Docket Alarm vs DocketBird
Docket Alarm
docketalarm.com
DocketBird
docketbird.comSide by side
| Figure | Docket Alarm | DocketBird |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $39.99/mo | $9.99/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 9 |
| Spec score · Legal Docketing Software | 9.0 (#2) | 8.7 (#3) |
| API documentation depth | The API documentation describes version 1.14, released in 2013 and last updated in July 2024, with endpoint examples and authentication guidance. | The public help center has a dedicated DocketBird APIs category, but the accessible page exposes only a single article rather than a full reference specification. |
| Court coverage | The service says it covers all federal courts, 45-plus states, USPTO, PTAB, TTAB, ITC and expanding international jurisdictions. | DocketBird integrates with all United States federal courts and thousands of state courts. |
| Limit: billing complaints | BBB records complaints alleging unexpected $99 charges, duplicate document fees and charges continuing after cancellation; one 2026 complaint records a refund resolution. | BBB reviewers repeatedly alleged recurring charges continued after cancellation, unauthorized upcharges and difficulty obtaining refunds. |
| REST API | The developer API is a unified REST interface for hundreds of U.S. courts, including PACER, returning docket metadata and PDF filings. | The company advertises an API for custom integrations and REST API access in its LinkedIn product description. |
Plans
Docket Alarm
- FreeFree
- Pay-As-You-Go$39.99 a month
- Flat-Fee$99 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
DocketBird
- Library accessFree
- Individual$9.99 a month
- Individual Plan$9.99 a month
- Research Raven add-on$10 a month
- AutoCalendar Standalone Plan$15.79 a month
- Starter Sparrow$35 a month
- Starter Sparrow Plan$35 a month
- Flow Falcon$40 a month
- Flow Falcon Plan$40 a month
In their own words
Docket Alarm
Docket Alarm is a litigation intelligence platform for searching, tracking and analyzing court dockets and documents. The maker says its collection includes over 1 billion dockets and documents from courts in the United States and elsewhere. Search supports full text, Boolean and phrase queries, with filters for court, date range, judge, party, attorney and case type. Users can follow cases, parties, attorneys, firms, keywords and Nature of Suit categories, receiving email updates up to 16 times daily. They can read indexed filings, connect to PACER and bulk-download case documents. Talk to Docket answers natural-language questions about a docket and cites entries and documents. Analytics cover motion outcomes, time to decision and trends by court and judge; Timeline presents docket entries as a visual chronology. The REST API supports case searches, docket and document retrieval, tracking, and natural-language questions. An ECF connection can deliver tracked filings inside the platform at no cost. Plans range from a free tier with five weekly actions to monthly paid options.
DocketBird
DocketBird is a web-based repository and monitoring service for federal and state court cases and documents. It connects to all U.S. federal district, bankruptcy, and appeals courts, as well as thousands of state courts. AutoCalendar AI extracts deadlines and events from filed documents and adds them to case calendars. Calendars can sync by ICS link with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook, Clio, BusyCal, and virtually any calendaring app. Document integrations include iManage, NetDocs, Clio, Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, Litify, and Filevine. Its Webhook API can send documents to custom systems in real time when documents are filed or downloaded. Each plan includes 20 active cases per seat; a case counts as active if it has had a filing in the previous 60 days. Additional active cases cost $0.75 each. DocketBird shares docket-check costs among users and makes documents downloaded by one user freely available to others. Attorneys of record can generally receive federal filings without charge when their court account is integrated. Law-school, university, and public libraries can use it free if they link prominently to DocketBird.