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Legal · head to head

Intapp vs Smokeball

Intapp logo

Intapp

Legal

Risk, compliance and business intake software for professional services 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: Intapp the product set is modular, so the cost of a working risk and intake configuration is well above the entry module a firm first prices.; Smokeball requires a Windows desktop component for automatic time capture, so it is not browser-only like its competitors
  • They diverge on capability: Intapp covers Conflicts and business intake, Smokeball covers Automatic time capture.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Intapp and Smokeball actually diverge.

Attributes where Intapp and Smokeball differ
AttributeIntappSmokeball
PlatformsWeb, Windows, iOS, AndroidWindows, Web, iOS, Android

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 Intapp

  • Conflicts and business intake
  • Confidentiality walls
  • Time capture
  • DealCloud
  • Outside counsel guidelines compliance

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.

Intapp

  • Large firms formalising conflicts clearance and matter opening approvalsnot Smokeball
  • Practices that must demonstrate confidentiality walls rather than assert them as policynot Smokeball
  • Firms losing revenue to outside counsel guideline breaches caught only after invoicingnot Smokeball
  • Advisory and capital markets teams needing deal pipeline and relationship managementnot Smokeball

Smokeball

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

Where each one falls short

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

Intapp

  • The product set is modular, so the cost of a working risk and intake configuration is well above the entry module a firm first prices.
  • It assumes a firm large enough to have dedicated risk and compliance staff, and smaller practices have nobody to own the workflows it introduces.
  • It sits alongside document management and billing rather than replacing them, adding integration work to an already complex estate.
  • Pricing is not published, and the modular structure makes peer comparison harder because two firms rarely buy the same combination.
  • Deployments change firm-wide processes such as matter opening, so rollout depends on partner behaviour change and commonly slips.

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

Intapp

On request
  • Intapp$undefined/year
    • Modular licensing quoted per firm
    • Risk, intake, time and DealCloud modules priced separately
    • Implementation and configuration quoted separately

Smokeball

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Smokeball review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Intapp if

  • You need conflicts and business intake.
  • You work on Web, Windows, iOS, Android.
  • You also want confidentiality walls.
Intapp 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 Intapp or Smokeball better?
Neither clearly leads. Intapp 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, Intapp or Smokeball?
Intapp starts at On request and Smokeball at On request.
Does Intapp or Smokeball run on more platforms?
Intapp runs on Web, Windows, iOS, Android. Smokeball runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
What is Intapp best used for?
Intapp is most often used for large firms formalising conflicts clearance and matter opening approvals, practices that must demonstrate confidentiality walls rather than assert them as policy, firms losing revenue to outside counsel guideline breaches caught only after invoicing, advisory and capital markets teams needing deal pipeline and relationship management. Of those, large firms formalising conflicts clearance and matter opening approvals and practices that must demonstrate confidentiality walls rather than assert them as policy are not what Smokeball is typically brought in for.
What can Intapp do that Smokeball cannot?
Intapp covers Conflicts and business intake, Confidentiality walls, Time capture, DealCloud. Smokeball covers Automatic time capture, Matter management, Document automation, Billing and trust accounting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Intapp: Is Intapp a practice management system?

No. It covers risk, compliance, intake and time capture. Firms run it alongside a billing and matter financial system such as Aderant or Elite 3E.

Smokeball: What does Smokeball cost?

Pricing is quoted per firm and not published.

Intapp: Can we check Intapp's financial position before committing?

Yes, which is unusual in this market. Intapp has been listed on Nasdaq since 2021, so revenue and retention figures appear in public filings rather than only in sales material.

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.

Intapp: What size of firm is it for?

Large firms and advisory businesses with a formal risk function. Small practices handle conflicts inside their practice management system instead.

Smokeball: Does it run on Mac?

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

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