Legal · head to head
Filevine vs Relativity
Filevine
Legal
Configurable case management for plaintiff litigation, intake and mass tort firms
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Relativity
Legal
Ediscovery and legal data platform for large matters
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Filevine there is no built-in general ledger or three-way trust reconciliation, so the firm still pays for and reconciles QuickBooks separately, which undermines the single-system argument used during the sale.; Relativity quote-only and expensive, typically billed on data volume, so costs escalate with matter size
- They diverge on capability: Filevine covers Project templates, Relativity covers Large-scale processing.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Filevine and Relativity actually diverge.
| Attribute | Filevine | Relativity |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, Cloud, Self-hosted |
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 Filevine
- Project templates
- Lead Docket intake
- Document assembly
- Vinesign
- Case texting
- Reporting and dashboards
Only in Relativity
- Large-scale processing
- Review workflow
- Analytics and active learning
- Application ecosystem
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Filevine
- A personal injury firm that wants advertising spend, intake conversion and settlement value reported in one placenot Relativity
- A mass tort practice managing thousands of claimants against shared case phases and bulk document generationnot Relativity
- A firm replacing spreadsheets and shared drives where each practice area has different deadline rulesnot Relativity
- An immigration or workers compensation practice that needs form-heavy document assembly from case datanot Relativity
Relativity
- Large litigation with very high document volumesnot Filevine
- Corporate investigations requiring defensible, auditable reviewnot Filevine
- Firms whose review process is already built around the platformnot Filevine
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Filevine
- There is no built-in general ledger or three-way trust reconciliation, so the firm still pays for and reconciles QuickBooks separately, which undermines the single-system argument used during the sale.
- Pricing is quoted per user with an implementation fee, so a firm with paralegals and case managers who log in occasionally pays full seat cost for light users.
- Configuration flexibility becomes a liability without an internal owner, and firms that skip that role commonly end up with duplicate fields and reports nobody trusts.
- It is built around contingency and litigation workflow, so corporate, conveyancing and other transactional practices find the project model a poor fit.
- Implementation commonly runs weeks to months with paid professional services, and the annual contract starts before the firm is live, so the first year buys less usable time than it appears to.
Relativity
- Quote-only and expensive, typically billed on data volume, so costs escalate with matter size
- Complex enough that certified specialists are a job title, which is a real staffing cost
- Considerable overkill for small matters, where lighter self-service tools are far cheaper
Pricing, plan by plan
Filevine
On request- Filevine$undefined/year
- Quoted per user per month on an annual contract
- Separate one-off implementation and configuration fee
- Lead Docket, Vinesign and AI drafting priced as add-on modules
Relativity
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Relativity review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Filevine if
- You need project templates.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want lead docket intake.
Choose Relativity if
- You need large-scale processing.
- You work on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted.
- You also want review workflow.
Questions people ask
- Is Filevine or Relativity better?
- Neither clearly leads. Filevine starts at On request and Relativity at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Filevine or Relativity?
- Filevine starts at On request and Relativity at On request.
- Does Filevine or Relativity run on more platforms?
- Filevine runs on Web, iOS, Android. Relativity runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted.
- What is Filevine best used for?
- Filevine is most often used for a personal injury firm that wants advertising spend, intake conversion and settlement value reported in one place, a mass tort practice managing thousands of claimants against shared case phases and bulk document generation, a firm replacing spreadsheets and shared drives where each practice area has different deadline rules, an immigration or workers compensation practice that needs form-heavy document assembly from case data. Of those, a personal injury firm that wants advertising spend, intake conversion and settlement value reported in one place and a mass tort practice managing thousands of claimants against shared case phases and bulk document generation are not what Relativity is typically brought in for.
- What can Filevine do that Relativity cannot?
- Filevine covers Project templates, Lead Docket intake, Document assembly, Vinesign. Relativity covers Large-scale processing, Review workflow, Analytics and active learning, Application ecosystem.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Filevine: Does Filevine handle trust accounting?
No. It tracks case costs and settlement disbursement but has no legal general ledger, so trust accounting is done in QuickBooks or a dedicated legal accounting product.
Relativity: What does Relativity cost?
It does not publish rates. Ediscovery is generally billed on data volume and users, quoted per matter or organisation.
Filevine: Is pricing published?
No. Filevine quotes per user per month on an annual contract and adds an implementation fee, so compare total first-year cost rather than the seat rate.
Relativity: Is Relativity only for law firms?
No. Corporate legal departments and government agencies use it for investigations as well as litigation.
Filevine: Is it suitable for a two-person firm?
Rarely. The configuration overhead and contract minimums suit firms with dedicated intake and case management staff.
Relativity: Do I need trained staff?
In practice yes. Relativity certification is a recognised specialism, and that staffing cost is part of the total.
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