Home > Legal Software > Clio > Clio vs Needles

Clio vs Needles

Last Updated: November 18th, 2024

Our analysts compared Clio vs Needles based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Legal Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

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Product Basics

Clio is an industry-leading end-to-end solution to streamline all aspects of a law firm — case management, daily workflows, billing, client relationship and in-depth reporting. Firms can opt for its practice management and billing-focused Clio Manage, client-facing Clio Grow or combine the best of both worlds with Clio Suite. Users can access a centralized calendar to schedule workflows, deadlines and client appointments with reminders, checklists and follow-ups. They can also access and manage cases, matters, documents and clients in real-time and generate bills with personalized payment plans, track billable hours and account receivables to maximize firm revenues.

It provides a secure database for easy access to client records, documents and matters. It simplifies client intake, relationship and retention processes with lead generation, secure communication, client tracking and online payment modules. It also provides robust customizable dashboards and reporting to enable data-driven insights on different facets of the firm. Scalable for practices of all sizes, firms can leverage more than 200 integrations and its immersive referral network to enrich its functionality. Its dedicated cybersecurity and cloud deployment enable users and teams to connect securely and remotely from the devices of their choice.

Needles is a flexible solution aimed at enabling law practices to streamline their firm operations. It provides numerous templates to build configurable workflows, daily checklists and schedules. Firms can maximize billable hours using its time and expense tracking modules. It allows firms to manage and collaborate on documents and cases with ease. Its personalized dashboards provide greater practice visibility.

Users can leverage pre-built or custom real-time reporting modules to gain granular insights into different practice facets. Firms can opt for its cloud-based Neos offering to enable remote access to all its functionality. Hosted on Microsoft Azure, it provides robust security, data backups and an API for seamless integrations.

$40/User, Monthly

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$85 Quote-based

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Small

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Large

Small

Medium

Large

Windows

Mac

Linux

Android

Chromebook

Windows

Mac

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Cloud

On-Premise

Mobile

Cloud

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Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation

In Person

Live Online

Videos

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Documentation

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Live Online

Videos

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Phone

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FAQ

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Knowledge Base

24/7 Live Support

Phone

Chat

FAQ

Forum

Knowledge Base

24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

User-Friendly: Maximize ROI by reducing time spent on reskilling employees thanks to extensive training material and an intuitive UI.
Automatically Perform Core Processes: Save time with purpose-built automation such as email scheduling, automated workflows, task assignments, email templates and more.
Unlimited Cloud Storage: Store an unlimited number of case-related documents, audio and video files.
Prompt Support: The technical support team provides quick responses.
Comprehensive Mobile App: Offers on-the-go time tracking, business accounting and database access.
Precise Dashboard Tracking: Track invoices, receivables, deadlines, tasks, staff performance and more in real time.

Ensure Accurate Documentation: Eliminate human errors or omissions by creating document checklists.
Abundant Reporting Options: Offers multiple reporting modules categorized by legal matter and practice areas.
Enhanced Security: Clients can choose to maintain an in-house database for maximum security.
Personalized App Experience: Customize apps based on the firm’s requirements.
Implementation Support: Trained professionals guide the implementation process and provide hands-on help whenever required.

Client Management: Increase operational efficiency by automating standard firm procedures throughout the client lifecycle. Improve the customer experience by encouraging client collaborations in case operations.
- Client Intake Management: Automate logging and synchronization of client intake data, case management tasks and calendar information under one scheduling environment. Track potential client information and open new matters seamlessly with Quick Intake.
- Client Tracking: Never miss a single task or appointment with checklists, automated reminders and cross-platform sharing of client information and documentation. Follow up on potential clients and collect matter details with 24/7 secure access to cases, scheduling, contacts through Online Intake Forms and the Matter Pipeline.
- Client Services: Increase client engagement with automated follow-up emails and reminders. Offer flexible payment options including online credit cards.
Security: Secure your data from potential external and internal vulnerabilities with a dedicated cybersecurity portal. Enforce administrative, physical and technical controls like 2FA, criminal background checks, security training and more to protect against future liabilities.
- Compliance: Ensure GDPR compliance both as a data controller and processor. Get payments processed 39% faster with credit cards while operating in compliance with PCI guidelines.
- Data Encryption: Store and transmit data securely with HTTPS and TLS-based in-transit and at-rest encryption. The secure web interface is verified by DigiCert.
- Control Implementation: Control access to sensitive information with role-based permissions, login safeguards and session/activity tracking via IP information. Increase safety standards with strong passwords, regular password resets and two-factor authentication via the mobile app.
Firm Insights: Thoroughly understand the firm’s strengths and weaknesses with in-depth reporting on the most valuable referral sources, clients, and matter types. Compare actual matter totals to estimated ones and track billed, unbilled and collected amounts.
Case Management: Track and manage case-related documents, bills, time and client contact information from anywhere. Integrate pre-existing case information from over 200 applications including Dropbox, Outlook and Google Workspace.
Document Management: Remotely store and access an unlimited number of legal documents, images, audio and video files. Backup documents automatically, filter and sort using customized categories, search using keywords and send documents for signature through the e-Signature portal.
Billing Management: Create, approve and send bills electronically and process interest for late payments with the Clio Connect portal. Offer automated, flexible and faster payment plans with integrated credit card processing via the Clio Payments extension.
Contact Management: Track the firm’s clients and contacts with quick overviews of their connected matters, documents, transactions and bills. Trace their interactions with the firm, identify conflict of interests, if any, and log case-specific information in custom data fields.
Accounting: Create trust and operating accounts and produce invoices in compliance with legal industry regulations. Use the client ledger portal to monitor all accounts and transactions associated with a client and perform 3-way reconciliations either manually or with the help of third-party extensions.
Calendar Management: Stay on top of deadlines and important dates by synchronizing calendars with cases. Create custom entries to log more billable hours, share important events and dates with clients and keep track of firm-wide events, meetings and appointments.
Task Management: Keep track of pending tasks on legal cases, assign tasks to other members and set as many customized task categories as required using the Advanced Tasks portal. Get notifications about overdue tasks, organized by due date, in the main dashboard.
Time and Expense Tracking: Keep a record of time spent working by seamlessly adding entries from calendar events, tasks, communication logs, notes, documents, Outlook and Gmail. Track time and expenses in real time even when on the go using the mobile application.
Performance Management: Get detailed reports on the utilization of the firm’s time with insights on how to streamline workflows and reallocate resources for better productivity. Identify unbilled hours and write-offs to prevent further incidents.
Legal Client App: Clients can use the mobile app to receive push notifications, status updates and case details, contact their lawyer and scan and upload documents. Case lawyers provide sign up links via email for secure login with Face ID or Touch ID verification.

