Filevine vs Legal Files
Filevine scores 8.1/10 vs 6.2/10. Best for: Mid-size to large litigation firms that need a highly customizable case management system with task automation and team collaboration at scale.
Filevine scores higher overall at 8.1/10 vs 6.2/10. Filevine is purpose-built for litigation firms that handle high volumes of cases and need customizable workflows. If you're running PI, mass tort, or insurance defense with 5+ attorneys, it's worth the demo. Solo practitioners should look elsewhere.
Filevine 
Legal Files Rank
#3 of 39
Rank
#35 of 39
Features
18/18
Features
12/18
Starting at
Custom
Starting at
Custom
User reviews
4.7/5 (350)
User reviews
3.8/5 (20)
What they cost
| Filevine | Legal Files | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting at | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Free trial | No | No |
| Number of plans | Custom | Custom |
What the pricing really means
Both Filevine and Legal Files use custom pricing, which means you need to talk to sales. In our experience, custom pricing usually means the product is targeting larger operations and the monthly cost will be higher than products with published prices. Ask specifically about total year-one cost, including setup, onboarding, and training.
Where Filevine wins
- Highly customizable with custom fields, sections, and workflows that adapt to any practice area without developer help
- Built-in AI tools for contract review and document analysis, which are genuinely useful not just marketing fluff
- Task automation and deadline tracking is best-in-class for litigation workflows
- Acquired Lead Docket for intake and DeadlineDocket for court rules, so the full suite is now comprehensive
Where Legal Files wins
- Purpose-built for in-house legal departments with matter management, spend tracking, and outside counsel management
- Litigation hold and legal hold management for e-discovery compliance
- Contract lifecycle management included
- Trusted by government agencies and universities
Where Filevine falls short
- No public pricing — you have to sit through a demo call, which usually means it's expensive
- No trust accounting built in, so you'll still need CosmoLex or QuickBooks for IOLTA compliance
- Overkill for solo attorneys or 2-3 person firms — the customization power becomes complexity you don't need
- Steeper learning curve than Clio or MyCase because of all the configuration options
Where Legal Files falls short
- No billing or trust accounting — this is for in-house teams, not billable-hour firms
- No public pricing and enterprise sales process
- No client portal, mobile app, or eSignature
- Very limited reviews make it hard to assess independently
Who is each product built for?
Filevine
Target: 5-500+ attorneys
Filevine is purpose-built for litigation firms that handle high volumes of cases and need customizable workflows. If you're running PI, mass tort, or insurance defense with 5+ attorneys, it's worth the demo. Solo practitioners should look elsewhere.
Legal Files
Target: 10-500+ users
Legal Files serves a different market than most legal PM tools — in-house legal departments, not law firms. If you're corporate counsel managing outside legal spend and litigation holds, it's worth a demo. Law firms should look elsewhere.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Filevine | Legal Files |
|---|---|---|
| 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
Filevine scores 8.1/10 vs Legal Files's 6.2/10 in our ranking. Filevine is the better pick for 5-500+ attorneys. Legal Files is better if you need corporate legal departments and government agencies that need matter management, contract tracking, and litigation hold capabilities across large teams.
Filevine uses custom pricing (contact sales). Legal Files uses custom pricing (contact sales). Watch for add-on costs — the base price often does not include all features. Pricing last verified 2026-04-11.
Filevine: No free trial. Legal Files: No free trial. Always test with your actual workflow before committing to an annual plan.
Filevine covers 18 of 18 features we track. Legal Files covers 12 of 18. Filevine has broader feature coverage, but more features does not always mean better — pick the tool that covers what your business actually needs.
Yes, Filevine has a mobile app. Legal Files 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 Filevine if...
Mid-size to large litigation firms that need a highly customizable case management system with task automation and team collaboration at scale.
Pick Legal Files if...
Corporate legal departments and government agencies that need matter management, contract tracking, and litigation hold capabilities across large teams.