Smokeball Review Australia 2026

AU-MadeLegal
3.0 / 5— SoftwareHQ AU Rating
Pricing verified 2026-03-20

Overview

Smokeball is legal practice management with automatic time recording. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Sydney, NSW, Australia, it serves Australian businesses with local data hosting and AU-based support.

Legal practice management with automatic time recording

AU Compliance Scores

BAS Lodgement
0/5
STP Phase 2
0/5
Payday Super
0/5
Modern Awards
0/5
GST Handling
3/5
Bank Feeds
0/5
Modern Awards NoteNot applicable — Smokeball does not include HR or payroll features.

Pricing (AUD inc. GST)

All prices below are in Australian dollars (GST not included). Pricing verified as of 2026-03-20.

Bill
$49/mo
AUD exc GST
Entry-level billing plan. 'From' pricing based on 36-month contract, ex-GST. Designed for firms focused primarily on billing and invoicing.
  • Users: per_user
Boost
$99/mo
AUD exc GST
Web-based practice management with Microsoft 365 web app integration. 'From' pricing based on 36-month contract, ex-GST. 30-day free trial available for this plan. Add-on: Intake ($29/month), Archie AI (contact for pricing).
  • Users: per_user
Grow
$189/mo
AUD exc GST
Full desktop practice management with Microsoft Word and Outlook desktop integration, TemplateLab document automation. 'From' pricing based on 36-month contract, ex-GST. Add-ons: Intake ($59/month), AutoTime ($39/month), Archie AI (contact for pricing).
  • Users: per_user
Most Popular
Prosper+
$239/mo
AUD exc GST
Best Value plan — includes Intake and AutoTime at no extra cost. Full desktop integration with all features. 'From' pricing based on 36-month contract, ex-GST. Archie AI available (contact for pricing).
  • Users: per_user

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Transparent tiered pricing starting from $49/user/month (ex-GST) — significantly more affordable than LEAP's ~$339/user/month
  • Industry-leading ease of use with 9.2/10 Capterra score — smoother onboarding and faster staff adoption than LEAP (6.7) or Clio
  • AutoTime automatic time recording captures billable work passively in the background, reportedly saving firms ~4 hours/week in recovered time
  • Law Society of NSW approved trust accounting (Certificate Number 16) compliant with Legal Profession Uniform Law
  • Award-winning Australian support team (CSIA ASEA 2024 winner) with extended hours until 7:00pm AEDT and free unlimited training including 1-on-1 sessions
  • Native integration with both Xero and MYOB for office accounting — broader accounting integration than LEAP's Xero-only focus
  • 30-day free trial available on the Boost plan — unlike LEAP which offers no trial period
  • ISO 27001 certified with AES-256 encryption at rest and TLS 1.2+ in transit on AWS infrastructure

Cons

  • All published pricing is based on 36-month contracts — 'from' pricing suggests rates may be higher depending on firm size and negotiation
  • AutoTime is only included in the top-tier Prosper+ plan ($239/user/month) — it's a $39/month add-on on Grow and not available on Bill or Boost
  • Smaller precedent/template library than LEAP's 5,500+ pre-configured legal precedents across all Australian jurisdictions
  • No integrated office accounting — requires Xero or MYOB integration for full financial management, unlike LEAP's built-in office accounting
  • Specific AWS region for Australian data not publicly confirmed — data sovereignty cannot be independently verified from public documentation
  • Desktop app features (AutoTime, TemplateLab, deep Microsoft integration) only available on Grow and Prosper+ plans — Boost is web-only
  • Archie AI pricing not publicly disclosed — requires contacting sales for this increasingly important feature

Who Is Smokeball Best For?

  • Solo Practitioner
  • Small Law Firm
  • Firms Prioritising Ease Of Use
  • Conveyancing Practice

Smokeball may not be the best fit for:

  • Large Law Firm
  • Firms Needing Integrated Office Accounting
  • Firms Requiring Extensive Precedent Libraries

Smokeball Alternatives

If Smokeball doesn’t quite fit your needs, consider these alternatives for Australian businesses:

  • LEAP Legal — Australia's largest legal practice management platform. From $339/mo inc. GST.
  • Actionstep — Cloud-based legal practice management for midsize law firms. From $130/mo inc. GST.
  • Clio — World's #1 cloud-based legal practice management platform. From $49/mo inc. GST.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Smokeball cost in Australia?
Smokeball offers four plans in Australia (all prices ex-GST, per user per month, based on 36-month contracts): Bill from $49, Boost from $99, Grow from $189, and Prosper+ from $239. A 30-day free trial is available on the Boost plan. Add-ons like AutoTime ($39/month on Grow) and Intake ($29-$59/month depending on plan) are extra on lower tiers but included in Prosper+.
Is Smokeball Australian-made?
Yes. Smokeball was founded in Sydney, Australia in 2012 by Hunter Steele, Jane Oxley, and Bart Vadala. The company's global headquarters remains in Sydney (Level 15, 333 Kent St, Sydney NSW 2000). Smokeball is independently owned by shareholders, many of whom are employees. The company expanded internationally to Chicago in 2013 and London in 2023.
Does Smokeball handle trust accounting for Australian law firms?
Yes. Smokeball's trust accounting holds Certificate Number 16 from the Law Society of NSW for compliant trust accounting software. It complies with the Legal Profession Uniform Law and Legal Profession Uniform General Rules 2015, including trust transaction numbering, three-way reconciliation, and automated trust reporting.
How does Smokeball compare to LEAP?
Both are Sydney-founded legal practice management platforms. Smokeball (founded 2012) is significantly more affordable (from $49 vs ~$339/user/month for LEAP), scores much higher on ease of use (Capterra: 9.2 vs 6.7), and offers a free trial and transparent pricing. LEAP (founded 1992) has a larger precedent library (5,500+), integrated office accounting, and deeper feature depth for complex firms. Smokeball suits firms prioritising value and usability; LEAP suits firms wanting maximum feature depth.
What is Smokeball's AutoTime feature?
AutoTime is Smokeball's automatic time recording feature that passively captures all work activity — document editing, emails, calendar events — without requiring manual timers or stopwatches. It runs in the background and builds daily time entries that lawyers review and invoice. Users report saving approximately four hours per week. AutoTime is included in Prosper+ or available as a $39/month add-on on Grow.
Does Smokeball integrate with Xero and MYOB?
Yes. Smokeball integrates natively with both Xero and MYOB for office accounting. When an invoice is paid in Smokeball, the receipt of funds into your office bank account is automatically posted as journal entries in Xero or MYOB. MYOB integration is compatible with all MYOB plans.