Home > Legal Software > Filevine > Filevine vs Actionstep

Filevine vs Actionstep

Last Updated: November 18th, 2024

Our analysts compared Filevine vs Actionstep 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

Filevine is a cloud-based tool for law firms and solo practitioners to manage cases, clients, documents and billing. It offers various AI-powered features and automation to help you improve efficiency, streamline collaboration, reduce overhead tasks and capture more leads.

One of its standout features is the AI-powered document management system. It automatically categorizes and tags documents based on their content, making it easy for attorneys and staff to find information quickly. The AI also helps identify potential conflicts of interest and ensures compliance with legal regulations.

Filevine offers robust task management and matter-handling capabilities. You can easily create matters and consolidate all case-related documents, data, notes and tasks in the same environment. You can also connect contacts to associated legal matters and correspondence history. The software provides tools for accurate time tracking, invoicing and payment processing.

Additionally, the client intake module helps efficiently organize and convert leads from multiple channels. The AI-powered system automatically extracts key information from incoming inquiries, making it easier for staff to follow up and provide timely responses. Filevine's analytics module provides valuable insights into lead generation sources, allowing law firms to focus their marketing efforts on the most effective channels.

The platform employs security measures such as encryption, access controls and regular data audits. It requires multi-factor authentication for staff account access. You can set role-based permissions to grant different access levels based on responsibilities, ensuring sensitive client information remains confidential and secure.

Actionstep is an end-to-end cloud-based platform designed for legal practices to manage and execute daily operations. It is scalable and easy to use with drag-and-drop functionality. Users can automate administrative practice workflows with extensive control over each step of the process. They can also build templates to automatically populate legal documents with required data. It provides seamless client onboarding and management with client conflict verification and record management modules. It can also automate matter management with custom structures and data filters, and streamline billing, accounting and time tracking.

Businesses can utilize its assortment of integrations and native iOS and Android apps to manage day-to-day operations on-the-fly. It leverages AWS to provide end-to-end data encryption, permission-based access and automated data backups. Measure performance in different practice areas with its robust reporting.

$87/User, Monthly

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Product Insights

Meet Every Deadline With Efficient Calendaring: According to our data, Filevine’s best module is its calendar management toolkit with a 100 analyst rating. You can create events, attach notes and add time entries for each task. The calendar provides color-coded views, filtering options and reminders for upcoming events. It also supports rule-based calendaring that tracks and automatically adds deadlines and events for specific jurisdictions.
Streamline Client Experiences Using Intelligent Automation: The platform’s client and contact management toolkit is another strong suite, with an 89 analyst rating. Built-in email communication, client portals and secure document sharing enhance collaboration and accessibility. Customizable intake forms and detailed client profiles enable personalized interactions and efficient lead management. Additionally, integration with two-way text messaging ensures timely and convenient client communication.

Scale With a Customizable Platform: Personalize the system according to needs using built-in customization tools.
Access Remotely From Any Device: The platform is 100% cloud-based and accessible via web browsers.
Parse Documents With Ease: Features a range of purpose-built tools for document management, including search, merge fields and assembly. Add custom scripts to fields to run calculations for different values.
Custom Workflows For Every Task: Streamline various operational tasks by creating new workflows and customizing existing ones.
Reporting For Every Purpose: Access fully fleshed out, customizable reports for financial, accounting and operational processes, including general ledger.

