MayaClerk vs. Westlaw

Last updated July 2026 · Westlaw figures from Thomson Reuters' published small-firm pricing and independent reviews; verify current rates with the vendor.

Westlaw is the incumbent in U.S. legal research, and for large firms with library budgets it earns that position. The question this page answers is narrower and more practical: if you're a solo practitioner, a small firm, a paralegal, a law student, or a self-represented litigant, what do you actually give up — and what do you save — by using MayaClerk instead?

Pricing, side by side

What you get with MayaClerk

MayaClerk searches 10.6 million U.S. federal and state court opinions — over 100 million indexed passages — with hybrid retrieval that combines full-text search with semantic search, so it finds cases that match your legal issue even when they don't share your keywords. Every plan includes the full corpus: there is no concept of an out-of-plan jurisdiction.

On top of search, MayaClerk includes a citation graph (follow every citing and cited opinion in both directions), David, an agentic research assistant that runs multi-step research across the corpus and returns cited answers, and litigation dossiers — structured, adversarially-tested research memos on a specific claim, available à la carte for $39 even without a subscription. A REST API over the same corpus is available at a flat $0.20 per call.

Where Westlaw is still ahead — honestly

Two things, and they matter for some practices:

Secondary sources. Westlaw's treatises, practice guides, ALR, and attorney-editor headnotes have no equivalent on MayaClerk. If your workflow leans heavily on secondary sources rather than primary law, Westlaw (or a law library subscription) still earns its cost.

An editorial citator. KeyCite's red and yellow flags are assigned by attorney-editors. MayaClerk's citation graph shows you every citing opinion and the passages where the citation occurs — which many researchers consider more reliable than trusting a flag — but it does not hand you an editorial treatment judgment. You read the citing language and decide.

If neither of those is central to your practice, you are paying Westlaw's premium mostly for brand assurance.

Who switches, in practice

The typical MayaClerk user replacing Westlaw is a solo or small-firm litigator paying $200–$400/month for coverage they use a fraction of, a paralegal or freelance researcher who can't justify a seat license, a law student who lost academic access at graduation, or a self-represented litigant for whom commercial research pricing was never realistic. The common thread: they need fast, reliable primary-law research with citation analysis, not a library of treatises.

Frequently asked questions

Is MayaClerk a full replacement for Westlaw?

For primary-law research — finding, reading, and citation-checking federal and state case law — yes, for most practices. For editorial secondary sources, no; keep occasional-use access if your practice depends on them.

Does MayaClerk cover my state?

The corpus covers all U.S. states and federal courts in every plan. There are no jurisdiction add-ons.

Can I try it without talking to sales?

There is no sales team to talk to. Create a free account and run 40 searches a month indefinitely; upgrade or cancel from your dashboard.