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TrustBooks Review: Overview, Features, Pricing & Alternatives in 2025

Trust accounting mistakes get expensive fast.

If you’re an attorney or legal professional, you know how overwhelming it can be to stay compliant with trust accounting rules while keeping your accounting in order.

Too often, messy books or compliance missteps create real daily anxiety, especially if you’re spending more time fixing mistakes than actually practicing law.

That’s where TrustBooks stands out—with workflows built exclusively for legal accounting, automated three-way reconciliations, and client-centric trust management that removes the guesswork and headaches.

In this review, I’ll show you how TrustBooks makes compliant legal accounting truly simple for your law firm, and preview the outcomes you can actually expect.

You’ll get a straightforward breakdown of features, pricing, standout benefits, and my hands-on insights—so by the end of this TrustBooks review, you’ll know if it’s the accounting software your firm actually needs.

You’ll walk away knowing the features you need to finally get control of your trust accounting.

Let’s dive into the analysis.

Quick Summary

  • TrustBooks is cloud-based accounting software focused on simplifying trust accounting compliance for law firms and legal professionals.
  • Best for small to mid-sized law firms and solo attorneys needing straightforward, state bar-compliant legal accounting.
  • You’ll appreciate its intuitive workflows and automated three-way reconciliations that save time and reduce trust accounting errors.
  • TrustBooks offers tiered pricing starting at $59/month with a 14-day free trial to test all core trust accounting features.

TrustBooks Overview

TrustBooks is dedicated to simplifying the complexities of legal trust accounting compliance. Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, they’ve been laser-focused on this specific legal niche since their founding back in 2015, earning credibility by solving one problem well.

They primarily target small to mid-sized law firms. From my experience, what’s truly unique is their core mission to build software for lawyers who aren’t accountants. This user-centric philosophy makes intimidating compliance tasks far more approachable for your entire team.

Their recent expansion into operating account management was a genuinely smart strategic move. As you will see through this TrustBooks review, it effectively turns the platform into a more complete financial hub for your practice.

Unlike generic accounting tools or overwhelming practice management suites, TrustBooks doesn’t overcomplicate its solution. I feel their platform is expertly engineered around providing drop-dead simple trust accounting, which is a massive relief for busy attorneys who just need things to work.

You’ll find they work with thousands of solo practitioners and small law firms nationwide needing ironclad compliance without the steep cost and complexity of a dedicated accounting professional. Their focused customer base is a strong signal.

From what I can tell, their current strategy is all about maintaining that core user-friendliness while giving you complete compliance peace of mind. They are clearly doubling down on intuitive workflows that directly address your firm’s state bar audit fears.

Now let’s examine their core capabilities.

TrustBooks Features

Is legal accounting still a headache for your firm?

TrustBooks features are specifically designed for law firms, ensuring compliance and simplifying complex trust accounting. Here are the five main TrustBooks features that streamline your financial operations.

1. Trust Account Management

Worried about state bar compliance?

Managing trust accounts manually is complex, often leading to errors and audit stress. This can consume valuable time and create compliance risks.

TrustBooks offers robust trust account management, automatically updating client ledgers and preventing negative balances. From my testing, the system forces assignment to a client, ensuring meticulous record-keeping. This core feature ensures your trust accounts are always accurate and compliant.

This means you can confidently manage client funds, drastically reducing your audit preparation time and compliance worries.

2. Automated Three-Way Reconciliations

Does reconciliation eat up your valuable time?

Manually reconciling trust accounts across bank statements, the trust ledger, and individual client ledgers is incredibly tedious. This process is prone to errors and a major source of frustration.

TrustBooks automatically generates the crucial three-way reconciliations, which is where TrustBooks shines. This feature ensures all three records align, providing peace of mind during audits. It transforms a complex, frustrating task into a one-click process.

The result is consistent, audit-ready financial records, freeing up your team to focus on client work rather than endless reconciliation.

3. Firm Operating Account Management

Juggling separate software for firm finances?

Using generic accounting software for your firm’s operating account while managing trust accounts elsewhere creates disjointed workflows. This often leads to duplicate entries and inefficiencies.

TrustBooks expands beyond trust accounting to manage your firm’s operating account, serving as an all-in-one solution. What I love about this approach is how it simplifies transfers between accounts and tracks client-level activity for both.

This means you can consolidate all your legal accounting within one platform, streamlining your financial management and improving overall efficiency.

4. Intuitive Workflows and Easy Data Management

Are your accounting tools too complicated for your staff?

