Act! CRM vs Clio: Complete Comparison 2026
An in-depth comparison of features, pricing, and user experience to help you make the right choice.
Act! CRM
Legacy CRM with 35+ years of history offering desktop and cloud options for small business contact management.
Clio
8.4(12,400 reviews)
Legal practice management and CRM platform with time tracking, billing, and client intake for law firms.
Quick Comparison
| Aspect | Act! CRM | Clio |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Small businesses needing reliable contact management for 2-10 users | Solo practitioners and small law firms needing all-in-one practice management |
| Pricing Model | Free Trial | Free Trial |
| Starting Price | $30/mo | $39/mo |
| Deployment | cloud, on premise | cloud |
| Platforms | WEB, WINDOWS, IOS, ANDROID | WEB, IOS, ANDROID, MAC, WINDOWS |
| Rating | 7.0/10 | 8.4/10 |
Pros & Cons
Act! CRM
Pros
- 35+ years of proven contact management expertise
- Desktop version provides offline access and local data control
- Built-in marketing automation saves on separate tools
- Strong activity tracking with 14-day interaction history
- One-time purchase option available for desktop version
Cons
- Interface looks and feels dated compared to modern CRMs
- Mobile apps are limited and lack feature parity
- Third-party integrations require Zapier or workarounds
- Reporting capabilities are basic without add-ons
- Marketing automation feels bolted on rather than native
Clio
Pros
- Best-in-class time tracking with multiple entry methods
- Trust accounting that handles IOLTA compliance across all US states
- Over 250 integrations including Westlaw, Fastcase, and QuickBooks
- Court calendar rules auto-calculate filing deadlines
- Mobile app is genuinely usable for logging time on the go
Cons
- Full CRM features only available on the $129/user Complete plan
- Learning curve is steep for staff unfamiliar with legal software
- Reporting customization requires the Advanced tier or higher
- Document automation is basic compared to dedicated tools like HotDocs
- Customer support wait times have increased as the user base grew
Pricing Comparison
| Product | Pricing Model | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|
| Act! CRM | free trial | $30/mo |
| Clio | free trial | $39/mo |
Our Verdict
Choose Act! CRM if...
You need Small businesses needing reliable contact management for 2-10 users and prefer free trial pricing.
Choose Clio if...
You need Solo practitioners and small law firms needing all-in-one practice management and prefer free trial pricing.
Still Not Sure?
Explore more alternatives or read in-depth reviews to make your decision.