Compare Plainmatter and Clio for a small law firm
Use this page if you run a solo or small firm on Clio, or if you are choosing your first practice management tool.
We set monthly cost, conflict checks, intake and reporting side by side, using the prices Clio publishes, and we say when Clio fits better.
Decide whether the savings and the built-in tools justify a move for your firm.
Try every feature for 30 days without a card. Add staff for free.
Stay with Clio if one of these fits your firm
Clio is a mature product. Switching takes setup and retraining, so make sure the move pays off for your firm.
- You work alone and Clio Starter covers you
- Clio Starter costs $49 per user per month, $10 less than Plainmatter, if you have no staff and need no conflict check, document templates, court rules or intake.
- You rely on many integrations
- Clio lists more than 300 integrations. Plainmatter offers CSV import and export and a calendar feed, with few direct integrations today.
- You need SOC 2 or single sign-on
- Clio states it is SOC 2 Type II certified and offers SAML single sign-on on Signature and Elite. We do not hold a SOC 2 report or offer SAML single sign-on yet.
- Your firm has more than ten lawyers
- We build Plainmatter for solo lawyers and firms of up to ten. Larger firms often need approval workflows and department reporting that we do not offer.
See what changes when you switch
- Pay for lawyers, not staff
- Clio charges $49 or more for every user, staff included. Plainmatter charges $59 per lawyer, and staff join for free.
- Check conflicts and fill templates on every seat
- Clio Starter, the only Clio plan with a published price, has no conflict check, document templates or court calendaring rules. Plainmatter includes all three at one published price.
- Get intake without a second product
- Clio sells client intake as Clio Grow, an add-on for Core and Signature that comes with Elite, and does not publish its price. Plainmatter includes an intake form with automatic conflict checks on every seat.
- Build the reports you need
- Clio offers custom reporting and scheduled reports on Signature and Elite only. Plainmatter includes a report builder with CSV export on every seat.
- Decide when AI runs
- Clio includes AI features on Core and above. Plainmatter keeps AI features off until a firm owner turns them on, and we email owners before a feature changes.
Sources for the claims above
- https://www.clio.com/pricing/ (plan comparison table), checked 2026-10-17
- https://www.clio.com/pricing/ (add-ons), checked 2026-10-17
- https://www.clio.com/pricing/ (plan comparison table, Enhance Business Insights), checked 2026-10-17
- https://www.clio.com/pricing/ (FAQ “Is AI included in my plan?”), checked 2026-10-17
- https://www.clio.com/pricing/ (site navigation, “300+ integrations to choose from”), checked 2026-10-17
- https://www.clio.com/pricing/ (FAQ “How does Clio keep my firm’s data secure?”; plan comparison table), checked 2026-10-17
| Feature | Plainmatter | Clio |
|---|---|---|
| Plan compared | One plan | Starter1 |
| Published price per month | $59 per lawyer | $49 per user1 |
| Staff seats | Free | Paid per user2 |
| Intake and conflict checks | Included | Clio Grow add-on for Core and Signature, included in Elite, price not published. Conflict check on Core and above.3 |
| Trust accounting | Included, with three-way reconciliation | Included on every plan, with trust and operating reconciliation4 |
| Document templates | Included, Word templates | Templates on Core and above. Advanced document automation is a paid add-on.5 |
| AI features | Off until an owner turns them on | Included on Core and above6 |
We take every competitor figure from the vendor's published pricing page, on the date shown. Prices change, so check each vendor's current page before you decide.
- 1 https://www.clio.com/pricing/ (“Clio’s plans start at $49 USD per user per month”; plan comparison table), checked 2026-10-17
- 2 https://www.clio.com/pricing/ (priced “per user per month”), checked 2026-10-17
- 3 https://www.clio.com/pricing/ (add-ons; plan comparison table), checked 2026-10-17
- 4 https://www.clio.com/pricing/ (FAQ “Is accounting included in my plan?”), checked 2026-10-17
- 5 https://www.clio.com/pricing/ (plan comparison table; add-ons), checked 2026-10-17
- 6 https://www.clio.com/pricing/ (FAQ “Is AI included in my plan?”), checked 2026-10-17
Compare the monthly cost by firm size
A firm with 3 lawyers and 2 staff pays $177 a month on Plainmatter and $245 on Clio Starter, a difference of $816 a year.
Clio bills each staff member as a user at $49 a month. Plainmatter adds nothing for staff.
| Firm | Plainmatter | Clio Starter | You keep each year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 lawyer, 1 staff | $59 / mo | $98 / mo | $468 |
| 3 lawyers, 2 staff | $177 / mo | $245 / mo | $816 |
| 5 lawyers, 3 staff | $295 / mo | $392 / mo | $1,164 |
Clio Starter is the only Clio plan with a published price. It has no conflict check, document templates, court calendaring rules, client portal or intake forms. Clio does not publish prices for Core, Signature and Elite, the plans that add them.
Move from Clio in four steps
The switching guide covers each step in detail.
Export your data from Clio
In Clio, export your contacts, matters and time entries to CSV from each list.
Also save a trust ledger report for each client as of your last reconciliation date. You need those balances in step 3, and the report stays your record of earlier trust activity.
Import the CSV files into Plainmatter
Upload each file, match its columns to Plainmatter fields, and check the preview before you import.
Enter trust balances as opening deposits
For each client with money in trust, record one deposit on the matter, dated the day of your last reconciliation in Clio, for that client's balance.
Reconcile once against the same bank statement
Run a three-way reconciliation in Plainmatter for that statement. Your journal and client ledger totals should match the totals from Clio.
Get answers about moving from Clio
You lose your Clio integrations and any history you do not export.
Before you cancel Clio, export contacts, matters, invoices and trust ledger reports, and keep them with your firm records.
Plainmatter imports contacts, matters and time entries from Clio. For trust, enter each client's balance as one dated opening deposit and keep Clio's ledger reports as your record of earlier transactions.
Yes. Email your Clio export to hello@getplainmatter.com and we will run the import into your Plainmatter firm and tell you what to check.
Plainmatter costs $59 per lawyer per month. Every feature comes with every seat, and staff seats are free.
Try it for 30 days without a card.
AI features stay off until a firm owner turns them on in settings. While they are off, Plainmatter sends none of your firm's data to an AI provider.
Yes. A firm owner can download one ZIP file at any time with every record as CSV, plus your original documents and templates.
After you cancel, you can still sign in and export for 90 days.
Run your firm on Plainmatter for $59 per lawyer
Open the sample firm or import your Clio export. Every feature is included, and staff seats are free.
Try every feature for 30 days without a card. Add staff for free.