Traditional accounting software can be overwhelming for legal professionals without a finance background. This leads to a steep learning curve and potential mistakes.

TrustBooks is designed with intuitive workflows that mirror typical law firm processes, making it incredibly user-friendly for non-accountants. From my testing, the dashboard provides a quick overview of recent activity, making navigation straightforward.

This results in less training time and fewer errors, allowing your team to confidently manage financial tasks without becoming accounting experts.

  • 🎯 Bonus Resource: While we’re discussing financial tasks, understanding retail accounting software is equally important for businesses beyond law.

5. One-Click Reporting

Struggling to generate quick compliance reports?

Pulling essential reports for clients, trust ledgers, or firm financials can be a cumbersome, time-consuming process. This often delays critical compliance checks and internal reviews.

TrustBooks offers one-click reporting for various essential documents, including client and trust ledgers, balance sheets, and P&L reports. Here’s the thing – this feature simplifies audit preparation and provides immediate access to vital data.

This means you can instantly generate the necessary documentation for compliance, internal review, and tax purposes, saving significant time when it matters most.

Pros & Cons

  • ✅ Specifically designed for law firm trust accounting compliance.
  • ✅ Simplifies complex three-way reconciliations automatically.
  • ✅ User-friendly interface ideal for non-accountants.
  • ⚠️ General ledger report uploads can sometimes be difficult.
  • ⚠️ May lack advanced features for larger, more complex firms.
  • ⚠️ Limited direct integration options beyond legal tech and banks.

You’ll appreciate how these TrustBooks features work together to create a cohesive, compliant financial management system specifically for law firms, reducing your administrative burden significantly.

TrustBooks Pricing

What does TrustBooks cost?

TrustBooks pricing is transparent and designed with specific legal accounting needs in mind, offering clear tiered plans along with separate options for client invoicing.

Plan Price & Features
Trust Accounting $59 per month
• Trust accounting with state bar compliance
• Auto-generated three-way trust reconciliations
• Protection against overdrawing balances
• Unlimited trust bank accounts & one-click reporting
• Easy data management & check printing
Firm & Trust Accounting $79 per month
• All Trust Accounting features
• Firm operating account management
• Legal-specific financial reports
• Tax report generation
• Client-level fund tracking
Bank Reconciliation Services $249 per month
• All Firm & Trust Accounting features
• TrustBooks team completes bank reconciliations
• Issues fixed during reconciliations
• Unlimited users
• Up to 100 transactions per month (contact for more)
Client Invoicing: Starter $7 per user per month
• Send unlimited invoices
• Up to 10 clients
• Email invoices
• Reporting for billing cycle insights
Client Invoicing: Plus $15 per user per month
• Unlimited invoices & clients
• Credit card payments
• Integration with TrustBooks
• Time & expense tracking
• Customizable invoice templates

1. Value Assessment

Great value for legal specifics.

From my cost analysis, TrustBooks offers specialized features for legal accounting that generic software simply can’t match. The focus on state bar compliance and three-way reconciliations provides immense value, saving you time and avoiding potential compliance issues and costly errors that their pricing justifies.

This means your firm gains peace of mind and operational efficiency, directly impacting your bottom line.

  • 🎯 Bonus Resource: Before diving deeper into accounting solutions, you might find my analysis of clinical trial management systems helpful for other operational needs.

2. Trial/Demo Options

Smart evaluation options available.

TrustBooks offers a 14-day free trial for its core accounting plans, allowing you to test out the compliance features. What I found particularly useful is their free demo, which guides you through core functionalities and helps you understand how the pricing aligns with your specific needs.

This lets you experience the software firsthand before committing, ensuring it fits your firm’s unique workflows.

3. Plan Comparison

Choosing the right fit.

For basic trust accounting, the “Trust Accounting” plan is a solid start. Most law firms will find the “Firm & Trust Accounting” plan offers comprehensive value by combining trust and operating accounts. What I found is the “Bank Reconciliation Services” plan provides premium support for firms wanting to outsource this task.

This tiered pricing helps you match features to your firm’s exact accounting requirements without overpaying for unused capabilities.

My Take: TrustBooks’s pricing strategy is highly competitive for specialized legal accounting, offering clear tiers that scale with your firm’s needs, prioritizing compliance and ease of use.

The overall TrustBooks pricing offers clear, specialized value for law firms.

TrustBooks Reviews

What do real customers actually think?

Analyzing TrustBooks reviews reveals consistent praise for its specialized approach to legal accounting, though some specific limitations are occasionally noted by users.

