Comparison
A real Westlaw alternative for solo attorneys
You probably don't need the full Westlaw corpus to do good work. Here's a lower-cost stack that covers much of everyday solo work.
By The Draftiro team · Product· 8 min read·Published
Westlaw is the deepest legal-research corpus on Earth. It is also priced for that depth. For most solo and small-firm practitioners, the question is not "is Westlaw better?" — it is "do I need this much for what I actually do?"
The stack we recommend
- Draftiro for daily drafting, AI research, case-citation checks against CourtListener when available, and matter management (free plan; paid $29–$89/mo).
- CourtListener for free public case-law lookups when you want to read the opinion yourself.
- Your state bar's law library for the occasional deep-cut treatise or historical case.
Total monthly cost: $89 or less. Westlaw is custom-quoted, often $100–$200+ per attorney per month as of mid-2026; check Thomson Reuters' current pricing.
When Westlaw is still right
- You file appeals where opposing counsel will shepardize every cite.
- You do regulatory work that lives outside the public case-law corpus.
- You bill enough hours per year that the cost rounds to zero.
Otherwise, the stack above is the honest recommendation.
This article was published by the Draftiro team and reviewed by our attorney advisors. See our team and how we track AI ethics opinions.
Try Draftiro free