How do they compare:  

Top Smokeball Alternative:  

Organise your legal practice better with Wise Owl Legal

Meet a customisable, user-friendly, intuitive, legal practice management software that outsides Smokeball and saves you money. 

While Smokeball is considered by many as a market leader, it is no secret that there is no specifically named Trust Ledger in the Smokeball product and no report that just displays a list of the trust transactions one after another. Smokeball has also forgotten auditors are accountants, and a ledger report is helpful.

This page compares the key differences between Smokeball and Wise Owl Legal focusing on features and user experience.  By examining these aspects side by side, we’ll provide you with the insights needed to choose the best practice management software that aligns with your team’s requirements.

With Smokeball, Records Invoice payments in Xero as ‘Receive Money’ transactions to the direct income accounts – no invoices posted through to Xero and you need to confirm this is the case on both cash and accrual accounts. 

Smokeball provides Matter Management, Document Automation, and Law Society Approved Billing Software rolled into an all-in-one, cloud-based, easy-to-use application.

Every small law firm needs to be on the cloud. To ensure that your business rises above the rest, now is the time to find out if Smokeball is the right fit for you.

This page is from a review of version xxx on <date> of Smokeball Software.

Benefits of Wise Owl Legal Versus Smokeball

Platform
Document Management
Safe Custody
Billing
Time Recording
Fixed Fee Billing
Clock Timer for
Time Recording
Trust Accounting
Support
Cloud Product
General Ledger
Pricing
Settlement Calculator
Smokeball
Windows installation required
Can save directly from Word; Add on loaded into Microsoft Word
Available - Attached to Contact Cards
Some Customisation Available
Hours and Units; Flexible unit increments
Available
Auto-Time Recording available
Available; Reports for end of month available but not extensive. There is no Trust Ledger in this software - handy for auditors!
Lodge a ticket online
Hybrid cloud-desktop install
Integrates with Xero or MYOB; Choice of Cash or Accrual at set up time
Based on Named Users
Settlement report to summarise settlement figures
Wise Owl Legal
Enjoy the flexibility of working on eihter Windows or Mac and the convenience of being able to view your work from most devices
Very powerful; merges directly to Microsoft Word;
Saves directly from Word into the cloud by hitting save!
Uses Office 365 Technology
Based on packets that are held on behalf of clients;
Not related to matters.
Very powerful; fully flexible
Based on hours OR 1 OR 6 OR 10 OR 15 minute units;
Can be set per fee earner
Very powerful; fully flexible
Coming in late 2023
Trust Reports to assist with end of month reporting and multiple others to show information in a variety of ways
4 hour turnaround on email support;
Phone support available ;
Accounting Support available on 4 hour turnaround
Cloud system NO workstation installation
Integrates directly with QuickBooks or Xero so your Accountant can stay away from your practice management and prepare your external financials in a system they are familiar with
Based on simultaneous users
Powerful and customisable with floating settlement summary always visible