Task Management: Stay on top of pending tasks, deadlines and important events with fully configurable workflows, synchronized Outlook calendars and automated daily checklists. Receive and broadcast important updates with firm-wide scheduling and communication portals.
Document Management: Encourage employees to collaborate on and share documents, globally in real time. Identify documents using keywords, prepare files for e-Signatures and choose customizable rich templates from industry-specific case libraries.
Firm Insights: Leverage real-time reporting and analytics on business health. Use the configurable dashboard to create custom reports, data and metrics, monitor business processes and identify valuable assets.
Data Management and Security: Secure your data with centralized data storage that eliminates redundancies and automatically backs up all documentation. Organize and store files with the PDF Template Wizard and import data in bulk via CSV files.
Time and Expense Tracking: Track time effortlessly with the help of the Outlook add-in for any device, including mobile devices. Log expenses in real time, eliminate errors and omissions and automate internal audit logs.
Client Management: Improve customer satisfaction via the self-service portal with over 99% uptime. Address client inquiries, process reimbursements and payments and update case details seamlessly.
API: Implement low-code integration of third-party extensions or create new integrations entirely using the API-based architecture. Directly integrate with Microsoft Office 365, OneDrive, QuickBooks, DocuSign and Lexitas.
Security: Secure data, documentation and digital access with Microsoft Azure. Get 24/7 security from cyber attacks and ensure business continuity with biometrically-secured physical data centers, remote-hosted servers and advanced data encryption.

Product Ranking

#2

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#4

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Analyst Rating Summary

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User Sentiment Summary

93%

of users recommend this product

Clio has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 93% when considering 1435 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

85%

of users recommend this product

Needles has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 85% when considering 164 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

4.6 (18)

4.7 (12)

4.5 (243)

4.2 (22)

4.7 (1147)

4.2 (98)

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4.3 (32)

4.7 (27)

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Awards

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Ease of Use: All the users who reviewed this aspect found the UI intuitive and easy to pick up.

Functionality: According to 73% of users reviewing capabilities, basic functions such as time tracking, accounting and document management perform satisfactorily.

Service and Support: 83% of users who mentioned this element said they’re satisfied with the customer support and response rates.

Task Management: Regarding this feature, 71% of users said the softwaremade task management easier.

Functionality: Its time-tracking, billing and accounting functionalities meet the modern-day requirements of the legal industry, according to 65% of users mentioning this element.

Ease of Use: According to 69% of users who reviewed this aspect, the platform is intuitive and easy to use.

Reporting: 67% of users who reviewed this feature said that it provides plenty of customizable options.

Task Management: Regarding this feature, 75% of users found it helpful to track tasks and meet deadlines.

Training: 75% of users who reviewed this element said they’re satisfied with the knowledge base and training resources.

Integrations: Integration options are limited and plagued with bugs, according to 60% of users mentioning this aspect.

Speed and Performance: According to 100% of users who reviewed this element, loading speed is slow, negatively affecting performance.

Reporting: 56% of users who reviewed this feature found that reports lack customizability.

Training: 80% of users found the training resources to be insufficient.

Cost: According to 80% of users who reviewed this aspect, the software cost is higher than its competitors.

Integrations: It provides limited integration options, according to 60% of users mentioning this aspect.

Speed and Performance: According to 100% of reviews about this feature, the platform’s performance sometimes suffers under heavy workloads.

Cost: All the users who mentioned this element said it’s more expensive than its competitors.

Clio offers practice management capabilities, along with data and task management modules. According to reviews, its primary functions like time tracking, billing and matter management meet modern legal requirements. It’s scalable, secure and easy to use, with a responsive support team to back it up. However, reviewers noted that integrations are buggy and loading time is slow. While the features make it worthwhile, many users feel that the cost could be lower. Overall, Clio is an excellent package if you don’t mind paying a bit more and dealing with extended load times.

Needles provides all the functions expected of a modern legal practice management solution, including matter and document management, mobile time tracking, reporting and task supervision. It offers an efficient task management module, but it’s important to note that some users experienced difficulty editing entries in the legal calendar. According to reviews, the platform is difficult to learn, but the product training and support team are helpful in getting past the initial hurdle. Finally, the intuitive UI and exhaustive features make it a capable contender, but only for companies with a budget to justify the extra cost.

Screenshots

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FAQ

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