Case Management: Centrally access all case-related information, documents, notes, tasks and correspondence. Automate standardized procedures, tasks, reminders and deadlines. Use the activity feed to track tasks in real time, communicate with clients and pull up contextual information. Set up roles and permissions to control access and assign responsibilities.
Lead Capture: Create client intake forms tailored to the firm’s needs. Automate follow-up tasks and communications required to convert potential clients. Use the dashboard to display tasks and track lead volume over time, lead sources, revenue by source and conversion rate.
Integrations: Connect with Lead Docket to streamline lead referrals and access its vast library of integrations. Add over 2,000 applications through its API-based architecture. Seamlessly integrate with QuickBooks to synchronize legacy accounts. Other integrations include Google Calendar, Zapier, Office 365, Domo, Vinesign and Slack.
Legal Documentation: Access an end-to-end document management module with unlimited storage and built-in editing and collaboration tools. The DocGen inclusion instantaneously creates custom contracts, retainers, firm reports, demand letters, interrogatories and more. Search for specific documents via custom document hashtags and OCR. Create custom folder structures to store legal documents separately based on practice areas or cases.
- Editing: Lock documents for edits. Edit PDFs, combine and insert documents and apply consistent identifiers to multiple sets of documents.
- Filevine Fusion: Use granular reporting to create dynamic documents, sophisticated forms, visuals and charts with a single click. Consolidate data from all over the system into a single document ready to download, print and email. Seamlessly fits into the firm’s existing workflows.
Contracts: Leverage automated approval workflows, version control, custom alerts and real-time editing to manage the entire contract lifecycle. Use dynamic templates with conditional logic to create legally binding contracts instantly. Create custom contracts, letters and drafts in bulk with self-service templates. Seamlessly transfer legacy contracts with captured metadata and track legal obligations via dashboard snapshots.
Reporting and Business Analytics: Generate reports on everything from tasks and notes to time entries and calendar events. Schedule automatic delivery of reports when required. Get data-driven insights on top performers, productivity, training opportunities, task completion rates, cumulative actions taken and more. Expand or limit report results by any condition or factor.
- Audit Reports: Record every activity registered in the system and store it for 30 days. Get actionable insights into staff productivity and business profitability.
- Filevine Periscope: Enable data visualization via the Periscope extension and expand raw datasets. Get recommendations on the best possible combination of workflows and actions for maximum productivity. Identify and standardize efficient workflows and eliminate ineffective habits.
Time and Expense Tracking: Track time from anywhere within the platform. Set up custom hourly rates for legal practitioners and define default rates for everyday expenses. Implement custom templates to streamline expense tracking.
Billing: Seamlessly generate invoices and connect payments to the corresponding bills. Send invoices directly from the billing portal via email, fax or postal mail. Create, send and review active invoices via the billing control panel.
Guest Access: Configure permissions to provide temporary guest access to co-counsels, clients and others. Securely share important files, documents, updates and information.
E-signature: Allow clients to electronically sign documents via drawing, typing or uploading an image of their signature. Use recyclable templates to add up to four signers per document and create custom fields for dates, initials and signatures. Track document status and get instant alerts about updates. Automatically save signed documents and contracts to associated folders.
Security: Require clients and staff to sign in with a selfie to get past gesture authentication.
Mobile App: Securely access case files and time tracking capabilities on the go with the mobile application.
Legal Calendar: Always stay up to date with deadlines, Statute of Limitations, important events, meetings and client touchpoints. Schedule firm-wide meetings, appointments and tasks with the central calendar. Filter the view to drill down on specific staff and run calendar reports to create actionable tasks.

