ProbatePlus vs EstateWorks

ProbatePlus and EstateWorks are both designed specifically for Trust & Estate work, but they serve different operational needs. Use this comparison to see where ProbatePlus provides focused case and forms functionality and where EstateWorks adds broader workflow, financial administration and organization-wide capabilities.

Feature Comparison

Start with the headline comparison below. Open any section to see the underlying capabilities in more detail.

Configurable Firm Organization
Limited
Yes
CapabilityProbatePlusEstateWorks
Case Team Roles Attorney, Paralegal Customizable by Firm
Regional/Sub-Regional grouping No Optional Matter & User assignment to region / sub-region
Client Intake Integration
DecisionVault, Lawgic
DecisionVault, custom by Firm
Settlement and Planning Matter Types
Yes
Yes
CapabilityProbatePlusEstateWorks
T&E-specific client / decedent data fields Yes Yes
T&E-specific matter data fields Administrative, Probate and Tax details Administrative, Probate and Tax details
Multiple matters for same client/decedent Yes Yes
Shared client/decedent data across matters Yes Yes
Client/decedent-specific contacts Yes Yes
Settlement- and Planning-specific Contact Roles Yes Yes
Matter-type-specific Data Structures
Yes
Yes
CapabilityProbatePlusEstateWorks
Administrative Details Case Name & ID, Case Type, State of Residence, Status, Opened Details, Closed Details, Case Summary. Plan Completion, Review & Client Contact Dates for Planning Matters. Case Name & ID, Case Type, Checklist, Status, Opened Details, Closed Details, Case Summary, Region. Plan Completion, Review & Client Contact Dates for Planning Matters.
Probate Details Court & docket information; Key Probate Dates: Will, Appointment/letters, Return, Publication, Notification, Creditors, Objection, Inventory, Account filing; Ancillary Administration details; Probate Summary Court & docket information; Key Probate Dates: Will, Appointment/letters, Return, Publication, Notification, Creditors, Objection, Inventory, Account filing; Ancillary Administration details; Probate Summary
Tax Details Federal/State taxability, Estate size, taxpayer ID & fiscal year; Tax filing due, extension and filed dates for 706, 1040, 1041 with preparer information; Tax-related decision tracking (Alternate Valuation, Gift Returns); Tax Status Federal/State taxability, Estate size, taxpayer ID & fiscal year; Tax filing due, extension and filed dates for 706 (Federal & State), 1040, 1041 with preparer information; 8971 & Closing Letter tracking; Tax-related decision tracking (Alternate Valuation, Portability, Gift Returns); Tax Status
Planning Document Details No Name, type, execution date, original/location, comments
Planning Document Additional Metadata N/A Customizable by Firm, based on Document Type
Fee Details Optional: Fee Type, Total, Payment Dates & Amounts Optional: Fee Type, Total, Payment Dates & Amounts
Estate Settlement Financial Information
No
Yes
CapabilityProbatePlusEstateWorks
Asset, Liability, Income & Activity Information N/A Yes
Asset Categorization N/A Extensive
Ownership Grouping N/A Multi-layered
Asset Detail Tracking N/A Ownership/held-in, probate status, percentage interests, DOD/alternate/estimated values, valuation details and accrual information
706-specific Data Fields N/A Yes
Liability Categorization N/A Extensive
Activity Categorization N/A Income & Receipts; Taxes; Distributions; Bequests; Gifts; Subscriptions
Expense Categorization N/A Funeral; Executor; Attorney; Accountant and Miscellaneous Fees; 706 Losses
Safe Deposit Box Tracking N/A Yes
Assign Beneficiaries to Specific Assets N/A Yes
Distribution Tracking N/A Beneficiary assignments, amounts/values and distribution status/completion
Asset Import from Valuation Systems N/A EstateVal, Appraise
Export to Tax Preparation Software N/A GEMS, CCH ProSystem FX, Thomson Fast-Tax FPS, Intuit Lacerte
Estate Planning Client Financial Information
No
Yes
CapabilityProbatePlusEstateWorks
Net Worth InformationN/ANet worth details by category & ownership
Gift Tracking N/A Individual Gifts, with GST & 709 tracking
Safe Deposit Box Tracking N/A Individual details
Probate Forms & Document Generation from Matter Data
Yes
Yes
CapabilityProbatePlusEstateWorks
Florida Probate Forms FLSSI-approved distributor FLSSI-approved distributor
Other States NY, CT, MA NY, CT, MA; Custom based on Firm
Frequently Used Federal Forms Yes Yes
Organization-specific Custom Documents Yes Yes
Integration with Organization's HotDocs Advance Templates No Yes
Matter-level Document Storage / File Attachments
No
Optional
Case Reports
Yes
Yes
CapabilityProbatePlusEstateWorks
