CanLII vs Fastcase

CanLII9.1Visit Fastcase7.8Visit

Higher score CanLII #3 in Legal Research Software 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 6 of 6 features Visit CanLII

vs

Fastcase #10 in Legal Research Software 7.8/10 1-day trial Free trial✓ 6 of 6 features Visit Fastcase

• CanLII fits best

  Free Canadian legal research

• Fastcase fits best

  Budget-conscious U.S. practitioners

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Side by side

Feature	CanLII 9.1/10 Visit ↗	Fastcase 7.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.1	7.8
Ranking	#3 in Legal Research Software	#10 in Legal Research Software
Best for	Free Canadian legal research	Budget-conscious U.S. practitioners
Pricing model	Free	Paid
Starting price	Free plan	$695/yr
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	1 days
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud, Mobile
Platforms	Web	Web, iOS, Android
Support	Docs	Phone, Email, Live chat, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features CanLII 6/6 · Fastcase 6/6
Case law search	✓	✓
Statute & regulation search	✓	✓
Docket search	✓	✓
Legal commentary	✓	✓
Citation tools	✓	✓
Research alerts	✓	✓
Specs
Jurisdiction coverage	Canada: federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions	United States: federal courts and all 50 states; additional specialty courts and jurisdictions listed in coverage
Our review
Pros	Free access to Canadian cases, statutes, regulations, and commentary Citation, section noteup, docket, full-text, and natural-language searches Lexbox alerts plus Lexbox and Clio integrations	Free plan plus $65 monthly Appellate pricing Federal and all 50-state case law, statutes, and regulations Authority Check, Forecite, alerts, mobile, desktop, and web access
Cons	Jurisdictional coverage is focused on Canada Available through the web rather than native desktop or mobile apps Lexbox is a supplementary tool for saved research and alerts	Less comprehensive than leading enterprise legal databases The free trial lasts one day Docket research is provided through the related Docket Alarm product
Our verdict	CanLII is a free web-based legal research platform from the Canadian Legal Information Institute. It serves legal professionals, researchers, students, and the public with searchable Canadian court judgments, tribunal decisions, statutes,… Read the review →	Fastcase is an online legal research platform for lawyers, law firms, educators, corporations, and bar associations. Its searchable collection covers federal and state case law, statutes, regulations, constitutions, court rules, secondary… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• CanLII — where it wins

  • Free access to Canadian cases, statutes, regulations, and commentary
  • Citation, section noteup, docket, full-text, and natural-language searches
  • Lexbox alerts plus Lexbox and Clio integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Jurisdictional coverage is focused on Canada
  • Available through the web rather than native desktop or mobile apps
  • Lexbox is a supplementary tool for saved research and alerts

• Fastcase — where it wins

  • Free plan plus $65 monthly Appellate pricing
  • Federal and all 50-state case law, statutes, and regulations
  • Authority Check, Forecite, alerts, mobile, desktop, and web access

  Where it doesn't

  • Less comprehensive than leading enterprise legal databases
  • The free trial lasts one day
  • Docket research is provided through the related Docket Alarm product

• CanLII9.1/10 · Free plan

  A free web-based research library focused on Canadian legal materials.

  Visit CanLIIFull verdict →
• Fastcase7.8/10 · 1-day trial

  A broad U.S. legal research platform with strong value for budget-conscious practitioners.

  Visit FastcaseFull verdict →