Filevine vs SmartAdvocate

The short version

Filevine and SmartAdvocate both serve high-volume plaintiff firms, but they come from different places. Filevine is a venture-funded cloud platform that builds and buys its own AI. SmartAdvocate is a long-standing, highly configurable system with modules for many plaintiff practices, a long integration list, and a choice of cloud or your own server.

Platform, deployment and practices

Filevine runs in the browser. In September 2025 it announced $400M raised and nearly 6,000 customers. It sells packages (Matters, Intake through Lead Docket, Depositions, Signatures and LOIS) with extensions such as Timely deadlines and a client portal.

SmartAdvocate offers a cloud-hosted version and a server-based version where the firm chooses where the server and data live. That option is rare now and matters to firms with strict data policies or existing infrastructure. Its site cites 20,000+ legal professionals and 175+ integrations, and lists offices in Melville, New York and Bonita Springs, Florida.

Practice coverage

This is SmartAdvocate's clearest advantage. Its site lists personal injury, mass torts, workers' compensation, employment, Social Security, veterans affairs, family, criminal defense and more. Its workers' comp module tracks treatment toward MMI, stores impairment and PPD figures in custom fields, and uses state-specific form templates and deadline reminders. It does not name a California EAMS connection, so ask how it handles WCAB filings.

Filevine's site leads with PI, mass torts, family, immigration, criminal defense and government work. Workers' comp is not a featured practice.

AI

• Filevine builds its own: LOIS for drafting and case questions, MedChron, deposition tools and DemandsAI. LOIS Console, launched June 2026, runs agents across matters and writes results back to the case.
• SmartAdvocate launched SmartIntelligence in August 2026. Its site lists record, motion, brief and deposition summaries, case chat that answers with source references, translation and transcription. The launch added a settlement value assistant, customizable agents and an MCP server so outside AI tools can connect.

SmartAdvocate is also named on the integration pages of both EvenUp and Supio, so a SmartAdvocate firm can add either for demands. Neither names Filevine. If you plan to add a demand vendor, check the fit early: EvenUp says its integration setup carries no fee, and Supio says it reads from and writes back to the case system.

Implementation and cost

Neither publishes prices. Capterra lists SmartAdvocate from $109 per user, without saying what it covers. A third-party guide estimates Filevine at about $65 to $100 per user per month and SmartAdvocate around $89, with implementation of $5,000 to $20,000 for Filevine and $10,000 to $25,000 for SmartAdvocate. All of these are estimates. Third-party guides also describe a learning curve for SmartAdvocate and suggest a dedicated administrator.

Which one fits which firm

Choose Filevine if you want one vendor for case management, intake, depositions and AI, a modern browser interface, and agents that work across the caseload.

Choose SmartAdvocate if you run several plaintiff practices including workers' comp or Social Security, want to self-host, need a long integration list, or plan to add EvenUp or Supio.

Questions to ask both in the demo:

• What is the total first-year cost for our headcount, including implementation, migration, training and AI?
• Which AI features are included, and which are priced separately?
• How long did implementation take for a firm our size, and can we speak to one?
• How do our existing cases, notes and documents move over, and who checks the result?
• If we leave, what format is our data exported in?

For other enterprise matchups see Filevine vs Litify and Litify vs SmartAdvocate.

Where PlaintiffStack fits

PlaintiffStack is case management with AI built in for California PI, workers' comp and employment. For California comp firms it ships a benefits audit (TD periods, rates and late-payment exposure), a QME cover letter and records index, WCAB petition drafting, and morning checks such as IMR deadlines after a UR denial; it tracks the ADJ number but does not e-file in EAMS. It is $250 per case with every app included; AI usage is billed separately, with an estimate before each run. It reads searchable files only, with no OCR yet. It runs in the cloud only, in one US AWS account.

See PlaintiffStack vs Filevine, PlaintiffStack vs SmartAdvocate and workers' comp case management software.