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Legal · head to head

Aderant vs iManage

Aderant logo

Aderant

Legal

Practice and financial management for large law firms

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
iManage logo

iManage

Legal

Document and email management for law firms and professional services

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Aderant implementation is a programme of work with consultants and data migration, so the licence fee is a minority of the real first year cost.; iManage it manages documents and email but not matters, billing or accounting, so it is an addition to a practice management system rather than a replacement for one.
  • They diverge on capability: Aderant covers Aderant Expert, iManage covers iManage Work.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Aderant and iManage actually diverge.

Attributes where Aderant and iManage differ
AttributeAderantiManage
PlatformsWindows, Web, iOS, AndroidWindows, Web, macOS, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Legal).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Aderant

  • Aderant Expert
  • Conflicts and new business intake
  • Docketing and calendaring
  • Multi-currency and multi-entity billing
  • Business intelligence

Only in iManage

  • iManage Work
  • Outlook email filing
  • Security Policy Manager
  • Records Manager
  • Full text and metadata search

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Aderant

  • Firms of a hundred or more fee earners needing matter financials across multiple offices and currenciesnot iManage
  • Practices replacing an ageing time and billing system without leaving the large firm segmentnot iManage
  • Firms needing conflicts checking and new business intake governed by an approval workflownot iManage
  • Partnerships reporting profitability by practice group and requiring realisation analysisnot iManage

iManage

  • Corporate firms whose matter record lives largely in email and must be filed and searchablenot Aderant
  • Firms with client confidentiality obligations requiring need-to-know access per matternot Aderant
  • Practices with records retention obligations spanning electronic and physical filesnot Aderant
  • Financial services, accounting and government teams with the same matter-centric document problemnot Aderant

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Aderant

  • Implementation is a programme of work with consultants and data migration, so the licence fee is a minority of the real first year cost.
  • It is designed for large firms, so a practice below roughly fifty fee earners pays for governance and reporting depth it will never use.
  • Ownership by an acquisitive holding company tends to mean predictable maintenance uplifts at renewal rather than competitive discounting.
  • The credible alternative set is effectively one other product, which weakens a firm's negotiating position because switching is genuinely expensive.
  • Nothing about pricing is published, so budgeting requires a sales engagement and useful comparisons come only from peer firms.

iManage

  • It manages documents and email but not matters, billing or accounting, so it is an addition to a practice management system rather than a replacement for one.
  • Administration requires specialist skills, and organisations without a dedicated document management administrator tend to run it badly configured.
  • Its value depends on fee earners filing email consistently, which is a behaviour change firms routinely fail to enforce.
  • Nothing about pricing is published and the surrounding modules are licensed separately, so the gap between the core product and a working configuration is discovered late.
  • The market-share figures it cites, such as 81 per cent of the Am Law 200, are vendor published and not independently audited.

Pricing, plan by plan

Aderant

On request
  • Aderant Expert$undefined/year
    • Enterprise licensing quoted per firm
    • Implementation, migration and consultancy quoted separately
    • Annual maintenance and support

iManage

On request
  • iManage Work$undefined/year
    • Per user licensing quoted per organisation
    • Cloud or on-premises deployment
    • Security, records and analytics modules licensed separately

Which should you pick?

Choose Aderant if

  • You need aderant expert.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want conflicts and new business intake.
Aderant review

Choose iManage if

  • You need imanage work.
  • You work on Windows, Web, macOS, iOS, Android.
  • You also want outlook email filing.
iManage review

Questions people ask

Is Aderant or iManage better?
Neither clearly leads. Aderant starts at On request and iManage at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Aderant or iManage?
Aderant starts at On request and iManage at On request.
Does Aderant or iManage run on more platforms?
Aderant runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android. iManage runs on Windows, Web, macOS, iOS, Android.
What is Aderant best used for?
Aderant is most often used for firms of a hundred or more fee earners needing matter financials across multiple offices and currencies, practices replacing an ageing time and billing system without leaving the large firm segment, firms needing conflicts checking and new business intake governed by an approval workflow, partnerships reporting profitability by practice group and requiring realisation analysis. Of those, firms of a hundred or more fee earners needing matter financials across multiple offices and currencies and practices replacing an ageing time and billing system without leaving the large firm segment are not what iManage is typically brought in for.
What can Aderant do that iManage cannot?
Aderant covers Aderant Expert, Conflicts and new business intake, Docketing and calendaring, Multi-currency and multi-entity billing. iManage covers iManage Work, Outlook email filing, Security Policy Manager, Records Manager.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Aderant: Who owns Aderant?

Roper Technologies acquired Aderant in 2015. Roper buys and holds vertical market software businesses, which in practice means long product support and steady renewal pricing rather than rapid change.

iManage: Does iManage replace practice management software?

No. It handles documents and email. Firms run it alongside a practice management and billing system such as Aderant or Elite 3E.

Aderant: What size of firm is Aderant for?

Large firms, broadly a hundred fee earners and above. Smaller practices are better served by Clio, Tabs3 or Smokeball.

iManage: Who owns iManage?

It has been independent since a management buyout from Hewlett-Packard completed in July 2015. Bain Capital Tech Opportunities made a minority growth investment in April 2023, with management retaining control.

Aderant: What does it compete with?

Thomson Reuters Elite 3E is the main alternative at this size, and most large firm selections come down to those two.

iManage: Is iManage worth it for a small firm?

It is sold to small firms as well as large ones, but the licensing and administrative overhead usually outweighs the benefit over a well organised document store below roughly twenty fee earners.

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