Best legal intake software
Tools that capture, screen and follow up with a law firm's new clients, compared on price, seat minimums and what costs extra.
Want to see it first? Book a demo
Smith.ai ranks first if you want live intake answered by people, with a posted price: tiers start at $300 a month for 30 calls, with clear per-call overage. Lawmatics wins if you want workflow software, not an answering service. Budget for its 3-seat minimum and its AI modules, which cost extra.
The short answer
- Lawmatics' Essential and Premium tiers need at least 3 users, and Enterprise needs 5. No tier has a posted price. Its AI modules (lead scoring, outreach automation, an AI workflow builder) cost extra, per lawmatics.com/pricing.
- Smith.ai's Starter plan is $300/month for 30 calls, up to Pro at $2,100/month for 300 calls. Overage runs from $8.50 to $11.50 per call by tier, per smith.ai/pricing.
- Intaker posts no pricing page or figure on its site. It lists its named links (Lawmatics, MyCase, Clio, CaseStatus), but you learn the cost only on a sales call.
Legal intake tools compared
| Tool | Starting price | Seats/minimum | Model | Best for | Not for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawmatics | Pricing on request | 3-user minimum (Essential/Premium), 5-user (Enterprise) | Workflow automation software, AI modules priced separately | A firm that wants automated intake workflows tied to Clio, MyCase or Filevine | A solo practitioner who doesn't want to pay for a 3-seat minimum |
| Intaker | Pricing on request | Not posted | Multi-channel lead capture with pre-built AI chat agents | A firm that wants chat, text and call capture in one inbox | A buyer that wants any posted number, even a starting range |
| Smith.ai | $300/mo (Starter, 30 calls) | Priced by call volume, not by seat | Live US-based human agents, not self-serve software | A firm that wants every call answered by a person, 24/7 | A firm that wants a flat software fee with no per-call overage |
Figures checked on lawmatics.com/pricing and smith.ai/pricing, September 2026. Intaker's site (intaker.com) has no pricing page or posted figure we could find.
How the three differ in practice
Lawmatics
Lawmatics is built on automated intake workflows: up to 10 on Essential, and no limit on Premium and Enterprise. It links to Clio, MyCase, Filevine, CallRail and Google Ads. Its AI suite, Merlin, covers lead scoring, outreach and a workflow builder, and it's sold apart from the base plan. The entry tier caps contacts at 500, with more sold on top. Not for: a one- or two-lawyer firm that doesn't want a 3-seat minimum on day one.
Intaker
Intaker pulls chat, text, Google Local Services Ads replies, WhatsApp, Meta and phone leads into one inbox. Named, ready-made AI agents screen leads and answer LSA leads. Its site shows no pricing page, tiers or starting figure, so you need a demo before you learn the cost. Not for: a firm that wants even a rough number before a demo.
Smith.ai
Smith.ai is the only one of the three that's a staffed service, not self-serve software. Live US-based agents answer and screen calls around the clock. You pay for use: calls, each CRM link past the first free one, and calendar bookings each have a line item. So your bill turns on how you use it as well as the tier. Not for: a firm that wants a flat software fee over fees tied to volume.
How to choose
Choose Smith.ai if you want every call answered by a person, 24/7, at a posted price. Choose Lawmatics if you want automated intake workflows tied to Clio, MyCase or Filevine. Choose Intaker if you want chat, text and call leads in one inbox.
Disclosure: SalesCrew is our product. Choose SalesCrew for the pipeline behind your intake tool. It tracks each prospective client from first contact to signed engagement, with a follow-up cadence that pauses when they reply.
Questions
- What's the real cost of legal intake software, not only the sticker price?
- That turns on the kind of tool. Lawmatics charges no per-call fee, but it sells its AI modules (lead scoring, outreach automation) as add-ons outside the base tier. Smith.ai is a live answering service, so its cost grows with your calls: $300/month covers 30 calls, with overage at $11.50 a call on that tier.
- Is Smith.ai software or a staffing service?
- It's a live answering service run by people, not self-serve software. Smith.ai's pricing page describes 24/7 US-based agents who screen leads and take intake. It's priced by call volume, not by seat, so it's a different kind of spend from Lawmatics or Intaker.
- Why does Lawmatics require a minimum number of seats?
- Its pricing page sets a 3-user minimum on the Essential and Premium tiers and a 5-user minimum on Enterprise. A solo lawyer pays for seats they may not use. Count that before you set its price against a per-seat rival.
- Does any of these post a price without a demo?
- Only Smith.ai, of the three we checked. Lawmatics quotes all three tiers. Intaker's site has no pricing page or figure we could find. Both need a sales call or demo before you see a number.