- 01You run a law firm with multiple attorneys
- 02You need trust accounting and time tracking
- 03You need deep integrations with LEAP, NetDocuments, etc.
Comparison
Clio runs law firms. SynthCounsel runs cases. One is the billing engine for attorneys; the other is the drafting tool for people in court.
Feature
Clio
SynthCounsel
Target user
Clio is the market leader in practice management for firms. SynthCounsel targets individual litigants and solo practitioners.
law firms
pro se + solo
Monthly cost
Clio is per-seat for firms ($39–$139/user). SynthCounsel is one-time per case for pro se ($149) or $39/mo for repeat users — and our firm tier is half the per-seat cost.
$39–$139/user
$149/case or $39/mo
AI document generation
Clio’s AI is a premium add-on via Clio Duo. SynthCounsel’s AI is core to every plan including free.
Clio Duo add-on
built-in
Jurisdiction-aware rules
Clio has no built-in civil procedure rule engine. SynthCounsel encodes 50-state rules for deadlines, captions, and formatting.
no
all 50 states
Deadline calculator
Clio’s court rules module is an integration add-on. SynthCounsel’s calculator is built-in to every tier.
court rules add-on
built-in
Case law research
Clio has no research tool. SynthCounsel searches millions of opinions via CourtListener.
no
yes
FDCPA / FCRA scanning
SynthCounsel scans collection letters for consumer-protection violations. Clio has nothing comparable.
no
yes
Time tracking + billing
Clio is full practice management. SynthCounsel intentionally does not offer billing — we are a drafting and research tool.
yes
no
Setup time
Clio requires firm configuration and team onboarding. SynthCounsel goes from signup to first filing in under five minutes.
days
under 5 minutes
Pick the right tool
- 01You’re not billing hours and don’t need practice management
- 02You need court-formatted documents today, not after a two-week onboarding
- 03You want AI drafting included, not as a premium add-on
- 04You want rule-based deadlines built-in, not as an integration