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Legal · head to head

NetDocuments vs Tabs3

NetDocuments logo

NetDocuments

Legal

Cloud document management 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: NetDocuments quote-only pricing per user with no published rates; 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: NetDocuments covers Matter-centric filing, Tabs3 covers Tabs3 Billing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which NetDocuments and Tabs3 actually diverge.

Attributes where NetDocuments and Tabs3 differ
AttributeNetDocumentsTabs3
Starting priceOn request$69/month
Pricing modelquotePer user per month
PlatformsWeb, Windows, 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 NetDocuments

  • Matter-centric filing
  • Ethical walls
  • Email management
  • Version control
  • Search
  • Retention

Only in Tabs3

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

What people use each for

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

NetDocuments

  • Firms needing enforceable ethical walls rather than folder permissionsnot Tabs3
  • Capturing email into the matter record instead of individual inboxesnot Tabs3
  • Moving document management off on-premise serversnot Tabs3

Tabs3

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

Where each one falls short

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

NetDocuments

  • Quote-only pricing per user with no published rates
  • Migrating an existing document store is a substantial project, and legacy metadata rarely survives cleanly
  • Aimed at mid-size and large firms; solo practices find it heavier than needed
  • Adoption depends on fee earners filing correctly, and habits are the hard part

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

NetDocuments

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the NetDocuments 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 NetDocuments if

  • You need matter-centric filing.
  • You work on Web, Windows, iOS, Android, Cloud.
  • You also want ethical walls.
NetDocuments review

Choose Tabs3 if

  • You need tabs3 billing.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want trust accounting.
Tabs3 review

Questions people ask

Is NetDocuments or Tabs3 better?
Neither clearly leads. NetDocuments 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, NetDocuments or Tabs3?
NetDocuments starts at On request and Tabs3 at $69/month.
Does NetDocuments or Tabs3 run on more platforms?
NetDocuments runs on Web, Windows, iOS, Android, Cloud. Tabs3 runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
What is NetDocuments best used for?
NetDocuments is most often used for firms needing enforceable ethical walls rather than folder permissions, capturing email into the matter record instead of individual inboxes, moving document management off on-premise servers. Of those, firms needing enforceable ethical walls rather than folder permissions and capturing email into the matter record instead of individual inboxes are not what Tabs3 is typically brought in for.
What can NetDocuments do that Tabs3 cannot?
NetDocuments covers Matter-centric filing, Ethical walls, Email management, Version control. Tabs3 covers Tabs3 Billing, Trust accounting, General ledger and accounts payable, PracticeMaster.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

NetDocuments: What does NetDocuments cost?

It quotes per user and does not publish rates.

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.

NetDocuments: Why not just use SharePoint or Dropbox?

Neither expresses matter-centric security or ethical walls in an auditable way, which is a professional obligation rather than a preference in legal practice.

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.

NetDocuments: Does it handle email?

Yes, capturing correspondence into the matter record, which is where most legal email otherwise fails to land.

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.

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