Softwr

Legal · head to head

Clio vs Tabs3

Clio logo

Clio

Legal

Cloud practice management software for law firms

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tabs3 logo

Tabs3

Legal

Billing, trust and general ledger accounting for small and mid-sized US law firms

From
$69/month
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; Tabs3 the interface follows Windows desktop conventions from an earlier era, so new fee earners and staff take longer to train than they would on a browser-based competitor.
  • They diverge on capability: Clio covers Matter management, Tabs3 covers Tabs3 Billing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Clio and Tabs3 actually diverge.

Attributes where Clio and Tabs3 differ
AttributeClioTabs3
Starting priceOn request$69/month
Pricing modelPer-user subscription with published tiers; contact vendor for current ratesPer user per month
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, CloudWindows, Web, iOS, Android

Identical on both: 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
  • Client intake
  • Document management
  • Integration directory

Only in Tabs3

  • Tabs3 Billing
  • General ledger and accounts payable
  • PracticeMaster
  • On-premises or cloud subscription

Both cover

  • Trust accounting

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 Tabs3
  • Firms needing compliant trust accounting without a separate systemnot Tabs3
  • Practices billing hourly that lose revenue to uncaptured timenot Tabs3

Tabs3

  • Small firms billing hourly that want billing and the firm general ledger in one system rather than reconciling twonot Clio
  • Practices that must run three-way trust reconciliation without a separate bookkeeping packagenot Clio
  • Firms that need an on-premises deployment because of client or insurer restrictions on cloud-hosted matter datanot Clio
  • Long-established practices replacing a decades-old billing system while keeping accounting in housenot 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

Tabs3

  • The interface follows Windows desktop conventions from an earlier era, so new fee earners and staff take longer to train than they would on a browser-based competitor.
  • On-premises deployment puts backup, disaster recovery, server upgrades and patching on the firm, which small practices without IT support routinely underestimate.
  • It is built around hourly and flat fee billing, so a contingency practice tracking case costs and settlement disbursements will find the case financial model a poor fit.
  • PracticeMaster case management is priced separately from billing, so the advertised per-user rate is not what a firm wanting matter management actually pays.
  • Choosing the on-premises option no longer avoids a subscription, because it is billed per user per month like the hosted version.

Pricing, plan by plan

Clio

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Clio review.

Tabs3

$69/month
  • OnSite Subscription$69/month
    • Deployed on the firm server
    • Billing, trust accounting and general ledger
    • PracticeMaster add-on at 32 USD per user per month
  • Tabs3 Cloud$89/month
    • Hosted by the vendor
    • Billing, trust accounting and general ledger
    • PracticeMaster add-on at 35 USD per user per month

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 Tabs3 if

  • You need tabs3 billing.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want general ledger and accounts payable.
Tabs3 review

Questions people ask

Is Clio or Tabs3 better?
Neither clearly leads. Clio starts at On request and Tabs3 at $69/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Clio or Tabs3?
Clio starts at On request and Tabs3 at $69/month.
Does Clio or Tabs3 run on more platforms?
Clio runs on Web, iOS, Android, Cloud. Tabs3 runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
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 Tabs3 is typically brought in for.
What can Clio do that Tabs3 cannot?
Clio covers Matter management, Time and billing, Client intake, Document management. Tabs3 covers Tabs3 Billing, General ledger and accounts payable, PracticeMaster, On-premises or cloud subscription. Both handle Trust accounting.

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.

Tabs3: Is Tabs3 right for a personal injury firm working on contingency?

No. It is built for hourly and flat fee billing with a firm general ledger. A contingency practice needs case cost tracking and settlement disbursement handling, which is what CASEpeer and Filevine are built around.

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.

Tabs3: Can I still buy Tabs3 as a perpetual licence?

No published perpetual price exists. The on-premises option, called OnSite Subscription, starts at 69 USD per user per month, with the hosted Tabs3 Cloud starting at 89 USD per user per month.

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.

Tabs3: Does it replace QuickBooks?

For most firms yes. It includes a double-entry general ledger and accounts payable, which is the usual reason firms choose it over billing-only products.

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.

Share

Related pages

More on Clio

More on Tabs3

Keep looking

Other head to heads