Softwr

Legal · head to head

Clio vs Rocket Matter

Clio logo

Clio

Legal

Cloud practice management software for law firms

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rocket Matter logo

Rocket Matter

Legal

Legal practice management with billing and time tracking, tiered from matter basics to full legal accounting

From
On request
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; Rocket Matter trust accounting compliance is only included on the most expensive Elite tier, so firms with a regulatory requirement for it face a higher effective floor price than the entry-level plan suggests.
  • They diverge on capability: Clio covers Time and billing, Rocket Matter covers Time tracking and billing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Clio and Rocket Matter actually diverge.

Attributes where Clio and Rocket Matter differ
AttributeClioRocket Matter
Pricing modelPer-user subscription with published tiers; contact vendor for current ratesPer user per month
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, CloudWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (On request), 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

  • Time and billing
  • Client intake
  • Integration directory

Only in Rocket Matter

  • Time tracking and billing
  • Matter budgeting
  • Reporting

Both cover

  • Matter management
  • Trust accounting
  • Document management

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

Rocket Matter

  • A solo practitioner wanting matter tracking and billing in one system without separate accounting softwarenot Clio
  • A small firm that needs kanban-style visibility into where each matter standsnot Clio
  • A mid-sized firm that has outgrown Essentials and needs split billing across multiple timekeepers on a matternot Clio
  • A firm required to demonstrate trust accounting compliance that specifically needs the top Elite tiernot 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

Rocket Matter

  • Trust accounting compliance is only included on the most expensive Elite tier, so firms with a regulatory requirement for it face a higher effective floor price than the entry-level plan suggests.
  • It is not built for large enterprise legal departments, so firms above a certain size outgrow it and move to platforms such as Clio or Aderant.
  • The tier structure gates common workflow features like kanban boards and templates behind Pro and above, so the cheapest tier is functionally limited.
  • Its name is easily confused with the Matter smart-home connectivity protocol, an entirely unrelated technology, which can cause mismatched search results.
  • Per-user monthly pricing across four tiers means a growing firm needs to actively reassess its plan as headcount and accounting needs change, rather than a single plan scaling automatically.

Pricing, plan by plan

Clio

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Clio review.

Rocket Matter

On request
  • Essentials$49/month
    • Matter management
    • Billing and timekeeping
    • No trust accounting
  • Pro$79/month
    • Matter templates
    • Kanban board matter management
  • Premier$99/month
    • Advanced billing permissions
    • Split billing and fee allocation
  • Elite$129/month
    • Matter budgets
    • Full legal accounting and trust accounting compliance

Which should you pick?

Choose Clio if

  • You need time and billing.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Cloud.
  • You also want client intake.
Clio review

Choose Rocket Matter if

  • You need time tracking and billing.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want matter budgeting.
Rocket Matter review

Questions people ask

Is Clio or Rocket Matter better?
Neither clearly leads. Clio starts at On request and Rocket Matter at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Clio or Rocket Matter?
Clio starts at On request and Rocket Matter at On request.
Does Clio or Rocket Matter run on more platforms?
Clio runs on Web, iOS, Android, Cloud. Rocket Matter runs on 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 Rocket Matter is typically brought in for.
What can Clio do that Rocket Matter cannot?
Clio covers Time and billing, Client intake, Integration directory. Rocket Matter covers Time tracking and billing, Matter budgeting, Reporting. Both handle Matter management, Trust accounting, Document management.

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.

Rocket Matter: Does Rocket Matter include trust accounting?

Only on the Elite tier; the Essentials, Pro and Premier tiers do not include full trust accounting compliance.

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.

Rocket Matter: Is Rocket Matter the same as the Matter smart-home standard?

No, that is an unrelated connectivity protocol for smart-home devices; Rocket Matter is legal practice management software.

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.

Rocket Matter: What size firm is Rocket Matter built for?

Solo practitioners through mid-sized firms; larger firms typically need a more enterprise-oriented platform.

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.

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