Softwr

Legal · head to head

Rocket Matter vs Smokeball

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
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: 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.; Smokeball requires a Windows desktop component for automatic time capture, so it is not browser-only like its competitors
  • They diverge on capability: Rocket Matter covers Time tracking and billing, Smokeball covers Automatic time capture.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Rocket Matter and Smokeball differ
AttributeRocket MatterSmokeball
Pricing modelPer user per monthquote
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows, Web, 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 Rocket Matter

  • Time tracking and billing
  • Trust accounting
  • Document management
  • Matter budgeting
  • Reporting

Only in Smokeball

  • Automatic time capture
  • Document automation
  • Billing and trust accounting

Both cover

  • Matter management

What people use each for

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

Rocket Matter

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

Smokeball

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

Where each one falls short

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

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.

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

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

Smokeball

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Smokeball review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Rocket Matter if

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

Choose Smokeball if

  • You need automatic time capture.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want document automation.
Smokeball review

Questions people ask

Is Rocket Matter or Smokeball better?
Neither clearly leads. Rocket Matter 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, Rocket Matter or Smokeball?
Rocket Matter starts at On request and Smokeball at On request.
Does Rocket Matter or Smokeball run on more platforms?
Rocket Matter runs on Web, iOS, Android. Smokeball runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
What is Rocket Matter best used for?
Rocket Matter is most often used for a solo practitioner wanting matter tracking and billing in one system without separate accounting software, a small firm that needs kanban-style visibility into where each matter stands, a mid-sized firm that has outgrown essentials and needs split billing across multiple timekeepers on a matter, a firm required to demonstrate trust accounting compliance that specifically needs the top elite tier. Of those, a solo practitioner wanting matter tracking and billing in one system without separate accounting software and a small firm that needs kanban-style visibility into where each matter stands are not what Smokeball is typically brought in for.
What can Rocket Matter do that Smokeball cannot?
Rocket Matter covers Time tracking and billing, Trust accounting, Document management, Matter budgeting. Smokeball covers Automatic time capture, Document automation, Billing and trust accounting. Both handle Matter management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Smokeball: What does Smokeball cost?

Pricing is quoted per firm and not published.

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.

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.

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.

Smokeball: Does it run on Mac?

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

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