1. Overall User Satisfaction

Users seem genuinely happy here.

  • 🎯 Bonus Resource: While this article focuses on legal accounting, if you’re exploring other specialized solutions, my guide on church management software offers a valuable resource.

From my review analysis, TrustBooks generally garners high satisfaction, especially among law firms seeking compliance-focused accounting. What I found in user feedback is that simplicity and law firm specificity really resonate with attorneys who often lack extensive accounting backgrounds, making it easier to adopt than generic software.

This suggests you can expect a tailored experience that reduces typical accounting headaches.

2. Common Praise Points

Users consistently love the compliance features.

Most frequently, users praise TrustBooks for its automated three-way reconciliations and built-in safeguards against negative client balances. Review-wise, its focus on state bar compliance is a game-changer for firms, ensuring peace of mind during audits and simplifying what was once a complex, stressful process.

This means you’ll likely save significant time preparing for and passing audits.

3. Frequent Complaints

Some users mention advanced feature gaps.

While excellent for smaller firms, several reviews indicate TrustBooks might not offer the depth of features larger law firms with more complex accounting processes require. What stood out in customer feedback is how specific advanced needs may not be fully met, particularly for very specialized reporting or integrations beyond core legal tech.

These issues are generally minor for smaller firms but could be considerations for larger practices.

What Customers Say

  • Positive: “Trustbooks has helped simplify what was an incredibly complicated, frustrating, and time-consuming part of my practice.” (User Review)
  • Constructive: “One user noted difficulty uploading the General Ledger report for duplication.” (User Feedback Analysis)
  • Bottom Line: “It takes into account all of the trust accounting requirements of the State Bar and helps make sure you comply with them.” (User Review)

The overall TrustBooks reviews reflect strong satisfaction, especially for compliance needs, with minor concerns about advanced feature depth.

Best TrustBooks Alternatives

Struggling to find the perfect legal accounting solution?

The best TrustBooks alternatives include several strong options, each better suited for different business situations and priorities. I’ve analyzed when each competitor makes more sense for your law firm.

1. Clio

Need an all-in-one practice management suite?

Clio excels when your firm seeks a comprehensive platform beyond just accounting, integrating case management, document handling, and client communication. From my competitive analysis, Clio offers a broader range of practice management features than TrustBooks’ focused accounting solution, though it comes at a generally higher price point.

Choose Clio if you need an integrated solution covering full practice management, not just legal accounting.

2. Tabs3 Software

Seeking a robust, integrated accounting and practice suite?

Tabs3 provides a more comprehensive suite including legal billing and practice management alongside accounting, with flexible deployment options like on-premises. What I found comparing options is that Tabs3 offers a more robust and integrated solution, suitable if you prefer deployment flexibility and deeper integration across modules.

Consider this alternative if you need comprehensive billing and practice management in addition to accounting.

3. Xero

Operating a very small firm with general accounting needs?

Xero might be a good choice if your law practice primarily needs general business accounting features at a lower cost, especially if you’re comfortable with more manual trust accounting effort. From my analysis, Xero offers cost-effective general business accounting, but lacks TrustBooks’ specialized legal compliance features.

Choose Xero when your firm’s needs are basic general accounting and cost is a primary concern.

  • 🎯 Bonus Resource: While we’re discussing basic general accounting, understanding how a course management system can optimize investment is equally important.

4. CosmoLex

Prefer a single platform for all legal operations?

CosmoLex is ideal if you prefer a built-in legal-specific accounting system integrated directly with billing and practice management. Alternative-wise, CosmoLex provides an all-in-one legal solution, eliminating the need for separate software, though its focus isn’t solely on simplified trust accounting.

Opt for CosmoLex if you want a single, integrated platform combining legal accounting, billing, and practice management.

Quick Decision Guide

  • Choose TrustBooks: Simplified, compliant trust accounting for non-accountants
  • Choose Clio: All-in-one comprehensive law practice management solution
  • Choose Tabs3 Software: Robust, integrated billing and practice management suite
  • Choose Xero: Cost-effective general business accounting for very small firms
  • Choose CosmoLex: Fully integrated legal accounting, billing, and practice management

The best TrustBooks alternatives depend on your firm’s specific integration needs and budget priorities, not just a feature list.

TrustBooks Setup

How complex is TrustBooks implementation?

Implementing TrustBooks is generally straightforward due to its user-friendly design and workflows tailored for law firms, making the deployment process manageable. This TrustBooks review will help set realistic expectations.

1. Setup Complexity & Timeline

Starting your TrustBooks journey is surprisingly simple.

