IPBases vs Alt Legal, AppColl, Clio and enterprise IP platforms
What trademark and IP firms actually pay for their software, using each vendor’s published prices — and where IPBases is, and isn’t, the better deal.
The short answer
- Under ~100 matters, docketing only: a monthly tool such as Alt Legal is cheaper.
- 200+ matters, or a team of 3–25 people: IPBases costs less within about two years, and includes billing, client letters and portals.
- A corporation with a global portfolio and procurement team: enterprise platforms such as Anaqua are built for that, at enterprise prices.
Published prices
| Product | What it is | Published price | Five years, worked out |
|---|---|---|---|
| IPBases Professional | Self-hosted trademark & IP management: docketing, renewals, invoicing, proposals, client updates, client & associate portals | $4,999 onceOne firm, up to 25 users, unlimited marks. 2 years of updates included. | ≈ $8,900$4,999 + optional updates for years 3–5 (~$1,000/yr) + your own hosting (~$15/month) |
| Alt Legal | Cloud docketing for trademarks and patents | $60–$295 / monthPriced by number of matters (50 to 400), unlimited users. Trademark-protection add-on $30–$95/month. 1,000+ matters: on request. | $11,700 200 matters, docketing only$17,700400 matters, docketing only |
| AppColl | Cloud IP practice management | from $100 / monthPlans listed “starting at” $100, $130 and $350 per month; monthly subscription. | $6,000+Entry plan only; higher plans or more seats cost more — ask AppColl for a quote. |
| Clio | General legal practice management (not built for trademark docketing) | from $49 / user / monthEntry price shown on Clio’s pricing page; higher plans are quoted. | $14,7005 users on the entry price |
| Anaqua, Clarivate IP platforms | Enterprise IP management for corporations and large firms | Not publishedQuote only. Third-party estimates put annual subscriptions in the tens of thousands of dollars, plus implementation. | Quote only |
Prices are taken from each company’s own public pricing page (the Anaqua estimate from Software Finder), checked on 18 October 2026, in US dollars before tax. Five-year figures simply multiply the monthly price by 60. Vendors change prices — always check their site: Alt Legal pricing, AppColl pricing, Clio pricing, Anaqua pricing (Software Finder). Product names belong to their owners; IPBases is not affiliated with any of them.
Five years, three kinds of firm
| Five-year cost | Small practice 50 matters · 1–2 people | Mid-size firm 200 matters · 5 people | Growing firm 400 matters · 10 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| IPBases Professional | ≈ $8,900 | ≈ $8,900 | ≈ $8,900same price up to 25 users |
| Alt Legal (docketing) | $3,600cheaper here | $11,700 | $17,700$23,400 with the trademark-protection add-on |
| Clio (entry price) | $2,940–$5,880 | $14,700 | $29,400 |
| AppColl (entry plan) | $6,000+ | $6,000+ | $6,000+more with higher plans or seats |
IPBases: $4,999 + optional updates for years 3–5 (~$1,000/yr) + about $15/month of hosting. Others: published monthly price × 60. Clio is per user; Alt Legal is per number of matters with unlimited users.
What the $4,999 includes
Every module, for up to 25 people, with no per-seat or per-matter fees.
- ✓ Trademark docketing: filing to registration and renewals, with reminders
- ✓ “Your next steps”: each person’s to-do worked out from their own records
- ✓ Duplicate-trademark warning when the same mark is entered twice
- ✓ Action required list with your deadline and the office deadline side by side
- ✓ Invoices, payments and online card payment, in any currency
- ✓ Bilingual (English / Arabic) client notices, letters and fee proposals
- ✓ Mail inbox linked to each trademark and client
- ✓ Client portal and associate portal
- ✓ Patents, industrial designs, Madrid filings and gazette watch
- ✓ Permission groups, full audit log and live team activity
- ✓ Your logo and colors; installed on your own server
- ✓ Free Excel migration and free customization
One system instead of four
Docketing, invoices and payments, bilingual client notices and proposals, a mail inbox and client & associate portals — in one place. Most firms otherwise stitch these together from separate tools.
Your server, your data, forever
A perpetual license on your own hosting. No per-seat fees, no price rises at renewal, and the system keeps running even if you stop buying updates.
Set up for you, free
We import your trademarks, clients and deadlines from Excel and adapt the system to your workflow, terms and forms at no charge — work that enterprise vendors usually bill as implementation.
Questions to ask any vendor
- Is the price per user, per matter, or for the whole firm? What happens when we grow?
- Is billing, client correspondence and a client portal included, or a separate product?
- Who owns the data, where is it stored, and can we export everything?
- Is there a setup, migration or training fee?
- Does it handle Arabic and the offices we file in?
- What does it cost over five years, including price rises?
Comparison FAQ
Is IPBases cheaper than Alt Legal?
It depends on the size of your portfolio. On Alt Legal's published prices (October 2026), a firm with 200 matters pays $11,700 over five years and a firm with 400 matters $17,700, for docketing alone. IPBases costs about $8,900 over five years including optional updates and hosting. Below about 100 matters, Alt Legal's $60–$100 plans are cheaper.
Is IPBases a subscription?
No. IPBases is a one-time perpetual license ($4,999 for one firm and up to 25 users), installed on your own server. Two years of updates are included; after that, updates are optional at about $1,000 a year.
Can I move from Alt Legal, AppColl or Excel to IPBases?
Yes. Migration from Excel is free: we import your trademarks, clients and deadlines and check the result with you. For exports from other systems, send us the files and we will map them for you.
Where do these prices come from?
From each vendor's own public pricing page, checked on 18 October 2026, in US dollars before tax. Anaqua does not publish prices; the figure shown is a third-party estimate from Software Finder. Prices change, so always check the vendor's site.
See it with your own marks
Book a 30-minute demo, or open the live demo with sample data.
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