category average
    Single sign-on capability00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions00 Ratings10.041 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Clio and FreshBooks
    Feature
    Clio
    -
    Ratings
    FreshBooks
    7.5
    57 Ratings
    4% below category average
    Dashboards00 Ratings9.057 Ratings
    Standard reports00 Ratings8.855 Ratings
    Custom reports00 Ratings4.82 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Clio and FreshBooks
    Feature
    Clio
    -
    Ratings
    FreshBooks
    7.5
    56 Ratings
    2% below category average
    Accounts payable00 Ratings8.041 Ratings
    Accounts receivable00 Ratings9.455 Ratings
    Cash management00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
    Bank reconciliation00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
    Expense management00 Ratings6.651 Ratings
    Time tracking00 Ratings7.642 Ratings
    Multi-currency support00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Regulations compliance00 Ratings6.021 Ratings
    Self-service portal00 Ratings9.13 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of Clio and FreshBooks
    Feature
    Clio
    -
    Ratings
    FreshBooks
    9.5
    49 Ratings
    25% above category average
    Pricing00 Ratings8.839 Ratings
    Order entry00 Ratings9.337 Ratings
    Credit card processing00 Ratings9.741 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    ClioFreshBooks
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    No answers on this topic
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Enterprises
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    ClioFreshBooks
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.2
    (27 ratings)
    7.6
    (75 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.6
    (18 ratings)
    Usability
    9.2
    (5 ratings)
    9.6
    (20 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    6.4
    (4 ratings)
    6.0
    (11 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    CPA Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    ClioFreshBooks
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Clio
    Clio allows our law firm to track all aspects of a matter, such as documents, emails, time entries, tasks, and notes, in one place. This is ideal for our mid-sized law firm, which handles general litigation, personal injury, and family law. A feature we appreciate is the client portal's secure way to share updates, documents, and invoices.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FreshBooks
    I recommend FreshBooks to anyone running a service-based business that needs invoicing, time reporting, and accounting tools. FB is adept in all three of these scenarios and isn't overly complicated like similar accounting packages I have used. I love how I can write estimates and proposals, manage the business development process from the software, and quickly convert prospects to invoiced clients.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Clio
    • Provides an interface with NextChapter Bankruptcy.
    • Provides an interface with the forms on our website and landing pages to allow for easy transmission of potential clients into our Clio system from these sources with little human intervention.
    • Its billing, invoicing and payment integration makes the billing cycle for clients easier.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FreshBooks
    • Invoicing - FreshBooks basically ensures our accountants spend less time on invoices via its automated invoicing system, which sends invoices to our customers and clients alike and also send them regular reminders for them to pay up their bills.
    • Collecting business insights - FreshBooks enable our company analysts measure our business performances via data reports provided by FreshBooks' intuitive dashboard. Allowing us do a comparative analysis of key business metrics of a current month against past months and determine if the business is growing.
    • Expense tracker - We have recently embraced FreshBooks as an expense tracker for teams at our company branch. Thusfar, FreshBooks has performed very well, making our expense management a perfect operation; ensuring teams do not exceed their planned budget and also eliminating the need for tracking expenses on excel spreadsheets.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Clio
    • Document management. It's still far easier for me to create Word templates and just use Word.
    • Centralized filing of client files. Like I said, I use Word. I work on a Mac and use Mac's tag structure. Clio should find a way to gather all files that have a certain tag and allow me to access them through Clio. Instead, I use Hazel and DropBox.
    • Case planning and budgeting. I use OmniFocus for project management, a self-created Excel spreadsheet for project budgeting and a cloud-based service for Gantt charts. How hard would it be to add robust project management tools to Clio?
    • Search feature for stored documents and information. Evernote has Clio beat hands-down, but I don't put client-sensitive information (only caselaw) on Evernote.