TrustBooks is designed for quick adoption, with many users leveraging its intuitive interface from a free trial. What I found about deployment is that most firms can begin managing trust accounts within days rather than weeks, especially if they embrace the guided workflows.

You’ll want to gather your existing client and transaction data upfront to streamline the initial data entry process.

2. Technical Requirements & Integration

Minimal IT headaches for your team.

As a cloud-based solution hosted on Salesforce and Amazon infrastructure, TrustBooks only requires a reliable internet connection. From my implementation analysis, this eliminates the need for any on-premise hardware or complex IT setups, simplifying technical readiness significantly.

Plan for stable internet access, but rest assured that your IT team won’t face demanding server installations or software compatibility issues.

  • 🎯 Bonus Resource: If you’re also looking into other specialized software solutions, my article on best donor management software covers options for non-profits.

3. Training & Change Management

User adoption is remarkably intuitive.

TrustBooks offers documentation, live online sessions, and in-person training, but its intuitive workflows truly minimize the learning curve. From my analysis, the law firm-specific design reduces the need for extensive accounting knowledge, which accelerates user comfort and proficiency.

Expect your team to adapt quickly, benefiting from the software’s clear guidance and terms that mirror legal practice rather than generic accounting jargon.

4. Support & Success Factors

Reliable support simplifies your transition.

TrustBooks provides responsive support via email, help desk, and chat, with users consistently praising their readiness to assist. What I found about deployment is that their proactive support is a key success factor, helping firms navigate any initial queries or process adjustments seamlessly.

For your implementation to succeed, leverage their support channels early and consider onboarding services from a TrustBooks Certified Accountant for expert guidance.

Implementation Checklist

  • Timeline: Days to weeks for initial setup and core training
  • Team Size: Legal staff managing accounts, minimal IT involvement
  • Budget: Primarily software subscription, minimal setup costs
  • Technical: Stable internet connection, modern web browser
  • Success Factor: Engaging with TrustBooks support for smooth setup

Overall, the TrustBooks setup is designed for simplicity and quick adoption, allowing law firms to efficiently manage trust accounting with minimal fuss.

Bottom Line

Should you choose TrustBooks for your legal accounting needs?

My TrustBooks review shows a highly specialized accounting software designed to meet the unique compliance and financial management needs of law firms.

1. Who This Works Best For

Solo practitioners and small to mid-sized law firms.

TrustBooks is ideal for attorneys and legal service professionals who prioritize compliant trust accounting and streamlined firm finances without extensive accounting expertise. What I found about target users is that firms needing straightforward, dedicated legal accounting will find this software exceptionally intuitive and beneficial.

You’ll succeed with TrustBooks if you want to manage your finances in-house while ensuring strict state bar compliance.

2. Overall Strengths

Unmatched trust accounting compliance and simplicity.

The software succeeds by providing automated three-way reconciliations and built-in safeguards, ensuring strict state bar compliance while simplifying complex legal accounting. From my comprehensive analysis, its legal-specific design takes the anxiety out of accounting for non-accountants.

These strengths translate directly into significant time savings and peace of mind, allowing you to focus more on your legal practice.

3. Key Limitations

Limited advanced features for complex, large firm needs.

While excellent for its target market, TrustBooks may not offer the comprehensive suite of features required by very large law firms with highly complex or multi-entity accounting processes. Based on this review, some users reported minor difficulties with general ledger report uploads, though these were not widespread issues.

I’d say these limitations are manageable trade-offs for its core strengths, rather than fundamental barriers, for its intended users.

4. Final Recommendation

TrustBooks earns a strong recommendation for legal professionals.

You should choose this software if your primary concern is accurate, compliant, and straightforward legal accounting for your solo or small to mid-sized law firm. From my analysis, this solution helps you manage finances confidently and prepare for audits efficiently, making it a reliable choice.

My confidence level is high for its target audience seeking a specialized, user-friendly legal accounting solution.

Bottom Line

  • Verdict: Recommended for legal accounting compliance and ease of use
  • Best For: Solo practitioners and small to mid-sized law firms
  • Business Size: 1-50 employees, particularly those without dedicated accounting staff
  • Biggest Strength: Automated trust accounting compliance and user-friendly design
  • Main Concern: May lack advanced features for very large, complex firms
  • Next Step: Contact sales or explore demo to assess fit for your practice

This TrustBooks review clearly demonstrates strong value for legal professionals seeking compliant and simplified accounting, while also acknowledging its focused scope.

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