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Smokeball Pros and Cons: Top 5 Advantages and Disadvantages

Quick AI Summary Based on G2 Reviews

Generated from real user reviews

Users find Smokeball to be user-friendly, enhancing organization and efficiency in case management with helpful tools. (40 mentions)
Users praise Smokeball for its efficiency, streamlining case management and saving valuable time in legal practices. (31 mentions)
Users laud the exceptional customer support of Smokeball, highlighting quick responses and useful suggestions from the team. (26 mentions)
Users value the document management capabilities of Smokeball, significantly enhancing organization and efficiency in legal practices. (26 mentions)
Users love the organizational capabilities of Smokeball, streamlining case management and enhancing overall workflow efficiency. (26 mentions)
Users find missing features in Smokeball, such as limitations in document handling and inadequate search functionality. (22 mentions)
Users face billing issues with Smokeball, including automated payments and unclear invoice descriptions, needing further improvements. (16 mentions)
Users face issues with software bugs, experiencing lost documents, crashes, and poor search functionality. (13 mentions)
Users find the document management limitations of Smokeball frustrating, including issues with email handling and file saving. (12 mentions)
Users experience integration issues with Smokeball, impacting compatibility with calendars and email management. (12 mentions)

5 Pros or Advantages of Smokeball

1. Ease of Use
Users find Smokeball to be user-friendly, enhancing organization and efficiency in case management with helpful tools.
See 40 mentions

See Related User Reviews

JL

Joy L.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"simple to use"

What do you like about Smokeball?

simple to use, forms are always updated.

Verified User
U

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Love Smokeball!"

What do you like about Smokeball?

Switching to Smokeball has made my practice of law so much more organized and easier! So user friendly and so many additional tools that make it your

2. Efficiency
Users praise Smokeball for its efficiency, streamlining case management and saving valuable time in legal practices.
See 31 mentions

See Related User Reviews

BS

Bonnie S.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Smokeball - game changer for law firms"

What do you like about Smokeball?

We are half way through our second year in using Smokeball, and it has completely transformed the way I manage cases and workflow. It’s not just anoth

Verified User
U

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Love Smokeball!"

What do you like about Smokeball?

Switching to Smokeball has made my practice of law so much more organized and easier! So user friendly and so many additional tools that make it your

3. Customer Support
Users laud the exceptional customer support of Smokeball, highlighting quick responses and useful suggestions from the team.
See 26 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Verified User
U

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"INFO@ Review"

What do you like about Smokeball?

The upsides of smokeball are that it tracks all time when in a form/template. you can do your invoice from smokeball you can track phone calls with zo

SY

Stephanie Y.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Smokeball has given me so much time back - I can focus on lawyering instead of admin tasks."

What do you like about Smokeball?

I was set up for success early on with an onboarding specialist, who was always available and helpful. I enjoy the training videos and support communi

4. Document Management
Users value the document management capabilities of Smokeball, significantly enhancing organization and efficiency in legal practices.
See 26 mentions

See Related User Reviews

BS

Bonnie S.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Smokeball - game changer for law firms"

What do you like about Smokeball?

We are half way through our second year in using Smokeball, and it has completely transformed the way I manage cases and workflow. It’s not just anoth

Verified User
U

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Love Smokeball!"

What do you like about Smokeball?

Switching to Smokeball has made my practice of law so much more organized and easier! So user friendly and so many additional tools that make it your

5. Organization
Users love the organizational capabilities of Smokeball, streamlining case management and enhancing overall workflow efficiency.
See 26 mentions

See Related User Reviews

BS

Bonnie S.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Smokeball - game changer for law firms"

What do you like about Smokeball?

We are half way through our second year in using Smokeball, and it has completely transformed the way I manage cases and workflow. It’s not just anoth

Verified User
U

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Love Smokeball!"

What do you like about Smokeball?

Switching to Smokeball has made my practice of law so much more organized and easier! So user friendly and so many additional tools that make it your

5 Cons or Disadvantages of Smokeball

1. Missing Features
Users find missing features in Smokeball, such as limitations in document handling and inadequate search functionality.
See 22 mentions

See Related User Reviews

DW

Donna W.

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

4.5/5

"Smokeball"

What do you dislike about Smokeball?

1. You can't insert a document from Smokeball into a calendar event. 2. You can't upload a folder to an email. 3. You can't put an email into a corres

David G.
DG

David G.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4.0/5

"I am the managing member of a law firm that has used Smokeball for nearly 6 years"

What do you dislike about Smokeball?

Does not automatically save. We have had some issues with Smokeball losing documents where there are multiple versions of a document with it sometimes

2. Billing Issues
Users face billing issues with Smokeball, including automated payments and unclear invoice descriptions, needing further improvements.
See 16 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Verified User
U

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"long time user"

What do you dislike about Smokeball?

Their billing software is good and getting better but still needs tweakes.

CG

Christopher G.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Extremely streamlined, user-friendly experience"

What do you dislike about Smokeball?

