BarBooks vs LexNebulis
BarBooks
barbooks.coLexNebulis
github.comSide by side
| Figure | BarBooks | LexNebulis |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 12 | 1 |
| Spec score · Legal Trust Accounting Software | 9.3 (#2) | 8.5 (#12) |
| Spec score · Legal Accounting Software | 9.2 (#2) | 8.5 (#4) |
| Spec score · Legal Practice Management Software | 8.7 (#22) | 8.9 (#11) |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Integrations | The pricing page displays a “Business trackers” integration link to Amaka and describes bank transaction syncing as a Bank Rec add-on. | Listed integrations include Stripe and LawPay payments, QuickBooks and CSV accounting export, and Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, and OneDrive storage. |
| Matter management | The product centralizes matters, logs activities, adds notes, tracks tasks and records progress. | Matters can use custom fields, status workflows, responsible attorneys and linked documents. |
| System requirements | The published requirements list OS X 10.9+, Windows 8.1+ with .NET Framework 4.5, iOS 8+ and a modern Chrome, Firefox or Safari browser. | Installation requires Docker 24 or newer, Docker Compose 2 or newer, at least 2 GB RAM and 10 GB disk. |
| Trust accounting | The software provides trust-account reconciliation and says it supports industry-standard compliance. | Trust/IOLTA accounting includes per-client ledgers, three-way reconciliation, deposits, disbursements and overdraft safeguards. |
Plans
BarBooks
- Sole Practitioner — MonthlyPrice not published
- Sole Practitioner — AnnualPrice not published
- BAS Service Add-onPrice not published
- Bank RecA$12 a month
- Bank Rec add-onA$12 a month
- Sole PractitionerA$60 a month
- Sole Practitioner monthlyA$60 a month
- BAS ServiceA$99, paid once
- Reader packageA$180 a year
- Sole PractitionerA$360 a year
In their own words
BarBooks
BarBooks is cloud-based legal practice management software for barristers, sole practitioners, and clerks. It runs on Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, and the web. Users can organise matter details, link contacts to matters, and set hourly or fixed fees. Invoicing tools create and customise invoices, apply interest to late payments automatically, and report on aged receivables. Listed reports cover profit and loss, GST statements, year-end tax, aged debtors, turnover, work in progress, cashflow, and activity statements. BarBooks can sync barristers’ calendars and make its calendar accessible through existing calendars and mobile apps. Bank transaction syncing and reconciliation are available through the Bank Rec add-on, listed at A$12 a month. The Sole Practitioner plan is listed at A$60 a month, with tax excluded; BAS Service is listed at A$99 a quarter. A 14-day trial includes all features. After it ends, users must buy a continuing licence or stop using and uninstall the software.
LexNebulis
LexNebulis is a free, self-hosted legal practice management platform for small law firms. It handles clients and matters, documents, calendars, time tracking, billing, and trust accounting. Legal workflows include conflict checks, client intake, document templates and generation, e-signature, and a client portal. Billing supports LEDES 1998B and 2000 export, UTBMS codes, and electronic invoice submission. Listed connections cover Stripe and LawPay payments, QuickBooks and CSV accounting export, and Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, and OneDrive storage. Security features include encryption at rest and in transit, bcrypt password hashing, JWT authentication, and TOTP or WebAuthn/FIDO2 two-factor authentication. Its append-only audit log uses SHA-256 hash chaining to make tampering or deletion detectable. The software is free for commercial use under Apache License 2.0. Installation requires Docker and Docker Compose v2, at least 2 GB RAM, and at least 10 GB disk space. The guide specifies a Linux server and recommends Ubuntu 22.04 or later; macOS is specified for development. The project wiki describes a target range of 1 to 50 users.