Side by side
Legal Information Institute vs SAFLII
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.
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 Free plan Web
SAFLII combines a broad collection of legal documents with configurable search and result controls. Its terms restrict automated collection, and users needing specific legal advice should consult a suitably qualified professional.
Visit SAFLIIThe facts
| Legal Information Institute | SAFLII | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Web | Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | law.cornell.edu | saflii.org |
| On legal research software | #16 of 31 | #19 of 31 |
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.
SAFLII: what it does well
- Searches judgments, legislation, and legal commentary.
- Supports Boolean and proximity search operators.
- Sorts results by date, relevance, title, or database.
- Free public access does not require login details.
What to know first
- Terms prohibit scraping, crawling, API access, and bulk querying.
- SAFLII does not provide legal or professional advice.
- Free access is limited by copyright law.
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