Sometimes my firm encounters small problems with the Smokeball Billing website. Payments are automatically sent to Ledgers, despite attempting to invo

3. Software Bugs
Users face issues with software bugs, experiencing lost documents, crashes, and poor search functionality.
See 13 mentions

See Related User Reviews

MN

Makaylah N.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"easy"

What do you dislike about Smokeball?

sometimes my emails do not generate to smokeball so i have to readd them

David G.
DG

David G.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4.0/5

"I am the managing member of a law firm that has used Smokeball for nearly 6 years"

What do you dislike about Smokeball?

Does not automatically save. We have had some issues with Smokeball losing documents where there are multiple versions of a document with it sometimes

4. Document Management
Users find the document management limitations of Smokeball frustrating, including issues with email handling and file saving.
See 12 mentions

See Related User Reviews

DW

Donna W.

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

4.5/5

"Smokeball"

What do you dislike about Smokeball?

1. You can't insert a document from Smokeball into a calendar event. 2. You can't upload a folder to an email. 3. You can't put an email into a corres

David G.
DG

David G.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4.0/5

"I am the managing member of a law firm that has used Smokeball for nearly 6 years"

What do you dislike about Smokeball?

Does not automatically save. We have had some issues with Smokeball losing documents where there are multiple versions of a document with it sometimes

5. Integration Issues
Users experience integration issues with Smokeball, impacting compatibility with calendars and email management.
See 12 mentions

See Related User Reviews

MN

Makaylah N.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"easy"

What do you dislike about Smokeball?

sometimes my emails do not generate to smokeball so i have to readd them

Verified User
U

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4.5/5

"Fantastic"

What do you dislike about Smokeball?

There are some compatability issues and when there's an update to Smokeball it might not be compatable with the current version of Outlook, but nothin

Smokeball Reviews (337)

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Smokeball Reviews (337)

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Frederick D.
FD
Solicitor
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Beware of Signifcant Price Increase After First Sign Up"
What do you like best about Smokeball?

I am happy with the software itself and the customer support. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Smokeball?

It is loosing its pricing competitiveness which was a big reason for our transition to Smokeball in the first place. I am at the end of my first 36 month contract and the renewal fees have nearly DOUBLED which is hard pill to swallow. There is no real way to reduce fees without substantial loss in features which made Smokeball attractive in the first place. While they offer different pricing/feature levels, if you want the features of automated precedents and autotime there is virtually no saving compared to their top-tier pricing due to how expensive they've made addons. Their second tier product has options to include $107 worth of addons when their first tier product includes them all for an additional $50. Even if you just choose 1 addon, the savings are negligible compared to the top tier product.

Smokeball has virtually caught up in pricing to the product offering we left to transition to Smokeball. Very disappointing. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Katharine Uhrich of Smokeball

Thanks for your feedback, Frederick. We understand your concerns about the price increase since you signed on with Smokeball three years ago. To address client requests and needs, we debuted a suite of new product functionality in 2023. The pricing you reference reflects the value of these feature enhancements and the improvements we've made since you first became a client. (I also want to clarify, the amounts you reference are in AUD and reflect the Australian pricing and product tiering, which differs from the US.)

We know there are many legal software alternatives, but we believe Smokeball is the best value in the market by far. We also know when clients invest in learning Smokeball, they see huge gains in efficiency, productivity, and revenue.

We'd love to keep you as a client, and your account manager and our training team are here to work with you. If you need to explore other options, we wish you and your firm all the best!

Dawn A.
DA
Office Manager
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Smokeball is a fantastic case management software."
What do you like best about Smokeball?

Our firm has used this software since 2017, it is a comprehensive tool for all of our practice areas that is easy to use. They are constantly making changes and updates to the software which allow us to use it across all of the departments at our general practice firm. Many useful features for communicating seamlessly with clients, uploading and organizing data, creating and housing documents and the new AI feature is hugely beneficial. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Smokeball?

We have had a few glitches with the billing portion since using it in 2024. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Katharine Uhrich of Smokeball

Dawn, it's been great partnering with you and your firm over the years! Client feedback is essential to evolving Smokeball to meet our users' needs. So glad it's giving your firm full visibility into every aspect of your practice and helping you work smarter.

Sue B.
SB
Paralegal
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Smokeball 10th Anniversary"
What do you like best about Smokeball?

Our office has used Smokeball for 10 years and it has greatly increased our efficiency with the automation of documents and file set up. Once contacts are established, it's very easy to open a new file quickly. Our office is real estate closings only and is very document intensive, so the automation is a key function that we rely heavily on. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Smokeball?

We'd appreciate greater interaction with the support team in terms of what upgrades and fixes are to be included in a future release. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Katharine Uhrich of Smokeball

Sue, we've loved working with you and your firm over the years! So glad to hear that Smokeball continues to make your firm more efficient with document automation, management, and more. Thanks for your 5-star review!

JS
Paralegal
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"...Gimme a minute"
What do you like best about Smokeball?

What is best about Smokeball is how it is easy to understand after you master the basics. At first, it was a bit confusing, however, the billing customer service department was extremely helpful with the transition and frequent use. I literally would reach out for help because it seemed impossible to master it. Through the exceptional billing training from Sara and Maureen, they showed me several features to help me out with invoice reports. With this being said, it was an easy implementation and integration using Smokeball compared to the former platform the firm used. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Smokeball?

