Actionstep Reviews

“Billing should improve

Pros

Navigation becomes easy once one understands the software's capabilities and it is affordable to purchase and maintain, particularly for a small firm.

Cons

The billing module could be improved and having a technician visit in person at the beginning would have been helpful instead of relying solely on online learning, which took a long time.

“Think before choosing it

Pros

It is compatible with Mac and functions okay most of the time.

Cons

The annual subscription skyrocketed from $1,306.80 in 2023 to $5,794.80 in 2024, a 450% increase in just one year. This is simply outrageous and unaffordable for a sole practitioner. I have been using the platform since 2018, structuring my entire practice around Actionstep, including trust accounting, bank accounts and client management. Transitioning to another platform would be prohibitively expensive. It feels like they lured customers in with low pricing and then took advantage of them. Customer support has also been quite poor.

“Not recommended

Pros

The pricing used to be lower, but that is no longer the case.

Cons

Document management is subpar, with limited trust accounting capabilities and rising costs. Integration and customization expenses are high and customer service can be so much better.

“I like this software!

Pros

I utilize this for my estate planning, probate and elder law practice. The built in workflows are beneficial, and the system adapts as my firm grows. I really appreciate the client portal and the ability to track documents shared between me and my clients. It also makes it easy to monitor my paralegal's work.

Cons

It requires time to learn and customize. Despite everything I use, I still feel I am not utilizing it to its full potential.

“great option for lawyers

Pros

We appreciated the ability to create workflows tailored to our specific practice while also having the option to use pre set workflows. The client management and task automation features are incredibly useful.

Cons

My main frustration is that we created a web form for staff to easily create new potential client matters using the information provided. Unfortunately, 90% of the submissions are spam and I have to sift through them daily because bots are filling out the forms. Actionstep simply refers us to our IT department, but we already have filters in place. This is a significant issue that consumes a lot of my time, and resolving it would greatly improve our work experience.

“Customer support is a disaster

Pros

After navigating the lengthy setup process and a steep setting time (we are fortunate to have strong IT skills), the system meets most of our needs.

Cons

The system has started skipping matter numbers. The last normal matter number was 620, and now it generated 653 and then 686. We have contacted support multiple times, but the responses have been generic and unhelpful, especially considering the critical nature of these issues for our trust accounting. After four years of using this product, I am finally frustrated enough to write this review. Their response has been hopelessly inadequate.

“Expensive

Pros

The software functions as expected, though some aspects of the accounting features feel a bit awkward, and some field names (like those in contacts) could be more appropriate.

Cons

When I signed up for Actionstep, it cost about AUD $80 per user per month. The price has steadily increased over the past five years, and now it is around AUD $135 per user. Suddenly, I was informed that the minimum monthly charge would be $469 for up to three users there is no option for a single user. Meanwhile, the website continues to advertise pricing as per user, which is misleading. I have tried to discuss this situation with someone at Actionstep but have been ignored. It seems they are no longer interested in sole practitioners. A price increase of over 300% with just six weeks' notice reflects very poor business practices. Now I have to search for another service provider, which is time-consuming and disruptive.

“Great product but the price is too high

Pros

It is very user friendly and perfectly suited to my firm. The time recording and accounting features were great to use. Updates were always being made, though most did not relate to my firms needs, but it was nice to see the progress. I loved the product.

Cons

The recent fee increases seem unsustainable for small firms. While some fee increases are expected, a 300-400% hike in one year is excessive. Customer service has deteriorated as the company has grown, which seems common in software firms.

“Price is not justified

Pros

It is decent practice management software, but the pricing structure is problematic. There have been significant price changes in recent years, along with the introduction of a new access fee that has dramatically increased the subscription cost.

Cons

Refer to my earlier comments on costs. I do not recommend this software.

“A pretty decent option

Pros

There is some difficulty to get started, more than with some other options, but it is manageable (and I am not very tech-savvy). Once familiar it just works. I have been very satisfied with it, receive excellent customer service when needed, and am unsure why it is not more widely used.

Cons

I wish it offered automatic contingency fee billing and that the contacts within a company were better integrated (though this may be more about my needs than the software itself).

“Customer support doesnt care

Pros

The software is easy to use, adaptable and in many aspects better than Leap.

Cons

The customer service is horrible. Responses are rare and when they do respond, they often misunderstand the issue, requiring repeated explanations. I find their service frustrating, and there is no phone number to contact them. I have an urgent matter that they dont care about.

“Had bugs and there's no support

Pros

Features like workflow automation, task creation and automated emails are highly beneficial.

Cons

Setting up the system to align with office procedures is challenging and very costly. The setup is not user-friendly and can exceed $20,000 even for the smallest offices. Constant changes to the system often lead to new issues. Support is virtually nonexistent. If we had not already invested so much, we would seek alternatives. There are many promises but little delivery. This product has great potential if they could just make it function properly.

“need some more features

Pros

The automation is fantastic. Once I learned to use the triggers and actions effectively, it allowed for much smoother operations.

Cons

There is no option for handling two sales taxes, which is essential in my area.

“works pretty well

Pros

The software has improved over time, it covers all requirements and integrates well with MS Office.

Cons

It is impossible to download all emails related to a matter, which is necessary when providing information to a consultant for cost assessments or during matter transfers.

“life-saver!

Pros

ActionStep is easy to use and serves as a central portal for managing client files and staff collaboration.

Cons

I wish the software had better search features, including the ability to look up contacts by phone number.

“Makes legal practice better

Pros

I appreciate that the product combines legal case management and business management within a single platform.

Cons

The integration with Office products can be problematic. Sometimes the plugin disconnects when the user logs into a different device.

“They need to be more responsive

Pros

Overall, it is a good system to use but not all features seem to be implemented as effectively as advertised.

Cons

Emails stored in their system can be lost or corrupted and are unrecoverable. Once a support ticket is made, I often feel ignored.

“Made it easy to organize everything

Pros

The fields and layout of ActionStep are accessible, making data entry, monitoring and tracking pretty easy.

Cons

Additional tiers of user privileges would be beneficial.

“You get what you pay for

Pros

Almost all of our working processes have transitioned to ActionStep with some adjustments along the way. Setting up the system requires considerable thought and input, but the payoff is significant, once the data is in place, it is easy to manage and use. I particularly value the customization options available and the regular product updates that introduce interesting features.

Cons

Using data for reports can be challenging, as some data does not interact seamlessly within the system. We often need to rely on other software to review statistics and generate reports. However, exporting the data for this purpose is quite simple.

“Great system

Pros

The interface is great. All the information related to a legal file is conveniently organized in one user-friendly location.

Cons

I believe there could be a better way to organize uploaded files.