Legal · head to head
Harvey vs Smokeball
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
- -
Smokeball
Legal
Practice management for small law firms with automatic time capture
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: 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.; Smokeball requires a Windows desktop component for automatic time capture, so it is not browser-only like its competitors
- They diverge on capability: Harvey covers Legal research assistant, Smokeball covers Automatic time capture.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Harvey and Smokeball actually diverge.
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 Harvey
- Legal research assistant
- Contract analysis
- Document drafting
- Workflow-specific tools
- DMS integration
- Firm-tuned deployment
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.
Harvey
- An AmLaw 100 or 200 firm wanting AI-assisted due diligence review across large contract setsnot Smokeball
- A large corporate legal department needing firm-tuned drafting on its own precedent librarynot Smokeball
- A litigation practice wanting AI research assistance integrated directly with its document management systemnot Smokeball
- A firm large enough to absorb a 25-seat minimum and enterprise contract cost, evaluating AI tools at BigLaw scalenot Smokeball
Smokeball
- Firms billing hourly that lose revenue to unrecorded timenot Harvey
- Small practices replacing paper matter files and spreadsheetsnot Harvey
- Firms needing court form automation for high-volume matter typesnot Harvey
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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.
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
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
Smokeball
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Smokeball review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Smokeball if
- You need automatic time capture.
- You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want matter management.
Questions people ask
- Is Harvey or Smokeball better?
- Neither clearly leads. Harvey 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, Harvey or Smokeball?
- Harvey starts at On request and Smokeball at On request.
- Does Harvey or Smokeball run on more platforms?
- Harvey runs on Web. Smokeball runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
- What is Harvey best used for?
- Harvey is most often used for an amlaw 100 or 200 firm wanting ai-assisted due diligence review across large contract sets, a large corporate legal department needing firm-tuned drafting on its own precedent library, a litigation practice wanting ai research assistance integrated directly with its document management system, a firm large enough to absorb a 25-seat minimum and enterprise contract cost, evaluating ai tools at biglaw scale. Of those, an amlaw 100 or 200 firm wanting ai-assisted due diligence review across large contract sets and a large corporate legal department needing firm-tuned drafting on its own precedent library are not what Smokeball is typically brought in for.
- What can Harvey do that Smokeball cannot?
- Harvey covers Legal research assistant, Contract analysis, Document drafting, Workflow-specific tools. Smokeball covers Automatic time capture, Matter management, Document automation, Billing and trust accounting.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
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.
Smokeball: What does Smokeball cost?
Pricing is quoted per firm and not published.
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.
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.
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.
Smokeball: Does it run on Mac?
The automatic time capture component is Windows-based, which is the main platform constraint.
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