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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

    QuickBooks Online

    Score8.1 out of 10
    N/AQuickBooks Online is a SaaS version of the QuickBooks product. It contains all of the features found in the local version. Higher-priced plans include greater automation, payment management, inventory and time tracking, and analytics features.

    $38

    per month

    Pricing
    ClioQuickBooks Online
    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
    Simple Start
    $38
    per month
    Essentials
    $75
    per month
    Plus
    $115
    per month
    Advanced
    $275
    per month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    ClioQuickBooks Online
    Free Trial
    YesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsAll pricing tiers have a 7-day free trial. Discount available for annual pricing.—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    ClioQuickBooks Online
    Considered Both Products
    Clio
    Chose Clio
    I used Amicus Attorney before switching to Clio over 6 years ago. At the time, I generally liked Amicus; it was powerful but I had to run a server on one of my computers and it was much more complex than Clio as a business owner. Clio is web-based and fairly easy to use. A key …
    Incentivized
    Chose Clio
    I used Needles 5 (desktop) and it was certainly antiquated by comparison. Needles was in some regards more customizable and allowed for tracking more case type specific things - like medical records requests, liens, etc. At the same time, it does not connect to as many third …
    Incentivized
    Chose Clio
    After using MyCase for over 5 years, I realized that it was not working for the firm. The billing aspects, as well as the document aspects of the program were not supporting the natural flow of the work done in the firm. I had looked at Clio originally when I made the decision …
    Incentivized
    Chose Clio
    Clio has more integrations and costs more.
    Incentivized
    Chose Clio
    The UI is far better than MyCase. For RocketMatter, it was 6 vs. half dozen. But for a dumb name, our firm may have chosen rocket matter. They do many of the same things.