Workflow Management: Automate client management, administrative processes and matter progression with configurable workflow patterns addressing individual firm requirements. Collate firm data from reporting modules and assign tasks based on recommended workflow patterns.
Accounting: Manage billables, payments, bank reconciliations, accounts and financial reporting with the UTBMS (LEDES) supported accounting portal. Automatically log client transactions and compute sales tax, GST, VAT and interest for late payments.
- Client Accounting: Create and operate 100% cloud-based trust accounts with regular reporting, audit trails and complete trust position visibility. Run reports on account reconciliations, ledgers, journals, matter balances and more.
Conflict Check: Protect the firm from conflicts of interest by checking the client database against custom data sources like emails, matters, contacts and more.
- Smart Search: Group search results on the basis of configurable datasets for faster and smarter search results. Study results in greater depth with different contexts.
- Permissions: Limit search results depending on an account’s clearance level to protect sensitive firm information.
- Import Results: Export search parameters and results to PDF documents and Excel spreadsheets including date and time stamps. Connect search results with associated matters and contacts.
Client Portal: Provide clients with a single, secure platform for carrying out correspondence in real time. Encrypts all communications, documents and matters exchanged between clients and counsels.
- Permissions: Authorize which external parties can access the client portal. Maintain confidentiality and limit client activity with account-based permissions for reading, uploading and editing documentation.
- Notifications: Get email and in-platform notifications for all document-related changes in the portal.
Data Security: Secure firm data and communication against leaks and vulnerabilities with HTTPS encryption provided by AWS. Solve data residency requirements by storing firm data in one of four AWS data centers in the United States, Australia, Singapore or Europe.
- Data Backup: Automatically backup the firm database to protect against catastrophic failures. Export firm data and files securely at any time.
Webforms: Optimize the client intake process with customizable, client-facing intake webforms. Use the form builder extension to configure it in accordance with firm requirements and website aesthetics.
- Instant Alerts: Never miss a webform submission from prospective clients with instantaneous email alerts and in-platform notifications.
- Secure New Clients: Measure firm response rates to prospective client inquiries in order to improve future performance. The response timer keeps measuring time until the webform is processed or removed.
- Data Entry and Reporting: Circumvent manual data entry by automatically converting webforms to relevant matters. Periodically export webform data for reports on the total number of inquiries received and the average firm response rate.
Time Tracking: Track billable time from any device with an internet connection. Attach relevant notes to time tracked and use multiple timers to track simultaneous activities.
- Intuitive Recording: Fill out time entries with intuitive defaults based on immediate prior activity. Edit additional details as necessary such as associated legal matter, hours worked, billing rates and more.
- Intelligent Time Sheets: Keep track of employee time records and disbursements. The “Smart Suggestions” tool recommends matters and activities to fill the daily progress bar.
- Activity Codes: Automatically log common activities like client meetings and document creation with preset activity codes.
Matter Management: Configure individual matters with independent folders including related contacts, notes, documentation, email and calendar events, time records and billing information, trust accounting, audit trails and optimized workflow pattern.
- Workflow Automation: Streamline firm processes with matter-specific workflow automation. Automatically perform default tasks like email outreach, data entry and task assignments.
- Status Reports: Get detailed reports on the status of legal matters. Customize the reports to reveal specific datasets and export the results as Excel spreadsheets or weekly/daily email reports.
Document Management: Create and edit legal documents within matter-specific folders or upload files directly from third-party integrations like Microsoft Office, Google Drive and Dropbox. The document management portal provides data encryption and permission-based access to protect against unauthorized access.
- Data Backup: Secure firm data and documentation with automated backups. Export all data at any time.
- Scan and Search: Scan documents directly into legal matters and perform full text search for specific subjects.
Client Management: Get a comprehensive 360-degree view of clients with unique contact records, associated matters, correspondence history and billing information, all in one place.
- Client Outreach: Automatically send emails and SMS messages to clients about case updates, changes in matters and upcoming events. Set tasks to remind team members about critical client touchpoints.
- Client Portal: Clients can securely upload relevant documents and provide e-signatures through the self-service portal. Increase client engagement by communicating the latest case-related updates through notifications.
- Sales Pipeline: Manage prospective clients and sales leads with the purpose-built toolkit. Automatically send follow-up emails to prospects and create reminders for employees.
Calendar Management: Stay on top of important dates, appointments, hearings and legal obligations with the integrated calendar extension. Create shared calendars, synchronize entries across multiple devices and open tasks and matters directly from the extension.
- Calendar Sync: Synchronize the calendar tool with third-party integrations for Office 365, Microsoft Exchange and Google Calendar to receive a real-time, holistic view of firm obligations. Link matters directly to the calendar to view all related events.
- Calendar Reports: Prepare custom calendar reports with logged events, appointments, transactions and matter.
- Cashflow: Link appointments with associated matters to track pending payments. Remind clients about outstanding bills and record payments through the calendar portal itself.
Reporting: Identify the firm’s most profitable practice areas, referral sources, lawyers, clients and more with powerful reporting tools. Additional reporting areas include time and fee entries, client transactions, write-offs, bill journals, aging receivables and client profitability.
Marketing: Optimize the firm’s marketing policy by integrating marketing campaigns, timeframes, expectations and budgets with the recommended workflow. Get accurate feedback on return on investment (ROI) to improve future marketing efforts.
Email Management: Manage all client and contact correspondence with the dedicated email platform. Integrate with applications like Outlook and Gmail to record notes and tasks directly from the source.
- Email Automation: Inform clients, team members and co-counsels about case developments and events with automated emails. Create perfectly worded emails with custom templates that pull data from live matters.
- Matter Linking: Organize the firm’s inbox and outbox based on associated matters. Redirect all sent messages and replies automatically to the designated matter folder.
Document Automation: Automatically situate live data from legal matters into customizable documents and email templates to eliminate manual data entry. The document assembly tool can insert a variety of data fields including names, logos, addresses and billing information.
API: Use existing applications or integrate third party extensions like Office 365, Microsoft Outlook and more as per firm requirements.
Mobile App: Manage legal calendar, tasks, appointments and deadlines from the mobile app. Stay on top of all client obligations with automated synchronization of legal calendars.
- Mobile Time Tracking: Track time, create new entries and view timesheets on the go. Add notes and descriptions to time tracked, assign it to existing legal matters and enter billing information in real time.

