If you’re running a law firm in 2026, you’ve almost certainly heard of Clio. It’s the dominant practice management platform: used by over 150,000 legal professionals worldwide. But figuring out what it actually costs? That’s where things get tricky.

📅 Pricing last verified: June 2026. We check and update pricing quarterly. If you notice a change, email us.

Clio’s pricing page shows you four tiers with clean monthly numbers. What it doesn’t show you is the per-user math, the add-on costs for Clio Grow, the new Clio Duo AI pricing, or the payment processing fees that eat into your revenue.

Let me break it all down.

Clio’s Four Pricing Tiers (2026)

All prices below are per user, per month, billed annually. Monthly billing costs roughly 20–25% more.

Plan	Annual Price (per user/mo)	Monthly Price (per user/mo)
EasyStart	$49	$59
Essentials	$79	$99
Advanced	$109	$139
Complete	$149	$189

Let’s go tier by tier.

EasyStart: $49/user/month

This is Clio’s entry-level plan, and honestly, it’s fine for solo practitioners who just need the basics.

What’s included:

• Matter management
• Contact management
• Basic time tracking
• Simple billing and invoicing
• Online payments (via Clio Payments)
• Document storage (limited)
• Mobile app access

What’s missing:

• No task management
• No custom fields
• No advanced billing (like LEDES)
• No client portal
• No integrations beyond the basics
• No document automation

If you’re a solo attorney handling a manageable caseload and you don’t need fancy workflows, EasyStart gets the job done. But most firms outgrow it within six months.

Essentials: $79/user/month

This is where Clio starts to feel like a real practice management tool.

What’s included (everything in EasyStart plus):

• Task and calendar management
• Custom fields
• Secure client portal (Clio Connect)
• Advanced document management
• Court calendaring rules
• 50+ integrations (QuickBooks, Outlook, Google Workspace, etc.)
• Bulk billing

What’s still missing:

• No document automation
• No advanced reporting
• No custom dashboards
• No Clio Grow (intake and CRM)

For small firms with 2–5 attorneys, Essentials is the sweet spot. The client portal alone saves hours of email back-and-forth.

Advanced: $109/user/month

This is Clio’s most popular plan: and for good reason.

What’s included (everything in Essentials plus):

• Document automation with templates
• Advanced reporting and dashboards
• Custom billing rates by matter type
• LEDES billing support
• Enhanced security controls
• Priority support

What’s still missing:

• No Clio Grow (still an add-on)
• No Clio Duo AI (separate cost)
• Limited automation workflows

If you’re a mid-size firm billing over $500K annually, this tier makes the most sense. The reporting alone helps you spot revenue leaks.

Complete: $149/user/month

The top tier bundles in Clio Grow: their client intake and CRM module.

What’s included (everything in Advanced plus):

• Clio Grow (intake forms, lead tracking, CRM pipeline)
• Advanced workflow automation
• E-signatures built in
• Dedicated customer success manager (for firms 10+ users)
• Enhanced analytics

This is the only tier where Clio Grow comes included. On every other plan, you’d pay for it separately.

The Hidden Costs

Here’s where things get expensive beyond the sticker price.

Clio Grow Add-On

If you’re on EasyStart, Essentials, or Advanced and you want Clio’s intake/CRM features, Clio Grow costs an additional $49/user/month. That means an Advanced user who adds Grow is paying $158/user/month: more than the Complete plan.

The math is simple: if you want Grow, just get Complete.

Clio Duo AI

Clio launched their AI assistant, Clio Duo, in late 2025. It drafts documents, summarizes matters, and helps with legal research. The cost?

$59/user/month as an add-on to any plan.

That means a Complete plan user with Duo AI is paying $208/user/month. For a five-attorney firm, that’s $12,480/year just for Clio. It’s a serious investment.

Is Duo AI worth it? If your firm does high-volume document drafting (immigration, estate planning, family law), it probably pays for itself in time savings. For litigation-heavy firms that need more nuanced research, it’s less clear.

Payment Processing Fees

Clio Payments charges 2.9% + $0.20 per transaction for credit card payments and 1.5% per transaction for ACH/bank transfers.

These add up fast. If your firm collects $1 million annually through Clio Payments, you’re paying roughly $29,200 in credit card fees or $15,000 in ACH fees. That’s not a Clio-specific problem: it’s standard payment processing: but it’s a cost many firms overlook when they switch to online payments.

Annual vs. Monthly Billing

Clio incentivizes annual contracts with a roughly 20–25% discount. But the flip side: you’re locked in. If you sign up annually and want to cancel at month four, you’re eating the remaining eight months.

My recommendation: start with monthly to test the platform, then switch to annual once you’re committed.

Who Should Choose What

Firm Type	Recommended Plan	Monthly Cost (5 users, annual)
Solo practitioner, simple practice	EasyStart	$245/mo
Small firm (2–5 attorneys)	Essentials	$395/mo
Growing firm with complex billing	Advanced	$545/mo
Firm wanting intake + CRM built in	Complete	$745/mo
Firm wanting everything + AI	Complete + Duo AI	$1,040/mo

Alternatives Worth Considering

• PracticePanther: starts at $39/user/month, less polished but cheaper
• MyCase: $49/user/month flat, includes intake features at lower tiers
• Smokeball: strong for small firms, automatic time capture is great

The Verdict

Clio is expensive. There’s no getting around it. At the Complete + Duo AI level, you’re looking at $200+/user/month. But for firms that use it fully: time tracking, billing, intake, document automation: it consolidates tools and saves real time.

The value calculation is straightforward: if Clio saves each attorney 30+ minutes per day (which it can, with proper setup), the ROI is there. If you’re only using it for basic time tracking and invoicing, you’re overpaying.

Bottom line: Start at Essentials, skip Grow unless you’re on Complete, and trial Duo AI before committing. The 7-day free trial won’t tell you much: push for a 30-day evaluation if you can.

FAQ

Is Clio worth it for solo attorneys?

Yes, but stick with EasyStart ($49/month) or Essentials ($79/month). Solo practitioners benefit most from the time tracking, invoicing, and client portal features. The higher tiers add complexity that a one-person practice rarely needs unless you’re handling high-volume document drafting.

Does Clio offer discounts for small firms?

Clio doesn’t publicly advertise firm-size discounts, but annual billing saves 20–25% over monthly. For firms with 5+ users, it’s worth asking your Clio sales rep about volume pricing: they have some flexibility, especially during end-of-quarter. Non-profits and legal aid organizations may qualify for special rates.

What’s included in the base price vs. add-ons?

The base price covers core practice management: time tracking, billing, matter management, and (depending on tier) client portal and document automation. The major add-ons are Clio Grow ($49/user/month for intake/CRM on plans below Complete) and Clio Duo AI ($59/user/month for AI drafting and research). Payment processing fees (2.9% + $0.20 per card transaction) are also separate.

Can I try Clio before buying?

Clio offers a 7-day free trial on all plans. However, seven days isn’t enough to meaningfully evaluate practice management software. Push your sales rep for a 30-day evaluation period: they’ll often accommodate firms that are seriously considering switching from a competitor.

How does Clio pricing compare to PracticePanther?

PracticePanther starts at $39/user/month vs. Clio’s $49, making it about 20% cheaper at entry level. PracticePanther includes more features at lower tiers (like intake forms), but Clio has a larger integration ecosystem, better reporting, and more widespread adoption. For firms prioritizing budget over ecosystem, PracticePanther is a solid alternative.

Related reading: Clio Review 2026 · Clio vs MyCase vs PracticePanther · Best Legal Billing Software