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Time Matters vs Tabs3

Last Updated: November 18th, 2024

Our analysts compared Time Matters vs Tabs3 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

Time Matters is a customizable cloud-based solution that provides a centralized database to optimize legal workflows, track billable hours and facilitate collaboration. Users can use it to generate workflows, forms and documents with customizable templates, as well as track billable time easily and remotely from any device. It can streamline legal workflows with task and deadline reminders, shared calendars and automated recurring processes. Legal teams can utilize transparent sharing, enhanced communication messenger and user access controls to collaborate efficiently.

It offers seamless integrations to enrich its functionality, including PCLaw, Juris, Quickbook, Outlook 365 and MS Office. Firms can opt for its billing module, Billing Matters, to generate bills, acquire payments, organize accounts and more. Its personalized reporting modules can deliver data-driven insights on facets such as productivity and profitability. It also provides conflict-check searching, auto-entry forms, to-do lists, events and email management. It was acquired by PCLaw in 2019.

Tabs3 is an integrated suite of solutions designed for law firms to streamline their entire matter lifecycle. Practices can opt and pay for only the modules they need, which include billing, practice management, general ledger, accounts payable and trust accounting. It requires minimal implementation and can be deployed either in the cloud or on-premises. It has an array of ways to review important metrics, track billable hours, send bills and get paid faster.

In addition to modifying account structures with ease, users can stay on top of their cash flows by tracking and resolving invoices, bank statements, deposits and payments. It improves firm-wide monitoring with dashboards to visualize historical data and flexible reporting on productivity, profitability, billing and other aspects. Users can access it on the go from any device and use numerous integrations to enrich it.

$179 Monthly

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$40 Monthly

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Tailored to your specific needs

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Product Insights

Increased Productivity: Spend more time on billable client activities by automating maintenance and management tasks.
Streamlined Collaboration: Simplify collaboration with clients and team members with a single, centrally accessible source of truth for case information.
Billing Oversight: Identify unbilled hours at the end of the month with an integrated Billing Calendar and Inactivity Watch tools.
Ethical Trust Accounting: Steer clear of unethical and illegal practices while managing trust accounts with built-in safeguards that prevent overdraws and maintain a transparent audit trail.
Large Database Capacity: Save a large number of case files and records without worrying about storage issues.

Expedited Billing: Boost cash flow with multiple payment modes, mobile payment options, and customizable statements and payment plans.
Streamlined Data Management: Quickly find legal matters, records and case information with electronic data organization and easy-to-use search tools.
Sync With Court Rules: Seamlessly sync the legal calendar to Federal and State-based jurisdictional rules with affiliations to ALA and ABA.
All-in-One Connectivity: Stay connected regardless of the mode of deployment using a mobile app.

Workflow Management: Configure workflows and automatically trigger recurring daily processes, calendar entries, email outreach and research notes based on specified deadlines. Customize templates of precedents, documents, forms or merge pre-existing ones.
- Document Management: Search for keywords in documents quickly and easily from within your firm’s indexed and centralized document library. Use the intuitive AutoEntry forms to process repetitive data input tasks and save time.
- Task Management: Stay on top of your meetings, important events, deadlines, contacts, emails, phone calls, outlines, documents and notes with integrated journals and calendar features. Manage and track daily tasks and activities with the ToDo and Events portal.
- Employee Management: Ensure matters, contacts and clients have not been overlooked with the Inactivity Watch extension. Record and review employee performance and activity within the organization.
Employee Collaboration: Improve staff cooperation with optimized sharing of intelligence, calendars and communication using a centralized database of information and a dedicated TM Messenger. Reduce malpractice risks with automated logging of all case-related data.
Data Access Control: Control access to data across various levels with permission-based limitations. Monitor activity across specific contacts and matters and ensure compliance with ethical and data security standards.
Firm Insights: Create customized standard and statistical data reports on employee performance, financial health, lead sourcing and more. Vet clients, matters and contacts for conflict of interests with intuitive search tools.
Billing Management: The Billing Matters portal manages accounts, creates bills, logs transactions, receives payments, makes bank deposits and more. Keep track of and identify unbilled hours with the Billing Calendar.
API Integrations: Access a variety of extensions like PCLaw, Juris, QuickBooks, Timeslips, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Acrobat, Reader and WordPerfect. E-file using InfoTrack and synchronize tasks and calendars across Outlook 365 or Exchange.
Mobile App: Use Time Matters Go to enter time on the go and keep track of tasks and documentation.

