Compass by Rulng and Lawmatics, side by side
What each includes, how each is priced and who each fits, from both companies' own pages, read on 31 October 2026.
The short answer
Lawmatics is an intake and marketing CRM for the front of the firm that syncs with a separate case management system, with email campaigns, texting and AI lead scoring. Compass by Rulng puts intake and case management in one system, with the firm's own website, the court's notices and a law library behind them.
At a glance
| Compared | Compass by Rulng | Lawmatics |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Small and mid-size law firms; built first for criminal defense | Solo practices to large firms; the front of the firm only |
| The firm's website | Included in every build: built and hosted by WattReach on your own domain, edited from Compass or the live page | Not sold; its forms go on your own site |
| Lead management and CRM | Included: website forms, phone taps and, where set up, answering-service messages in one inbox, with sources, spam held for review and conflict checks | Its core product, with pipelines, and AI lead scoring as an add-on |
| Google profile and local rank | Included: rating and review count read nightly, your place in the map results, 14 directories and social profiles tracked | Not found |
| Reports on search and AI answers | Included: a Monday report, plus your Google rankings against your rivals and the answers of ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity and Google's AI | Not found |
| Court notices | One state's e-filing notices today: forwarded by your attorneys, filed on the matter by case number, and a hearing notice raises a step to enter the date | Not found; matters stay in a separate system |
| Court-rules deadlines | No | Not found |
| Legal research | One state's law today: the statutes your clients are charged under, with elements from the jury instructions, 25 estate and civil topics, and the appellate decisions citing those sections; every point cited | Not found |
| Client portal | Built, not yet live at any firm: each case, its dates and fines; no documents, messages or invoices; English only | Premium tier and up |
| Billing and payments | Payments recorded on each matter and marked trust or operating; LawPay links where set up; invoices and autopay through the firm's own Stripe account where invoicing is switched on | Time and billing as an add-on; LMPay |
| Trust accounting | No; payments are marked trust or operating, with no trust ledgers | Not found |
| Time tracking | Hours and expenses entered by hand; no timer | In the time and billing add-on |
| E-signature | No | 50 e-signatures on Essential; included above |
| Spanish | Every staff screen; confirmations for Spanish-page inquiries; invoices | Not found |
| Security | Encrypted nightly backups, deny-by-default roles, a record of who opened each file, passkeys and two-factor sign-in; no certifications | SOC 2, HIPAA, AES-256 encryption, nightly backups |
| Price | Built to order; quoted after a walkthrough | By quote, at least 3 users |
| Trying it | A walkthrough with a sample firm; no free trial | A first month free, offered on its pricing page |
Where Lawmatics is stronger
- Email marketing campaigns and texting with clients.
- AI lead scoring and outreach as add-ons.
- E-signature, and syncing with the case management system you already run.
- A client portal in use at firms today.
Where Compass is different
- Compass is one system for intake and case management: no second product for clients and matters.
- The website is part of every Compass build.
- Google profile tracking and reports on your place in search and AI answers are included.
- The court's e-filing notices are filed on the matter, for the courts whose formats Compass reads today, and the law library sits on the file.
- Every staff screen is in English and Spanish.
Which to choose
Choose Lawmatics if you want marketing campaigns and texting on top of the case management system you already run. Choose Compass if you want the website, intake and matters in one system, set up for you.
Sources and corrections
Read on 31 October 2026 from Lawmatics' own pages:
- https://www.lawmatics.com/pricing
- https://www.lawmatics.com/ai
- https://www.lawmatics.com/practice-areas/criminal-law-software
- https://www.lawmatics.com/integrations
- https://www.lawmatics.com/security
Products change. If something here about Lawmatics is out of date, email hello@wattreach.com. When the change is confirmed, we correct the page and change the date.
Questions
Is Compass a good Lawmatics alternative?
Compass by Rulng is a Lawmatics alternative for firms that want intake and case management in one system, with the website included. Firms that want email campaigns and texting on top of another case management system are better served by Lawmatics.
What does Lawmatics have that Compass does not?
Lawmatics has email marketing campaigns, texting, AI lead scoring, e-signature, a client portal in use today and published security audits, and Compass by Rulng has none of these today.
What does Compass include that Lawmatics does not?
Compass by Rulng includes the firm's own website, clients and matters, court notices, a law library with cited answers, Google profile tracking and reports on search and AI answers, none of which appear on Lawmatics' pages read on 31 October 2026. Lawmatics says it covers the front of the firm and leaves matters to another system.
Do we need separate case management software with Compass?
No, Compass by Rulng runs clients and matters in the same system as intake, so a retained lead becomes a client file without moving between products.
Book a walkthrough and bring your questions about Lawmatics.
We will tell you where it is the better fit, too.