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#25

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Analyst Rating Summary

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Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

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User Sentiment Summary

93%

of users recommend this product

Filevine has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 93% when considering 425 user reviews from 3 recognized software review sites.

87%

of users recommend this product

Actionstep has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 87% when considering 242 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

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4.2 (3)

4.7 (149)

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4.34 (119)

4.6 (263)

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4.2 (1)

Awards

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Customization: Filevine is highly customizable to suit various legal practices and case types.

Ease of Use: Most reviewers highlighted the platform’s user-friendly interface, making it easy to navigate.

Comprehensive Reporting Features: Its robust reporting tools help firms track data, performance and client conversion effectively.

Streamlined Client Communication: Features like two-way text messaging, document sharing and email linking simplify client communication while maintaining accountability.

Support for Remote Work: Many users praised its accessibility, allowing legal work from anywhere with an internet connection.

Easy Integrations: Filevine integrates well with other legal platforms, enhancing its versatility.

Functionality: The platform offers robust features, according to 88% of users who reviewed this aspect.

Ease of Use: According to 70% of users who reviewed this element, the system’s customizability and UI make it easy to use.

Cost: 80% of reviewers mentioning cost said the software’s pricing is within reason and affordable.

Automation: Regarding this feature, 92% of users said automation saves a lot of time and resources.

Data Management: According to 71% of users who reviewed this feature, the platform has powerful data management tools, including document search and field merging.

Customer Support Issues: Several users complained about poor customer service, long response times and challenges during onboarding and implementation.

Complex Setup: The initial setup and implementation process can be lengthy, requiring significant internal resources.

Glitches and Bugs: Some users experienced software glitches and technical issues, leading to workflow delays.

Documentation and Training: Reviewers expressed concerns about the lack of sufficient documentation and the need for more training.

Integrations: Integrations, especially email, accounting and invoicing, have a lot of room for improvement, according to 69% of reviewers mentioning this aspect.

Implementation: 69% of users reviewing this element said the implementation process is lengthy.

Service and Support: 56% of users who mentioned this aspect said support requests have long wait times.

Filevine is a versatile legal practice management solution that helps streamline various operations, from client management and document organization to time tracking, invoicing, and payment processing. Its integrated payment processor facilitates client payments through credit cards or ACH, providing a convenient option for law firms.One of Filevine's standout features is its robust reporting capabilities, enhanced by built-in AI. Law firms can generate detailed reports to track revenue, performance, lead conversion, hiring, caseloads and staff performance. AI-powered analytics provide valuable insights into team dynamics, caseload trends and overall firm health. By identifying top performers and areas for improvement, firms can optimize their operations and enhance efficiency.Filevine's AI also offers generative capabilities. The platform can summarize client applications and interactions, analyze lead sources to inform marketing strategies, and even generate demand letters and scan documents for insights. Additionally, it can automate immigration application processes and assist in document creation by generating summaries, charts and descriptions based on user prompts.While Filevine is a powerful tool for many law firms, it has some limitations that may not suit all needs. For example, it currently lacks a dedicated section for subrogation liens in the draft closing tab. Its sorting and filtering options for reminders could be improved. Additionally, the restriction of assigning only one cost/trust account per organization may not align with regulatory requirements for larger firms.Overall, Filevine is a valuable tool for solo practitioners and mid-sized law firms seeking to streamline their operations and leverage AI-powered insights. However, larger enterprises with more complex needs may find limitations that require careful consideration.

Actionstep provides a cost-effective alternative to various legal practice management solutions out there. It’s completely cloud-based with robust features designed to serve multiple practice areas. Document management, eDiscovery and automation are among its strengths with dedicated workflows, templates and search tools. However, there are tradeoffs with the most cost-effective options. Technical support can have long wait times and not always result in closure. The implementation process is lengthy, and integration options are mediocre at best. If you are on a tight budget and need a decent and reliable solution, Actionstep is a good contender.

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FAQ

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