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Legal · head to head

Aderant vs Smokeball

Aderant logo

Aderant

Legal

Practice and financial management for large law firms

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Smokeball logo

Smokeball

Legal

Practice management for small law firms with automatic time capture

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.; Smokeball requires a Windows desktop component for automatic time capture, so it is not browser-only like its competitors
  • They diverge on capability: Aderant covers Aderant Expert, Smokeball covers Automatic time capture.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Aderant and Smokeball actually diverge.

Attributes where Aderant and Smokeball differ
AttributeAderantSmokeball

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), platforms (Windows, Web, iOS, Android), 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 Smokeball

  • Automatic time capture
  • Matter management
  • Document automation
  • Billing and trust accounting

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 Smokeball
  • Practices replacing an ageing time and billing system without leaving the large firm segmentnot Smokeball
  • Firms needing conflicts checking and new business intake governed by an approval workflownot Smokeball
  • Partnerships reporting profitability by practice group and requiring realisation analysisnot Smokeball

Smokeball

  • Firms billing hourly that lose revenue to unrecorded timenot Aderant
  • Small practices replacing paper matter files and spreadsheetsnot Aderant
  • Firms needing court form automation for high-volume matter typesnot 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.

Smokeball

  • Requires a Windows desktop component for automatic time capture, so it is not browser-only like its competitors
  • Quote-only pricing with no published rates
  • Aimed at small firms; larger practices with complex billing arrangements generally outgrow it

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

Smokeball

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Smokeball review.

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 Smokeball if

  • You need automatic time capture.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want matter management.
Smokeball review

Questions people ask

Is Aderant or Smokeball better?
Neither clearly leads. Aderant starts at On request and Smokeball at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Aderant or Smokeball?
Aderant starts at On request and Smokeball at On request.
Does Aderant or Smokeball run on more platforms?
Both run on Windows, Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
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 Smokeball is typically brought in for.
What can Aderant do that Smokeball cannot?
Aderant covers Aderant Expert, Conflicts and new business intake, Docketing and calendaring, Multi-currency and multi-entity billing. Smokeball covers Automatic time capture, Matter management, Document automation, Billing and trust accounting.

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.

Smokeball: What does Smokeball cost?

Pricing is quoted per firm and not published.

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.

Smokeball: How does automatic time capture work?

A desktop application observes work on matters and turns activity into billable entries, rather than depending on someone remembering to start a timer.

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.

Smokeball: Does it run on Mac?

The automatic time capture component is Windows-based, which is the main platform constraint.

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