Smokeball
Timing
| Feature | Smokeball | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $39/mo | From $8/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 |
| Best For | small-law-firms, mid-size-firms, litigation-practices, billable-hour-firms | mac-users, freelancers, consultants, lawyers |
| Founded | 2007 | 2013 |
| Automatic Time Tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Document Automation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Matter Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Billing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Reporting | ✓ | ✓ |
| Microsoft Integration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Automatic Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ai Categorization | ✗ | ✓ |
| Timeline View | ✗ | ✓ |
| Project Rules | ✗ | ✓ |
| Calendar Sync | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Smokeball Pros
- Automatic time recording
- Deep Microsoft Office integration
- Strong document automation
- Excellent for billing accuracy
✗ Smokeball Cons
- Windows-only desktop app
- Higher price point
- Learning curve for automation
✓ Timing Pros
- Completely automatic tracking on Mac
- AI-powered activity categorization
- Beautiful timeline visualization
- Syncs with calendar events
✗ Timing Cons
- Mac only - no Windows or Linux
- Requires initial rule setup
- No team/collaboration features in lower plans
The Verdict
Smokeball is built for small law firms and mid size firms, with a focus on automatic-time-tracking and document-automation. Timing targets mac users and freelancers and leads with automatic-tracking and ai-categorization.
On pricing, Timing is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $8/mo compared to $39/mo for Smokeball. That $31/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Neither tool offers a free plan, so factor the subscription cost into your decision from the start.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.