    • Case notes. This feature may be useful for high-volume practices, but I never use it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FreshBooks
    • I can brand invoices with my business logo, but I might like to change colours of the invoices themselves to match the rest of my business documents. That isn't a major point at all, but it's something that I'd like to see.
    • Freshbooks doesn't remember the categories that similar expenses were previously assigned to. It would be nice if Freshbooks would suggest a category for an already saved vendor, to ensure the consistency of expense reporting.
    • The home page of a Freshbooks account has a great graph display of expenses and income, but it only shows the last 6 months. This is still very useful, but I'd like to be able to see this kind of graph for different periods of time.
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Clio
    We have been able to streamline our task management and everyday office procedures by using Clio to its fullest potential. We have a hire client retention rate because we can easily keep track of leads and follow ups. Clio Draft is saving us time on drafting legal documents and correspondence espondence. Overall, we are able to save time and money on everything tasks
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FreshBooks
    At the current needs of our business, FreshBooks suits us perfectly - it allows online access by our accountant to the system for GST purposes, easy input of expenses and tracking of Profit and Loss statements. FreshBooks customer service is great as well - very understanding and accommodating.
    Read full review
    Usability
    Clio
    Clio is intuitive and easy to learn. Even new staff or attorneys with limited tech experience can quickly navigate through tasks, matters, billing, and calendars. This reduces training time and increases productivity, especially in a busy mid-sized law firm. Because it’s cloud-based, Clio can be accessed from any device, anywhere. Whether I am working in the office, at home, or in court, I have full access to my cases, documents, and time entries.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FreshBooks
    FreshBooks is very easy to use even for novices. If you're looking for an online accounting software that is full of features, has great aesthetics and is user-friendly, then this is definitely the software for you. I've been using it for several years now and despite being tempted to switch by other vendors, I like the feel of FreshBooks and it's mobile features.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Clio
    No answers on this topic
    FreshBooks
    FreshBooks is easy to use and always works!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Clio
    When I contact them, I am told that the person who can help me cannot be reached but that I should call back. When I call, I cannot get ahold of anyone who can help. Sales/support does not respond to my emails. Maybe if you are part of a large firm they treat you differently.
    Read full review
    FreshBooks
    I think the support level for FreshBooks is on par with a 6 because the folks behind this application do a fairly good job at providing support for their customer base. I still don't think they are at an elite level when it comes to supporting but are getting there although too slow in my opinion.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Clio
    No answers on this topic
    FreshBooks
    I haven't changed my mind since my first evaluation. Freshbooks is still meeting my needs, easy to use, etc.
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Clio
    We did not use any other practice management software, but I did evaluate Rocket Matter as a potential alternative. Rocket Matter does not have the same robust intake software that Clio Grow does and therefore it was not even a plausible alternative for us to implement. Clio is constantly updating and evolving based on feedback from users and that makes it the kind of program that can grow with your business needs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FreshBooks
    FreshBooks does very well in comparison, especially since it is free software for Barclays bank users. Sage software is much worse than FreshBooks. However, Xero and QuickBooks, the market leaders, are still ahead with usability, additional features, reporting, and connection with third-party software providers. We chose FreshBooks as it does everything we require from this type of software.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Clio
    • Hard to judge ROI, but it saves us money compared to our old server based system (ProLaw)
    • More accessible from more places. I was able to continue working during a two week trip to the beach.
    • The Client Portal (Clio Connect) is a positive way to send clients document securely, avoids the forwarded email / forwarded attachment problem.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FreshBooks
    • In reality, we do not implement all of its use at the moment in order to determine an adequate ROI.
    • In our approach to the use of the system, it seems to us a considerable time saving by achieving the integration of the Mexican subsidiary with its parent located in the US.
    • Financial reports meet the necessary USGAAP requirements.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    FreshBooks Screenshots

    Screenshot of the dashboardScreenshot of an invoice overviewScreenshot of an example of a customizable invoiceScreenshot of an invoice appearing across devicesScreenshot of expensesScreenshot of time tracking