Enterprise DNA

Actionstep alternatives

Actionstep alternatives for NZ and Australian businesses

Actionstep: Quoted privately: per user, plus implementation fees and separately priced add-on modules.

  • check_circleYour data in a database you own
  • check_circleOpen source, no lock-in
  • check_circleBuilt and run by Enterprise DNA

The options

What people compare Actionstep with

Actionstep charges a per user price you have to request, plus implementation fees and separately priced add-on modules for time capture, analytics, intake and document automation. Owners look elsewhere when those numbers arrive as a quote rather than a page, when price rises land by invoice, and when leaving means losing access to their own matter records the day the subscription ends.

Often compared

LEAP

One of the practice management tools that positions itself against Actionstep with its own comparison page.

Often compared

Clio

Another practice management tool for law firms, also running a comparison page against Actionstep.

Often compared

Smokeball

A law firm practice management tool that likewise runs a comparison page against Actionstep.

Yours to own

Matters for Claude Code

The open-source law firm practice system that is just a database and Claude Code. Built around your business, with your Actionstep data brought across.

See how it works

We also replace

Paying for something other than Actionstep?

Matters for Claude Code replaces these too, with your records brought across.

How to choose

How to choose a Actionstep alternative

  1. 1

    What the bill is tied to

    Actionstep's price is per user, quoted privately, with implementation fees on top and add-on modules for time capture, analytics, intake and document automation priced separately again. Check whether a rival's bill is tied to seats, add-ons or a quote you have to request before you compare it fairly.

  2. 2

    Whether your records stay yours

    Departing Actionstep firms have reported access ending at the subscription boundary, with matters, time records and conflict history held on the vendor's clock. Ask any alternative what happens to your records the day you stop paying, and whether export happens before or after that point.

  3. 3

    Whether it fits your own rules

    Actionstep's configurability is real, but changing how your own firm works routes through billable third-party configuration and a six to twelve week implementation project through certified partners. Ask whether an alternative lets you change fields and workflow yourself, or whether that also needs a consultant.

  4. 4

    What the switch actually involves

    Actionstep's Data Export Report exports matters, participants and time to CSV, and a REST API sits behind it, so records can leave in a working form. Confirm any alternative can take that export in, and check there is no gap in access while you move.

The option that fits

Own your version instead of renting one

Matters for Claude Code puts your matters, time, conflicts, key dates and undertakings in a database you own, run in plain language rather than through screens you rent. Enterprise DNA builds it around how your firm actually works, brings your Actionstep records across, and runs it for you for one setup fee then a monthly retainer. There is also a free version an owner can run themselves.

  • check Your records live in a database your firm owns
  • check Built around your own rules, fields and workflow
  • check One setup fee, then a monthly retainer, no per-seat plans
Get your version built

Make it yours

Design your own Actionstep replacement

Everything starts from the open-source base. Then it gets your name, the parts you run, your rules and your data from Actionstep. Try it here, and we build the real one.

2. What it runs

3. Make it fit

4. Your colour

Your business · your Actionstep replacement Your version
YB Your business

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Answered from your own database

Build my version

We build it from the open-source base, bring your Actionstep data across and run it for you.

Questions

Actionstep alternatives, answered

What does Actionstep actually cost each month? expand_more

Actionstep does not publish a price. It is quoted per user plus implementation fees, and add-on modules for time capture, analytics, intake and document automation are priced separately again. Reviewers have reported year-on-year increases large enough to send firms looking for an alternative.

Can I get my data out of Actionstep if I leave? expand_more

Yes, while your subscription is live. The Data Export Report exports contacts, matters and time entries to CSV, and a REST API is documented for anything else. One reviewer reported access ending at the subscription boundary with no grace period, so export before you cancel, not after.

Do LEAP, Clio or Smokeball cost less than Actionstep? expand_more

Actionstep does not publish figures to compare against, and none of the other tools' own pricing appears here. What is known is that LEAP, Clio and Smokeball each run their own comparison page against Actionstep, which is worth reading alongside whatever quote you are given.

What is the alternative to renting a per seat practice system? expand_more

Matters for Claude Code stores your matters, conflicts, time, key dates and undertakings in a database you own, worked through plain language rather than per user screens. Enterprise DNA builds it around your firm, imports your Actionstep records, and runs it for one setup fee then a monthly retainer. A free version exists for owners to run themselves.

Done comparing? Own the one that fits.

30 minutes with Sam. Bring what Actionstep costs you a year and how you run. We show you what your own version looks like, and if it is a fit, we build it and bring your data across.

Get your version built

Done paying for Actionstep?

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