Softwr

Legal · head to head

Clio vs Harvey

Clio logo

Clio

Legal

Cloud practice management software for law firms

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Harvey logo

Harvey

Legal

AI research and drafting platform for large law firms, sold on enterprise-only seat pricing with no self-service tier and reported contracts from roughly $50,000 to $360,000 a year

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Clio priced per user per month, so cost scales directly with headcount and adds up for growing firms; Harvey there is no published pricing anywhere, and no self-service tier at all, so even qualifying for a quote requires an enterprise sales process most small and mid-size firms cannot justify starting.
  • They diverge on capability: Clio covers Matter management, Harvey covers Legal research assistant.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Clio and Harvey actually diverge.

Attributes where Clio and Harvey differ
AttributeClioHarvey
Pricing modelPer-user subscription with published tiers; contact vendor for current ratesquote
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, CloudWeb

Identical on both: starting price (On request), 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 Clio

  • Matter management
  • Time and billing
  • Trust accounting
  • Client intake
  • Document management
  • Integration directory

Only in Harvey

  • Legal research assistant
  • Contract analysis
  • Document drafting
  • Workflow-specific tools
  • DMS integration
  • Firm-tuned deployment

What people use each for

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

Clio

  • Small and mid-sized firms replacing spreadsheets and paper matter filesnot Harvey
  • Firms needing compliant trust accounting without a separate systemnot Harvey
  • Practices billing hourly that lose revenue to uncaptured timenot Harvey

Harvey

  • An AmLaw 100 or 200 firm wanting AI-assisted due diligence review across large contract setsnot Clio
  • A large corporate legal department needing firm-tuned drafting on its own precedent librarynot Clio
  • A litigation practice wanting AI research assistance integrated directly with its document management systemnot Clio
  • A firm large enough to absorb a 25-seat minimum and enterprise contract cost, evaluating AI tools at BigLaw scalenot Clio

Where each one falls short

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

Clio

  • Priced per user per month, so cost scales directly with headcount and adds up for growing firms
  • Advanced features including some automation and reporting sit in higher tiers rather than the entry plan
  • Aimed at small and mid-sized firms; large firms with complex matter structures often need heavier systems
  • Strongest in North America, with less depth in other jurisdictions’ compliance requirements

Harvey

  • There is no published pricing anywhere, and no self-service tier at all, so even qualifying for a quote requires an enterprise sales process most small and mid-size firms cannot justify starting.
  • 25-seat minimums put it structurally out of reach for solo, boutique and most mid-size firms regardless of interest.
  • Reported additional platform fees on top of the headline per-seat licence mean the effective total cost is materially higher than the quoted seat price alone suggests.
  • As a well-funded, fast-growing AI vendor, its product and pricing model are still evolving quickly, which is a real risk for a firm signing a multi-year enterprise contract now.
  • Being trained and marketed specifically for BigLaw workflows means smaller firms evaluating it are comparing themselves against a product that was not built or priced with them in mind.

Pricing, plan by plan

Clio

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Clio review.

Harvey

On request
  • Enterprise (BigLaw)$undefined/year
    • No self-service signup, quote-only via sales
    • 25-seat minimums commonly reported
    • Reported per-seat cost roughly $1,000-2,000/month depending on usage tier

Which should you pick?

Choose Clio if

  • You need matter management.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Cloud.
  • You also want time and billing.
Clio review

Choose Harvey if

  • You need legal research assistant.
  • You also want contract analysis.
Harvey review

Questions people ask

Is Clio or Harvey better?
Neither clearly leads. Clio starts at On request and Harvey at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Clio or Harvey?
Clio starts at On request and Harvey at On request.
Does Clio or Harvey run on more platforms?
Clio runs on Web, iOS, Android, Cloud. Harvey runs on Web.
What is Clio best used for?
Clio is most often used for small and mid-sized firms replacing spreadsheets and paper matter files, firms needing compliant trust accounting without a separate system, practices billing hourly that lose revenue to uncaptured time. Of those, small and mid-sized firms replacing spreadsheets and paper matter files and firms needing compliant trust accounting without a separate system are not what Harvey is typically brought in for.
What can Clio do that Harvey cannot?
Clio covers Matter management, Time and billing, Trust accounting, Client intake. Harvey covers Legal research assistant, Contract analysis, Document drafting, Workflow-specific tools.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Clio: What does Clio cost?

Clio sells per-user subscriptions across several tiers. Rates change and vary by region, so check the vendor’s current pricing page rather than relying on a third-party figure.

Harvey: Can a small firm buy Harvey?

In practice, no. There is no self-service tier, and reported 25-seat minimums and six-figure contract values put it out of reach for most small and mid-size firms.

Clio: Does Clio handle trust accounting?

Yes, and it is one of the main reasons firms adopt it, because client fund rules are strict and mishandling them is a regulatory matter.

Harvey: How much does Harvey actually cost?

Nothing is published. Third-party reporting estimates $1,000-2,000 per seat per month and enterprise contracts from roughly $360,000 to over $1.5 million a year including platform fees.

Clio: Is Clio suitable for a large firm?

It is aimed at small and mid-sized practices. Large firms with complex matter and billing structures usually evaluate heavier enterprise systems.

Harvey: Does Harvey replace Westlaw or LexisNexis?

No. It is an AI research, drafting and review layer, typically deployed alongside rather than instead of a primary legal research database.

Clio: Does Clio integrate with existing tools?

Yes. Its integration directory is the largest in legal practice software, covering Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, QuickBooks and many others.

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