Standard Reports Case Highlights, Contacts, Beneficiaries, Family Reports Case Highlights, Contacts, Beneficiaries, Family Reports; Financial Detail & Valuation reports, Cash needs & Inventory Reports, Creditor Claims Report, Completed Tasks and Key Tasks Reports
Custom Case Reports No By request
Customizable Matter Notes
Yes
Yes
CapabilityProbatePlusEstateWorks
Custom Email Alert Delivery Yes Yes
Matter-level Checklist
No
Yes
CapabilityProbatePlusEstateWorks
Based on Pre-defined Master Checklist Template N/A Yes
Multiple checklist processes on a matter N/A Yes
Add, Remove and Modify tasks for an individual matter N/A Yes: Description, Dates, Priority, Recurrence Schedule, Assignee
Reassign individual task to a different Case Team member N/A Yes
Email alert to new assignee on reassignment N/A Optional
Reassign all outstanding tasks when Case Team changes N/A Yes
Mark task N/A N/A Yes
Override task due date N/A Yes
Complete tasks individually N/A Yes
Bulk edit task status N/A Yes
Bulk edit task due dates N/A Yes
Task comments / notes N/A Yes
Create custom Alerts for tasks N/A Yes
Reopen completed tasks N/A Yes
Add specific Process to matter checklist N/A Yes
Remove checklist process N/A Yes
Mark entire process N/A N/A Yes
Overdue tasks identified N/A Yes
Tasks can be filtered and sorted within a matter N/A Yes, by Date, Assignee & Status
View completed and incomplete tasks separately N/A Yes
Export / print checklist and tasks N/A Yes
Task completion date tracked N/A Yes
Checklist completion progress tracked N/A Yes; Overall and by Process
Task due dates included in organization-wide calendar N/A Yes
Task due dates shown on Matter Summary Dashboard N/A Yes, when passed due or impending
Task due dates shown on User Dashboard N/A Yes, when passed due or impending
Task due dates included in Weekly Reminder email N/A Yes, when passed due or impending
Weekly Reminder email recipients N/A All users unless opted out
Master Checklist Templates
No
Yes
CapabilityProbatePlusEstateWorks
Number of Master Checklist Templates N/A Unrestricted
Customizable by matter type N/A Yes
Customizable by jurisdiction N/A Yes
Multiple processes within a matter N/A Yes
Due date definition N/A Based on system-tracked dates or other tasks in the process
Task assignment at template level N/A By Case Team role
Recurring tasks N/A Yes
Task ordering / sequence N/A Customizable
Task categories / grouping N/A Unlimited, customizable
Due date requirement N/A Optional
Task names / descriptions N/A Customizable
Customizable stand-alone Processes N/A Yes
Organization-level Reports
Yes
Yes
CapabilityProbatePlusEstateWorks
Standard Reports Case List, Current Status, Family, Fee, Global Contacts, Notes, 706 Status & Estate Size Reports Case List, Current Status, Family, Fee, Global Contacts, Notes, Task Completion, Task, 706 Status, Estate Size, Key Dates, Selected Date, Crummey Notice, Document Catalogue, Gift Tracking, Net Worth Reports
Custom Reports Available No Yes
Organization Central Calendar
No
Yes
CapabilityProbatePlusEstateWorks
Calendar View Filters N/A By Region, Case Type, Case Status, Specific Cases, Task Type, Task Status, Assignee, Date Range
Calendar View Sorting N/A Case Name, Task Description, Assignee
Calendar View Types N/A Week, Month, List
Calendar Export Options N/A Print, Email, Outlook, Google, iCalendar, Yahoo
Organization Workload View
No
Yes
CapabilityProbatePlusEstateWorks
Workload Filters N/A Region, Case Type, Case Status, Assignees, Task Status, Date Range
Workload Drilldown by User and Task N/A Yes
Workload View Shows Overdue Tasks N/A Yes
Reassign Tasks from Workload View N/A Yes
Automated Weekly Emails
No
Yes
CapabilityProbatePlusEstateWorks
Case Summary Report N/A Yes
Task Reminder N/A Yes
Customized Email Reports No Yes

When ProbatePlus May Be the Better Choice

ProbatePlus is designed for practices that want a lighter-weight solution focused on probate case management and automated probate form generation, without the broader operational functionality of EstateWorks.

  • You primarily handle probate matters.
  • You want automated probate form generation.
  • You do not need configurable checklist and workflow management.
  • You do not need detailed estate financial information.
  • You do not need organization-wide workload or calendaring functionality.
  • You prefer a simpler system with less operational configuration.

Choose EstateWorks when you need to manage not just the matter, but the operation around it, including workflow, financial information, team responsibilities and organization-wide visibility.

Contact us if you would like to discuss how either product fits your practice.

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