What is least helpful about Smokeball is scheduling assistance from billing. It is like trying to schedule a doctor's appointment. The dates are all booked up well into the following week and you have to wait several days just to speak to someone. #SorryNotSorry Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Katharine Uhrich of Smokeball

Thanks for your feedback, Joel. Smokeball's complimentary training and billing experts are always here for you!

Morgan r.
MR
Paralegal
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Morgans review"
What do you like best about Smokeball?

Smokeball automatically tracks what you do within the software—emails, documents, calls, and tasks—so lawyers can bill accurately without having to manually log every minute. This helps improve billable hours and reduces revenue loss. Smokeball includes a huge template library and document automation tools, letting you generate standard legal documents quickly and with fewer errors. This can save a massive amount of time in high-volume practices. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Smokeball?

It’s very Windows- and desktop-based.

If you're on Mac or want to run your firm from mobile devices or a browser, Smokeball isn’t as flexible as cloud-native tools like Clio. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Katharine Uhrich of Smokeball

So glad that you're using automatic time tracking to track all your billable time and using document automation to save time, Morgan! We so appreciate your 5-star review.

Tia H.
TH
Owner
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Smokeballing"
What do you like best about Smokeball?

The auto forms and now the added Archie. I mean they take work smarter not harder to another level. To have all that at your fingertips seems almost too good to be true. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Smokeball?

The calendar section (events in your matter) can be upgraded to integrate with Google. The Microsoft teams meet and other programming has so many glitches and many are not familiar with its function. They should be able to integrate with Google (more straight forward and user friendly) whereas you add the dates on a matter and they auto add to your Google calendar. Also the google emails with dates and regarding specific matters from/for court should be able to be added to calendars. This helps efficiency to make sure less human error occurs. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Katharine Uhrich of Smokeball

Love to hear that you're working smarter not harder with Smokeball Billing, the automated templates and court forms, and the AI Matter Assitant, Archie. We appreciate your feedback on calendaring. Thanks for your 5-star review!

Javier P.
JP
Office Manager
Accounting
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"The Most Efficient Legal Practice Management"
What do you like best about Smokeball?

What I love about Smokeball is its seamless integration of case management, document automation, and time tracking all in one platform. It significantly streamlines workflows for our law firm, saves time and reduces the risk of errors, while also making client communication more efficient. I especially love the automatic time tracking feature for billing purposes. And Customer Support is always available. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Smokeball?

One downside to Smokeball is that the learning curve can be steep, especially for us a smaller firm. We must all communicate the way we enter things. Additionally, the pricing is very high. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Katharine Uhrich of Smokeball

Javier, we're so glad to hear that Smokeball is saving you time, automatically tracking your billable hours, and eliminating administrative tasks so you can focus on your legal work. Thanks for your 5-star review!

Paige U.
PU
Real Estate Paralegal
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"I couldn't handle the volume of files I have without Smokeball"
What do you like best about Smokeball?

Everything is organized in one place. I can review old files and find things that are helpful on current files and it doesn't take a lot of work to do this. I also have honed my workflows which has saved me a lot of time. The tasks for the day are automated, so I don't have to create a daily "to-do" list. The value of this is immeasurable. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Smokeball?

The one thing I would change with smokeball is its lack of Apple/Mac integration. I prefer to work on mac computers and the downloadable application is not curretnly supported. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Katharine Uhrich of Smokeball

Love hearing how Smokeball's workflows and tasks are automating and saving huge amounts of time for you, Paige. Really appreciate your feedback and 5-star review!

LO
Intake Supervisor/ Content Marketing Specialist
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Smokeball is elite to its competitors!"
What do you like best about Smokeball?

Hands down Smokeball customer service is the best in the business! The software has all the necessary tools for making daily tasks an ease to track and keep organized. If we have ever had a suggestion or needed a better way to do something within the program the SB team jumps right on it! Being a customer for many years, there is a reason we have continued to stay with this choice. No doubt Smokeball is way ahead of the rest! No way we could run without it. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Smokeball?

Being only a personal injury firm, we would love for more of the features to be tailored to this area of practice. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Katharine Uhrich of Smokeball

Thanks for your 5-star review, Lacey! We've loved partnering with your firm over the years. We're here for you and would love your feedback on how we can better tailor Smokeball to PI firms.

Jenny G.
JG
Partner
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Really comprehensive software that makes your practice smoother"
What do you like best about Smokeball?

I love that smokeball is always updating. We have been using them for 8 years or so and it has gone from a simple cloud based document sharing and work production software to integrating much more and basically all aspects of our practice, inclduing billing, ordering title, and court filings. I also live how responsive and helpful their customer service is, when i have an issue I do not hesitate to contact them and I know it will be resolved timely (if not right away) Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Smokeball?

I dont love the price increases but I understand this is part of the business Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Katharine Uhrich of Smokeball

Thanks for being a longtime valued client, Jenny! We're grateful for your review and ongoing feedback that helps us evolve. Wonderful to hear that Smokeball is an end-to-end practice management solution for your firm. As you know, we're always here for you!

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