Financial Management: Manage firm financials with the end-to-end accounting portal. Interact directly with the billing module to issue checks, print financial statements, operate trust accounts and perform year-end reconciliations.
- General Ledger: Balance operating and trust accounts with the general ledger tool.
- Accounts Payable: Track all incoming and outgoing transactions for a holistic view of firm financials. Monitor aging receivables, cash requirements, vendor payments, recurring payments and voided checks.
- Trust Accounting: Automatically log all transactions made from trust accounts. Reconcile deposits and withdrawals and print checks from the client’s trust fund.
- Integrations: Supports integrations with Tabs3 Billing Software, Tabs3 Accounts Payable Software and Tabs3 General Ledger Software.
- 1099 Forms: Combine payment disbursements to vendors and trust account payees with the 1099 form. Always maintain compliance with IRS regulations.
Matter Management: View a quick feed of matter-specific information like contacts, communication history, case notes, documentation and invoices directly into the dashboard. Verify the billing summary of matter information and issue invoices against unpaid bills.
Calendar Management: Switch between firm-wide and personal calendar views to get a 360-degree picture of firm obligations. Schedule individual and/or collective appointments and color-code them based on associated staff and activities.
- Deadline Checks: Automatically check new calendar entries against existing events for scheduling conflicts. Set up custom federal, state, county and jurisdiction-based rules for detecting deadlines.
- Notifications: Notify individual or collective staff members about important events and hearings.
- Recurring Meetings: Automate calendar entries for recurring events that take place at both regular and irregular time intervals.
- Planning Templates: Prepare sequential events with calendar planning templates. Use event-based or time-based triggers for court rules and collection follow-ups.
Conflict Checks: Check all potential clients for conflicts of interest. Investigate legal documents, emails, matters and attachments for partial and/or phonetic matches to the conflict checking tool.
Email Management: Integrate with Microsoft Outlook to automatically track time spent on writing and reviewing client emails. Add emails directly to client files, perform conflict checks and sort by associated matter.
Time and Expense Tracking: Track every minute of time spent on client activities and correspondence with multiple built-in timers. Interact directly with the billing portal to issue invoices directly from time entries. Set custom billing and increment rates for individual clients.
Document Management: Organize legal documents by connecting them to associated matters and clients. Import scanned documents using the PaperPort extension. Track various changes made to a document across previous versions.
- Smart Documents: Autofill common data fields with information already in the firm database. Automatically issue invoices for any document-related activity.
Workflow Automation: Engineer custom workflow patterns with up to 10 tasks including emails, communication, documentation, appointments and more. Assign tasks to staff members with trigger-based alerts.
Controlled Access: Restrict access to sensitive documents with permission-based accounts and customizable viewership controls. Permit edits for specific data fields.
Backup and Recovery: Secure firm information with regular backups. Export firm data at any time in case of power outages or network failures.
eNote: Send secure messages in real time with the built-in messaging portal. Send appointment links and reminders along with text messages.
Billing: Use the billing portal to directly transform time entries into billable hours. Prepare tailored bills with quick access to client contacts, payment history, write-offs, WIP, account balance and more.
- Billing Flexibility: Process payments faster with flexible billing methods. Issue contingency, retainer, hourly, flat fee or threshold-based bills and design custom rate charts for specific clients.
- Online Payments: Accept credit card transactions for expedited payments. Use the Tabs3Pay tool to email online payment links along with client invoices. Supports integration for LawPay and ProPay.
- Reports: Generate built-in reports for greater insights into revenue, important clients, receivables, compensation, productivity, profitable practice areas and more.

