Docketwise vs Smokeball
Smokeball scores 8.2/10 vs 7.6/10. Best for: Small firms that want automatic time capture and a massive document template library so they can bill more hours without manual tracking.
Smokeball scores higher overall at 8.2/10 vs 7.6/10. Smokeball's automatic time tracking genuinely captures revenue that other tools miss. If your firm leaks billable hours because attorneys forget to start timers, this pays for itself. The catch: you need the $149/user Grow plan to get it.
Docketwise 
Smokeball Rank
#10 of 39
Rank
#2 of 39
Features
15/18
Features
17/18
Starting at
$69/mo
Starting at
$29/mo
User reviews
4.7/5 (50)
User reviews
4.8/5 (500)
What they cost
| Docketwise | Smokeball | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting at | $69 /mo | $29 /mo |
| Free trial | 7 days | No |
| Number of plans | 3 | 3 |
What the pricing really means
At first glance, Smokeball looks cheaper at $29/month vs $69/month. But sticker price is only part of the story. Look at what is included on the base plan, how many users you get, and whether you need add-ons to get the features you actually need. The $99/month plan that requires $200 in add-ons is actually more expensive than the $250/month plan that includes everything.
Where Docketwise wins
- Smart questionnaires are the best in the immigration space — clients fill out one form and the data populates across all related USCIS applications
- Capterra rating of 4.8 is among the highest for any legal PM tool
- Starting at $69/user is cheaper than LollyLaw's $79/user for similar immigration-specific features
- 7-day free trial to test the questionnaire workflow with real cases
Where Smokeball wins
- Automatic time tracking runs in the background and captures billable activity you'd otherwise forget to log — firms report 20-30% more captured time
- 1,000+ built-in document templates for common legal forms, which saves hours compared to building templates from scratch
- G2 and Capterra ratings (4.8/5 on both) are the highest in the category, and reviews back it up with genuine praise
- Bill plan at $29/user is one of the cheapest entry points if you just need billing and time tracking
Where Docketwise falls short
- Immigration only — no value for general practice firms
- No mobile app
- No email management
- No conflict checks built in
Where Smokeball falls short
- No free trial — you have to commit based on a demo, which means trusting the sales pitch
- The Grow plan at $149/user is expensive and you need it for automatic time tracking, which is the main differentiator
- Smaller integration ecosystem than Clio — about 50 integrations vs 250+
- No mobile app — desktop-first architecture means attorneys can't access cases from their phone
- Originally built for Australian and UK markets, so some US-specific workflows feel bolted on
Who is each product built for?
Docketwise
Target: 1-15 attorneys
Docketwise and LollyLaw are the two immigration-specific tools worth evaluating. Docketwise wins on questionnaire design and pricing. LollyLaw wins on broader feature set. Demo both.
Smokeball
Target: 1-30 attorneys
Smokeball's automatic time tracking genuinely captures revenue that other tools miss. If your firm leaks billable hours because attorneys forget to start timers, this pays for itself. The catch: you need the $149/user Grow plan to get it.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Docketwise | Smokeball |
|---|---|---|
| Case Management | ||
| Case / matter management | ||
| Contact management | ||
| Conflict checks | ||
| Client intake forms | ||
| Client portal | ||
| Documents & Automation | ||
| Document management | ||
| Document automation | ||
| E-signatures | ||
| Email management | ||
| Billing & Accounting | ||
| Time tracking | ||
| Billing & invoicing | ||
| Trust / IOLTA accounting | ||
| Scheduling & Deadlines | ||
| Calendar management | ||
| Task management | ||
| Court rule deadlines | ||
| Platform | ||
| Reporting / analytics | ||
| Mobile app | ||
| API access | ||
Common questions
Smokeball scores 8.2/10 vs Docketwise's 7.6/10 in our ranking. Smokeball is the better pick for 1-30 attorneys. Docketwise is better if you need immigration firms that want the most intuitive questionnaire-to-form workflow.
Docketwise starts at $69/month. Smokeball starts at $29/month. Watch for add-on costs — the base price often does not include all features. Pricing last verified 2026-04-11.
Docketwise: Yes, 7-day free trial. Smokeball: No free trial. Always test with your actual workflow before committing to an annual plan.
Docketwise covers 15 of 18 features we track. Smokeball covers 17 of 18. Smokeball has broader feature coverage, but more features does not always mean better — pick the tool that covers what your business actually needs.
Yes, Docketwise has a mobile app. Smokeball does not.
Yes. The main effort is migrating your data (customer lists, job history, invoices). Plan for 1-2 weeks of overlap where you run both. Most legal practice management tools can import CSV data. Ask both vendors about migration support before you sign.
The bottom line
Pick Docketwise if...
Immigration firms that want the most intuitive questionnaire-to-form workflow. Clients fill out a questionnaire and the data flows directly into USCIS forms.
Pick Smokeball if...
Small firms that want automatic time capture and a massive document template library so they can bill more hours without manual tracking.