ClauseryClio Draft alternative for firms that cannot upload client files
Clio Draft (formerly Lawyaw) is document automation that lives inside the Clio ecosystem. Clausery is independent of any practice management system and never uploads the documents it builds.
| Clausery | Clio Draft | |
|---|---|---|
| Where your documents are processed | Your browser only; nothing is uploaded | Vendor cloud |
| Account needed | No | Yes |
| Works offline | Yes | No |
| Uses your own Word templates | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional clauses and repeating lists | Yes | Yes |
| Calculations | Yes (Pro) | Yes |
| Client questionnaires | Offline intake file you email to the client | Hosted forms |
| Integrations with practice management | None: files in, files out | Deep Clio Manage integration |
| Price | Free library templates, plus 3 of your own; Pro $19 per user per month | Quote-based; third-party 2026 guides report roughly $49 to $149 per user per month |
Based on public information as of 2026. Products change; check with the vendor.
Choose Clio Draft if
- Your firm runs on Clio Manage and wants matter data to fill documents automatically
- You want its court form library
- You prefer one vendor for practice management and drafting
Choose Clausery if
- You do not use Clio, or want drafting that works without it
- You need client data to stay on firm devices
- You want predictable pricing without a practice management subscription
Moving a template from Clio Draft
- Start from the original Word version of the document, before it was converted for Clio Draft.
- Replace each detail that changes with a tag such as
{client_name}, and wrap optional clauses in{#has_retainer}…{/has_retainer}. Lists of parties or line items use a repeating section. - Check the file with the free template tag checker, then drop it into the app.
- Recreate any rules you built in Clio Draft's own editor as show-when conditions or calculations in the Clausery designer. Allow about an hour for a complex template.
What Clausery deliberately leaves out
Because nothing leaves your computer, Clausery has no hosted client portal, no built-in e-signature, no practice management integration and no cloud AI drafting. If you need those, Clio Draft or a similar platform may suit you better, and the two can run side by side.
Questions
Can I use Clausery and Clio Draft together?
Yes. Many firms keep a platform like Clio Draft for the workflows it does best and use Clausery for documents whose details should not leave the office. Clausery needs no integration to run alongside it.
How much does Clausery cost compared with Clio Draft?
Every Clausery library template is free, you can automate up to three of your own templates free with unlimited documents, and Pro is $19 per user per month. The table above summarises Clio Draft's published pricing as of 2026; check the vendor for current prices.
Does Clausery need IT to set up?
No. It runs in any modern browser with nothing to install, and firms that prefer can host the files on their own server.
What happens to my templates if I stop using Clausery?
They are ordinary Word files with tags, and your data exports as plain JSON. Nothing is locked into Clausery.
Try it with your own template
Open the app, drop in a Word document with tags like {client_name}, and you have a questionnaire. Or start from one of the free templates.