1. Should you try CaseText? Overview
| What it is |
Casetext was an AI-powered legal research platform — home to the CoCounsel AI legal assistant, CARA brief analysis, and Parallel Search — acquired by Thomson Reuters in 2023 for $650M. |
| Country / HQ |
San Francisco, USA |
| Best for |
historically litigators and law firms — now succeeded by Westlaw CoCounsel |
| Check before buying |
Watch out: New buyers — Casetext is gone; evaluate Westlaw CoCounsel or alternatives. |
| Pricing signal |
Free tier + paid from $65/mo |
2. Features What it does
| Feature |
What it does |
| CoCounsel |
AI assistant for legal research memos, document review, and deposition prep. |
| CARA |
AI brief analysis — finds missing authority by comparing a draft to case law. |
| Parallel |
Search — semantic, concept-based case finding. |
| SmartCite |
citator for treatment of authority. |
| Document |
review & contract analysis at scale. |
3. Pricing Pricing (2026-10, USD)
| Plan |
Price / mo |
Key limits & who it fits |
| Basic |
~$65/mo |
Solo practitioners; SmartCite included. |
| Premium |
~$99/mo |
Full state + federal research. |
| CoCounsel Core |
$250-400/mo |
Full AI agentic suite. |
| Enterprise |
$500+/mo |
Firm-wide, custom. |
| Current status |
Retired |
Now inside Westlaw CoCounsel Legal (pricing 5-6x higher). |
Note: these prices no longer exist — Casetext was retired April 1, 2025. The official successor, Westlaw with CoCounsel Legal, starts around $639/user/mo self-serve for a solo per Thomson Reuters’ 2026 configurator.
4. Integration Access & integrations
| Access type |
Details |
| Formerly cloud SaaS (web) |
Thomson Reuters Westlaw (successor) — Web (discontinued) |
5. Reviews & Sources External reviews
| Source |
Rating |
What it says |
| Pros |
— |
Pioneered conversational AI legal research with strong document analysis. |
| Pros |
— |
Far cheaper than Westlaw/Lexis at the time for small firms. |
| Pros |
— |
Well-regarded CARA and Parallel Search tooling. |
| Cons |
— |
No longer available standalone — forced migration path. |
| Cons |
— |
Westlaw successor is materially more expensive. |
| Cons |
— |
Content library was smaller than standalone Westlaw for regulatory work. |
6. Best for / Not for Fit
| ✔ Suitable |
✘ Not suitable |
• Solo to mid-size firms wanting affordable, conversational legal AI.
• Litigators doing brief analysis and deposition prep. |
• New buyers — Casetext is gone; evaluate Westlaw CoCounsel or alternatives.
• Budget-conscious solos who cannot absorb Westlaw’s higher price. |
7. Competitors How it compares
| Competitor |
How it differs |
Best for |
| Casetext (historical) |
Availability: Retired 2025; Price/user/mo: $65-500 (hist.); Content depth: Growing |
Former SMB |
| Westlaw CoCounsel |
Availability: Active; Price/user/mo: ~$639; Content depth: Deepest |
TR stack |
| Lexis+ AI |
Availability: Active; Price/user/mo: Enterprise; Content depth: Deep |
Lexis stack |
| Harvey |
Availability: Active; Price/user/mo: Enterprise; Content depth: Moderate |
BigLaw |
8. Summary Verdict
| Takeaway |
Casetext was a category pioneer that made AI legal research affordable for smaller firms, and its CARA and Parallel Search tooling earned real loyalty. Its retirement into Westlaw in 2025 ended the affordable standalone option — the successor is powerful but roughly 5-6x the price. |
| Who should pick it |
Solo to mid-size firms wanting affordable, conversational legal AI. |
| Who should skip it |
New buyers — Casetext is gone; evaluate Westlaw CoCounsel or alternatives. |
