CoCounsel alternatives for solo lawyers and small law firms (2026)
Facts checked on 14 October 2026. Prices change, so check each vendor's page before you decide.
CoCounsel Legal is Thomson Reuters' legal AI. It reasons from Westlaw content, Practical Law guidance and your own documents. The old CoCounsel Drafting page now redirects to CoCounsel Legal. Thomson Reuters sells it on 1, 2 or 3 year terms, with online pricing for new firms of up to 10 attorneys. If you are a solo lawyer or small firm and you mainly draft contracts, or you want month-to-month billing, these alternatives may fit better.
CoCounsel alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Price | Free entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| LexDraft (ours) | US contract drafting and review in Word. | Professional $99 a month or $990 a year. Business $199 a month or $1,990 a year. Enterprise custom. | Free plan, 5,000 words a month, no credit card. |
| Gavel Exec | Precedent-based contract review in Word. | $160 a month per user, or $1,740 per user a year. | 25 free queries per user. |
| Spellbook | Contract drafting and review in Word. | spellbook.com/pricing (checked 14 October 2026) shows no amounts; pricing is based on team members. | 7-day free trial. |
| Clio Work | Legal research and drafting from Clio. | Per user, by trial or demo. | Free trial. |
| Microsoft Legal Agent in Word | Contract review inside Copilot, in preview. | Needs a Microsoft Copilot license and enrollment in Microsoft's Frontier program. Copilot Business lists at $21 a user a month paid yearly, on top of a qualifying Microsoft 365 business plan. | Copilot Business has a one-month trial, card required. The Legal Agent also needs Frontier enrollment. |
| Harvey | Firm-wide AI platform with research. | No prices found: harvey.ai/pricing returned "not found" (checked 14 October 2026); request a demo. | Request a demo. |
LexDraft (ours)
- Professional is $99 a month or $990 a year, "for solo practitioners and small firms". Monthly plans can be cancelled any time.
- Free plan: 5,000 generated words a month, no time limit, no credit card.
- Risk-scored review with native tracked-change redlines, and rule-based defined-term and cross-reference checks.
- Citations checked against CourtListener. No research library, and drafting under US law only.
Gavel Exec
- Redlines full agreements in Word using precedent and playbooks.
- $160 a month per user, published. SOC 2 Type II certified.
Spellbook
- Pricing is based on team members on a license, by demo. 7-day free trial.
- Reports more than 5,000 legal teams.
Clio Work
- The closest research alternative here: the Clio Library has over 1 billion legal documents, and Clio's citator, Cert, checks authority.
- Per-user pricing, by free trial or demo.
Microsoft Legal Agent in Word
- Answers questions about a contract with clickable citations to the document, proposes tracked-change redlines, and reviews against a playbook you upload.
- A Frontier preview for Word desktop, version 2604 or later. You need an active Copilot license and enrollment in the Frontier program. Microsoft says it does not use live legal databases and is not jurisdiction-aware by default.
Harvey
- Covers research, agents, vaults and a Word add-in. We found no prices on harvey.ai (its /pricing URL returned "not found" on 14 October 2026); the homepage asks you to request a demo.
How to choose
- Do you need research? For research grounded in Westlaw and Practical Law, CoCounsel Legal. Clio Work is another research option, built on the Clio Library rather than Westlaw. If you mostly draft and review contracts, a Word tool may be enough.
- How do you want to pay? LexDraft and Gavel Exec publish monthly prices. CoCounsel runs on 1 to 3 year terms.
- What does your vendor review need? If you need a completed SOC 2 Type II audit now, note that LexDraft's audit is on the roadmap, not complete.
- Try before you commit. Run a free plan or trial on a contract you know well.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a cheaper alternative to CoCounsel?
CoCounsel prices depend on your firm and term. Among tools with published prices, LexDraft Professional is $99 a month and Gavel Exec is $160 a month per user.
What replaced CoCounsel Drafting?
Its web page now redirects to CoCounsel Legal. Thomson Reuters lists drafting in Word under CoCounsel Essentials.
What is the best CoCounsel alternative for a solo lawyer who drafts contracts?
If you do not need Westlaw research and you work under US law, LexDraft gives you contract review in Word with a free plan to start.
Try LexDraft
Install LexDraft free from Microsoft AppSource. 5,000 generated words a month, no credit card.
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CoCounsel, Westlaw and Practical Law are trademarks of Thomson Reuters. Gavel, Spellbook, Clio, Microsoft and Harvey are trademarks of their owners. This page compares public information as of 14 October 2026 and is not endorsed by any of them. LexDraft does not give legal advice; qualified counsel must review every draft. Spotted something out of date? Email support@lexdraft.ai and we will fix it.