Rocket Matter vs Smokeball
Smokeball scores 8.2/10 vs 7.5/10. 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 7.5/10. 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.
Rocket Matter 
Smokeball Rank
#14 of 39
Rank
#2 of 39
Features
16/18
Features
17/18
Starting at
$65/mo
Starting at
$29/mo
User reviews
4.2/5 (400)
User reviews
4.8/5 (500)
What they cost
| Rocket Matter | Smokeball | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting at | $65 /mo | $29 /mo |
| Free trial | 15 days | No |
| Number of plans | 2 | 3 |
What the pricing really means
At first glance, Smokeball looks cheaper at $29/month vs $65/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 Rocket Matter wins
- LEDES billing support out of the box, which is essential if you bill corporate clients or insurance companies that require it
- 15-day free trial is one of the longest in the category
- Billing reports are detailed enough to spot underperforming attorneys or matters that are bleeding money
- Now owned by the same company as CosmoLex, so integrations between the two are tight if you need advanced accounting
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 Rocket Matter falls short
- No built-in intake forms or eSignature — you'll need separate tools for client onboarding
- No court rule deadline calendaring
- Interface feels dated compared to newer tools like Clio or PracticePanther
- At $65/user it's not the cheapest option, and the Premier plan at $95 is needed for document automation
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?
Rocket Matter
Target: 1-25 attorneys
Rocket Matter is a solid billing-first practice management tool. Pick it if LEDES billing and revenue-focused reporting are priorities. Skip it if you want a modern all-in-one platform with intake, e-signatures, and court calendaring built in.
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 | Rocket Matter | 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 Rocket Matter's 7.5/10 in our ranking. Smokeball is the better pick for 1-30 attorneys. Rocket Matter is better if you need small firms focused on maximizing billable revenue with detailed time tracking reports and ledes billing support for firms that bill corporate clients.
Rocket Matter starts at $65/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.
Rocket Matter: Yes, 15-day free trial. Smokeball: No free trial. Always test with your actual workflow before committing to an annual plan.
Rocket Matter covers 16 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, Rocket Matter 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 Rocket Matter if...
Small firms focused on maximizing billable revenue with detailed time tracking reports and LEDES billing support for firms that bill corporate clients.
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.