Side by side

CourtListener vs Legal Information Institute

Both stand on legal research software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

CourtListener

Free plan Web

CourtListener combines legal search, alerts, and developer access around a substantial archive of court materials. The free non-member tier has usage limits, while membership tiers list higher limits.

Visit CourtListener

Legal Information Institute

Free plan Web

LII brings legal texts, research tools, and explanatory materials together in a free web resource. It can help readers find and understand legal information, but not provide advice or personalized research help.

Visit Legal Information Institute

The facts

	CourtListener	Legal Information Institute
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	Web	Web
Lowest paid plan	Tier 1: $10,100 a month	Free or on request
Plans published	5	1
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	courtlistener.com	law.cornell.edu
On legal research software	#9 of 31	#16 of 31

CourtListener: what it does well

Searches opinions from federal and state courts.
RECAP includes extensive federal case and docket materials.
Alerts cover topics, people, companies, and citations.
Developer access includes APIs and bulk data.

What to know first

Free non-members have limited docket alerts.
Free non-members have limited API requests.
The website is web-only.

Legal Information Institute: what it does well

Public legal collections are available free of charge.
Covers federal law and all 50 states.
Includes case law, regulations, commentary, and citation tools.
Read It Online resolves formal case citations.
Offers free Introduction to Basic Legal Citation.

What to know first

Does not provide legal advice or interpretations.
Does not offer personalized research or school-project help.
Coverage includes only selected world law.

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