    Clio has the gravitas of having been first and longest to the cloud based law practice management system. …
    Incentivized
    Intuit
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    59%
    Would buy again
    10 Answers
    83%
    Would buy again
    129 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    59%
    Delivers good value for the price
    10 Answers
    87%
    Delivers good value for the price
    124 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    53%
    Happy with the feature set
    9 Answers
    83%
    Happy with the feature set
    129 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    56%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    9 Answers
    82%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    53%
    Implementation went as expected
    9 Answers
    85%
    Implementation went as expected
    117 Answers
    Features
    ClioQuickBooks Online
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Clio and QuickBooks Online
    Feature
    Clio
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Online
    7.7
    125 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Pay calculation00 Ratings8.0114 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration00 Ratings6.962 Ratings
    Direct deposit files00 Ratings8.1105 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings7.778 Ratings
    Reimbursement management00 Ratings7.784 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of Clio and QuickBooks Online
    Feature
    Clio
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Online
    7.0
    116 Ratings
    8% below category average
    API for custom integration00 Ratings6.996 Ratings
    Plug-ins00 Ratings7.198 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of Clio and QuickBooks Online
    Feature
    Clio
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Online
    8.2
    191 Ratings
    0% above category average
    Single sign-on capability00 Ratings8.3156 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions00 Ratings8.1181 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Clio and QuickBooks Online
    Feature
    Clio
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Online
    8.0
    217 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Dashboards00 Ratings8.1204 Ratings
    Standard reports00 Ratings8.3211 Ratings
    Custom reports00 Ratings7.7195 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Clio and QuickBooks Online
    Feature
    Clio
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Online
    7.8
    234 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Accounts payable00 Ratings8.5200 Ratings
    Accounts receivable00 Ratings8.6217 Ratings
    Cash management00 Ratings7.9198 Ratings
    Bank reconciliation00 Ratings9.0223 Ratings
    Expense management00 Ratings8.2206 Ratings
    Time tracking00 Ratings6.998 Ratings
    Fixed asset management00 Ratings7.798 Ratings
    Multi-currency support00 Ratings7.549 Ratings
    Multi-division support00 Ratings7.180 Ratings
    Regulations compliance00 Ratings7.979 Ratings
    Electronic tax filing00 Ratings8.0118 Ratings
    Self-service portal00 Ratings7.3126 Ratings
    Global Financial Support00 Ratings6.441 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings7.972 Ratings
    Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings7.672 Ratings
    Localizations00 Ratings7.855 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings8.5146 Ratings
    Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings7.062 Ratings
    Configurable Accounting00 Ratings7.789 Ratings
    Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings7.560 Ratings
    Standardized Processes00 Ratings8.6108 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of Clio and QuickBooks Online
    Feature
    Clio
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Online
    6.8
    90 Ratings
    7% below category average
    Inventory tracking00 Ratings6.685 Ratings
    Automatic reordering00 Ratings6.947 Ratings
    Location management00 Ratings7.254 Ratings
    Manufacturing module00 Ratings6.537 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of Clio and QuickBooks Online
    Feature
    Clio
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Online
    7.7
    144 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Pricing00 Ratings7.991 Ratings
    Order entry00 Ratings7.787 Ratings
    Credit card processing00 Ratings8.3111 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold00 Ratings8.0110 Ratings
    Order Orchestration00 Ratings7.347 Ratings
    End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings7.750 Ratings
    Order exception Resolution00 Ratings7.443 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    ClioQuickBooks Online
    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
    ClioQuickBooks Online
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.2
    (27 ratings)
    8.3
    (252 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.6
    (27 ratings)
    Usability
    9.2
    (5 ratings)
    8.2
    (167 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (6 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    1.0
    (5 ratings)
    Support Rating
    6.4
    (4 ratings)
    9.9
    (70 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (7 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    1.0
    (2 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    CPA Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.4
    (18 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    1.3
    (2 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    2.0
    (3 ratings)
    Professional Services
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (3 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (3 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    ClioQuickBooks Online
    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
    Intuit
    QBO is a great solution for small and midsize companies. If the goal is to record all transactions and pull reliable financial reports, QBO is a great option. QBO is also a great solution if most operations are run in a system like Ramp. It syncs well with systems like that and turns the data into something management can use to make decisions. QBO is great because so many people use it. It is easy to find training online, and many people have experience with it.
    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
    Intuit
    • Workflows for accounts payable invoice review are terrific.
    • Bill payment allows you to pay vendors online via ACH or check without having to write a physical check, which reduces admin time.
    • The cloud based login lends well to a remote or hybrid work environment for staff.
    • QuickBooks Online allows you to pre-configure vendors' general ledger expense accounts. This helps with general ledger coding accuracy and consistency.
    • QuickBooks Online integrates with Rippling HRIS, Coast, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, etc., which lends well to an efficient month-end closing and reduced administrative time.
    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
    Intuit
    • I dislike that the online bill pay option through QuickBooks is required for their invoicing.
    • The auto-fill portion of the customer setup, specifically the company name, is listed, but it also auto-fills in the name portion, which is inconvenient and time-consuming to remove.
    Incentivized
    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
    Intuit
    It like the product 'right out of the box' and I trust Intuit will continually improve it over the years based on my experience with their desktop products. The large providers of Apps makes customizing the entire package relatively easy and seamless for a wide variety of business types.
    Incentivized
    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
    Intuit
    Beyond being overkill for a small org's needs, QBO is constantly stealing screen real estate and attention by hammering users for account upgrades, connecting to one of their approved consultants or buying add-ons. The idea of using a simple configurable bookeeping and light accounting interface is completely missing. At the very least, we should be able to hide functions like inventory that we will never use.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Clio
    No answers on this topic
    Intuit
    We have rarely had outages in the last 10 years. I can only recall 2 times in the last 10 years where we were not able to access our client files.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Clio
    No answers on this topic
    Intuit
    Everything process has its bugs lately with the new interface. Nothing has worked smoothly since this all began last month.
    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
    Intuit
    In my experience, most representatives keep me on the phone for hours, literally, for a single issue and then usually cannot resolve it satisfactorily. I have 10 open cases that need resolution and, in my experience, there has been NO follow-up communication on any of them.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Clio
    No answers on this topic
    Intuit
    The person in charge of QB needs to be very accurate with record keeping and is recommended to stay on top of tasks. The biggest issue we have is reconciliation, and those issues occur only when too much time has occurred between reconciliations
    Incentivized
    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
    Intuit
    As a freelance bookkeeper, the Desktop version of QuickBooks Online doesn't allow for ease of access from any device. Having to be on a computer with the software downloaded creates additional work to gain access to all required filings etc. Also, I personally find the linking functionality on the Online version to be much more streamlined and user friendly.
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Clio
    No answers on this topic
    Intuit
    As we have grown along our professional path, we have also expanded our use of QB. The scalability is easy and features seem to be waiting for you until you need them. We have increased profits by over 10x from our first year in business to the current and have yet to find a reason to look elsewhere
    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
    Intuit
    • QuickBooks has given us a useful portal by which to get an overview of our financials.
    • QuickBooks has given us a relatively easy way to send out invoices quickly and efficiently.
    • Due to the customization limitations on QuickBooks, we've had to get creative in third-party implementations to better represent our brand and to track financials.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    QuickBooks Online Screenshots

    Screenshot of the accounting and bank transactions interfaceScreenshot of an overview of the accounting inventoryScreenshot of book marksScreenshot of the business tax overviewScreenshot of the customer hubScreenshot of the dashboard