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Own your firm's software instead of renting six subscriptions.
Most firms stack a practice-management plan, a CRM, an e-signature plan, a payments tool, a website agency and now an AI subscription, all priced by the seat. BuildNGoLaw builds one system around your practice that you keep.
What you rent today, and what you would own
We name categories, not competitors' prices, because those change. Tools such as Clio, MyCase, PracticePanther and Litify are strong products; this page is about the difference between renting and owning.
| Category | Typical rented approach | With BuildNGoLaw | Included in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practice management | Per-user monthly subscription; your workflows bend to the product | Matters, parties, tasks and deadline rules shaped to your practice; no per-seat fee | Command |
| Intake and lead capture | A separate intake or CRM tool plus an answering service | 24/7 AI concierge, lead desk and conflict check inside the same system | Growth |
| Documents and e-signature | Document management plus a per-user e-signature plan | Vault, templates and in-house e-signature with audit certificate | Command |
| Client portal | Included at some tiers, a paid add-on at others | Your branded portal with messaging, files, invoices, signing and booking | Command |
| Time, billing and payments | Billing module plus a legal payment processor | Billing engine and payment links on your own merchant account | Basic: Command. Full: Platform |
| Trust (IOLTA) accounting | A paid tier or add-on of the practice-management product | Append-only trust ledgers and three-way reconciliation you own | Platform or add-on |
| Legal AI assistance | A separate AI subscription over a shared model | AI over your own matters, isolated per firm, with citation verification | Platform or add-on |
| Marketing and reviews | Legal CRM and email-marketing subscriptions | Nurture sequences, referrals and review requests from your own domain | Light: Growth. Full: Platform or add-on |
| Website and SEO | A separate agency or website builder | Custom-coded site with SEO engineered in, plus an article engine | Every package |
| Meetings and mobile | Video-meeting plans and the vendor's mobile app | Installable app and self-hosted meeting rooms | Platform or add-on |
Renting versus owning, side by side
Subscription stack
- Pricing model
- Monthly per user; cost scales with headcount and tiers
- Who owns the software and data
- The vendor owns the platform; you export what they allow
- Fit to your practice
- Generic workflows with custom fields
- Integrations
- A marketplace of third-party apps, each with its own bill
- AI and confidentiality
- Shared models, vendor policy governs your data
- Vendor risk
- Price changes, sunsetting, and acquisitions are out of your hands
BuildNGoLaw
- Pricing model
- One-time build you own, optional monthly care plan
- Who owns the software and data
- You own the source code and the database; export everything in one click
- Fit to your practice
- Practice engines built for PI, criminal, estate, family, lemon law, construction and immigration
- Integrations
- Core tools built in; your own payment, SMS and e-filing accounts connected through adapters
- AI and confidentiality
- Per-firm isolation, optional private model on your dedicated server
- Vendor risk
- The system keeps running even if we disappear; you hold the code
Run your own numbers
Enter what you pay today. We show the break-even honestly, including when a subscription would cost less.
Your numbers over 5 years
Rented stack ($1,050/mo)
$63,000
Grows with every hire and every price change.
Command Center, owned
$24,200
One-time build + care plan. You keep the source code.
$38,800 kept in your firm
Break-even around month 15. After that, the difference is yours. Your actual figures depend on the vendors you use today.
Estimate only. Excludes your payment-processor fees, domain, and any add-ons you choose. Build time and scope are confirmed in a written proposal before any payment.
The suite, pillar by pillar
Custom website and SEO
A hand-built site with technical SEO, structured data and practice pages written for your market.
Replaces: Agency retainers, WordPress themes and page builders
Every package
AI intake and lead desk
A 24/7 concierge qualifies and books, then a lead desk tracks source, follow-up and conflicts.
Replaces: Answering services, intake software and spreadsheets
Growth and up
CRM, follow-up and reviews
Automated nurture, referral tracking and ethical review requests through your own mail domain.
Replaces: Legal CRM and email-marketing subscriptions
Light in Growth, full in Platform or add-on
Matters, deadlines and calendars
Matters with parties, stage workflows, task templates and rule-based deadlines with reminders and calendar feeds.
Replaces: Practice-management subscriptions priced per user
Command and up
Documents and e-signature
Versioned matter files, templates that generate your letters, and in-house e-signature with an audit certificate.
Replaces: Document management and per-user e-signature plans
Command and up
Client portal
Status tracker, secure messaging, uploads, invoices, signing and booking under your brand.
Replaces: Portal add-ons that bill per user or per client
Command and up
Time, billing and trust accounting
Timekeeping, invoices, payment links on your own processor account, and IOLTA ledgers with three-way reconciliation.
Replaces: Billing and trust-accounting subscriptions
Basic invoicing in Command; full suite in Platform or add-on
Legal AI Desk
Cited answers and summaries over your own matters, with citation checking so invented cases get flagged.
Replaces: Stand-alone legal AI subscriptions
Platform or add-on
Security and ownership
MFA, audit trail, ethical walls, retention, encrypted backups and a one-click export of all your data and source.
Replaces: Compliance anxiety and vendor lock-in
Core in Command; full pack in Platform or add-on
Honest answers
Is BuildNGoLaw cheaper than a practice-management subscription?
It depends on your headcount and the tools you stack. Subscriptions are priced per user per month, so the cost grows with every hire. A BuildNGoLaw build is a one-time investment you own, plus an optional monthly care plan. Use the calculator on this page with your own numbers; we do not quote other companies' prices because they change.
Can I move my data from Clio, MyCase or PracticePanther?
Yes. The Data Migration add-on (included in Platform) imports contacts, matters, notes, time, invoices and documents from exports with a dry-run report you approve before the real cutover.
Do you replace trust (IOLTA) accounting software?
The Trust Accounting Suite keeps client ledgers, approvals and three-way reconciliation as records. Your bank still holds the funds, and a practising attorney reviews the workflow against your state-bar rules before it goes live.
Do you replace Westlaw or Lexis?
No. Licensed case-law databases are not something we can or should rebuild. The Legal AI Desk works over your own documents and checks citations against public sources so fabricated authorities get flagged. Keep your research subscription if you rely on it.
What about payments, SMS and court e-filing?
Those depend on regulated networks, so they stay in your own accounts. We build the software around them: payment links on your merchant account, SMS and call-tracking adapters for your own provider, and a filing-packet builder for your e-filing provider.
When is a subscription the better choice?
If you need to start tomorrow, want a large marketplace of third-party apps, or prefer a vendor to carry all upkeep, a subscription can fit. If you want to own the asset, shape the workflow to your practice and stop paying per seat, a custom build wins over time.
See it working, then get a written scope.
Open any live demo to click through the website, client portal and firm admin. When you are ready, request a review and you will receive a written scope and price before you pay anything.