Product Ranking

#44

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#49

among all
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Analyst Rating Summary

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User Sentiment Summary

69%

of users recommend this product

Time Matters has a 'fair' User Satisfaction Rating of 69% when considering 94 user reviews from 3 recognized software review sites.

93%

of users recommend this product

Tabs3 has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 93% when considering 355 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

3.3 (39)

3.8 (27)

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4.7 (160)

3.4 (46)

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4.7 (166)

4.4 (9)

3.9 (2)

Awards

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Customizable: Time Matters is highly customizable to fit the specific needs of a law firm, including workflows, billing arrangements, and reporting.

Integrations: Time Matters integrates with a variety of other software programs, such as Microsoft Office and QuickBooks, which can save time and improve efficiency.

Document Management: Time Matters includes robust document management features, such as version control and full-text search, which can help law firms keep track of their important documents.

Client Communication: Time Matters includes features that can help law firms communicate with their clients more effectively, such as email integration and client portals.

Reporting: Time Matters includes a variety of reporting features that can help law firms track their performance and make better business decisions.

Intuitive Interface: Users highlight the user-friendliness of Tabs3, making it easy to navigate and manage legal tasks.

Comprehensive Features: Tabs3 is praised for its wide array of features, covering various aspects of legal practice management, from time tracking and billing to document management.

Robust Reporting: Users appreciate the detailed reporting capabilities of Tabs3, allowing for insightful analysis of financial and operational data.

Dated Interface: The user interface appears outdated and can feel clunky to navigate, especially for users accustomed to modern software design.

Learning Curve: Time Matters has a steep learning curve due to its complex features and functionalities, requiring significant time investment to master.

Customization Challenges: Customizing the software to fit specific workflows can be difficult and may require technical expertise or assistance from the vendor.

Performance Issues: Some users report experiencing performance issues, such as slow loading times or occasional crashes, which can disrupt productivity.

Cost: Time Matters can be expensive, especially for smaller firms or solo practitioners, with costs associated with licensing, implementation, and ongoing support.

Limited Customization: Users have expressed frustration over the inflexibility of certain features, particularly when it comes to document assembly. For instance, one user found it cumbersome that they couldn't easily modify the formatting of numbered clauses within a legal document.

Learning Curve: Legal professionals transitioning from older software versions have reported a steep learning curve with Tabs3. The new interface and features require time and effort to master, impacting productivity during the transition phase.

Integration Challenges: Some users have encountered difficulties integrating Tabs3 with other essential software used in their legal practice. This lack of seamless integration can disrupt workflows and lead to inefficiencies.

Time Matters has been a mainstay in the legal software arena for decades, but how does it hold up in today's fast-paced technological landscape? User reviews from the past year paint a picture of a powerful, feature-rich platform that, while not without its quirks, remains a top contender for law firms seeking comprehensive case management. Time Matters shines in its ability to centralize client and case information, streamline document management, and automate routine tasks. The software's integration with popular legal research tools like LexisNexis and billing applications like PCLaw is a major plus for many users, boosting efficiency and saving precious time. However, some users find the interface a bit clunky and dated compared to newer, more intuitive platforms. The learning curve can be steep, especially for those transitioning from simpler systems. Despite these drawbacks, Time Matters' robust functionality and customizability make it a compelling choice for larger firms with complex caseloads and a need for granular control over their workflows. Smaller firms or solo practitioners might find the extensive features overwhelming and may prefer more streamlined options like Clio or MyCase.

Users rave about Tabs3's robust document management and search capabilities, highlighting its ability to centralize all case-related information, making it easy to find any document quickly. They also appreciate the comprehensive financial tools, including billing, trust accounting, and reporting features, which streamline financial operations and ensure compliance. However, some users find the interface dated and not as intuitive as newer cloud-based solutions like Clio or MyCase. They also point out that the on-premise deployment option, while offering more control, can be more demanding to maintain than cloud-based alternatives. Despite these drawbacks, users consistently praise Tabs3's deep feature set and its long-standing reputation for reliability, making it a solid choice for firms prioritizing stability and comprehensive functionality over a modern user interface. It's particularly well-suited for larger, established firms with complex needs and the IT infrastructure to support an on-premise solution.

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