MatterFirst vs Affinity

MatterFirst and Affinity,
compared honestly.

Lexis Affinity. Still supported, but built on older architecture that is not cloud native and requires workstation installation.

Book a demo Compare every platform
Encrypted at rest and in transit Australian data residency Hosted on AWS No lock-in contracts Guided setup available Your data exportable on request

Last reviewed

MatterFirst vs Affinity: what is the difference?

Affinity is lexis affinity. still supported, but built on older architecture that is not cloud native and requires workstation installation. MatterFirst is an Australian-built alternative with AI document extraction, workflow automation and a client portal included on every plan, priced per workspace rather than per user, with data held in the AWS region your firm chooses.

MatterFirst and Affinity, side by side
MatterFirst Affinity
Origin Australia (NorthCape Technology, Melbourne) Australia
Status Active Legacy, not recommended for new firms
Pricing Per workspace from $149/month, users included Not published. We do not list a competitor's pricing unless we can point at where it came from.
Data residency Your chosen AWS region, including AI inference Not published. Ask the vendor where inference runs, not only where files are stored.
Client portal Included on every plan, no per-client charge Not published
AI document extraction Included, with a monthly credit pool on every paid plan Not published
Contract term No lock-in Not published

Affinity details are drawn from the source linked at the foot of this page and were checked on 28 July 2026. Where we have not verified something, this page says so rather than estimating.

What Affinity is good at

  • Deeply embedded in the firms that run it
  • Still actively supported, unlike FilePro and LawMaster

Things to weigh

  • Not cloud native; requires installation on each workstation
  • Described in independent comparisons as legacy technology and not recommended for new implementations

MatterFirst is a legal practice management platform for Australian law firms, built by NorthCape Technology, covering matters, documents, trust accounting, billing and a client portal, with data hosted in the AWS region the firm chooses.

MatterFirst suits Australian firms up to about twenty seats wanting AI document extraction with onshore processing and per-workspace pricing. Existing users not yet ready to move. Not a candidate for a new selection.

FAQ

Questions firms ask

How does MatterFirst pricing compare to Affinity?
MatterFirst prices per workspace from $149 per month with users included, rather than per seat. Not published. We do not list a competitor's pricing unless we can point at where it came from.
Can MatterFirst import my data from Affinity?
Yes. We offer a Migration Package for firms moving matters, contacts, documents and templates into MatterFirst, scoped per firm. Smaller teams can also start manually and add migration support later.
What does MatterFirst do that Affinity does not?
The honest answer is that we can only speak to what we have verified. MatterFirst runs Document AI extraction and matter Q&A inside the AWS region your firm chooses, includes the client portal and automations on every plan rather than metering them, and prices per workspace. We do not publish comparisons of features we have not checked on the other platform, which is why several cells in the table above read 'not published' rather than carrying a claim.
Where is my data stored?
In the AWS region your firm chooses. Sydney (ap-southeast-2) is the default for Australian firms. Matter data, documents and Document AI processing all stay in that region: documents are not moved to another region to be OCRed or analysed.
How much does MatterFirst cost?
Pricing is per workspace rather than per seat, starting at $149 per month for Solo. Each plan includes a set number of users, a monthly pool of Document AI credits, the client portal and automations. Extra users are billed only past the included seats. Full plan inclusions are on the pricing page.
Can I get my data out if I leave?
Yes. Your matters, contacts, documents and time records are exportable on request, and there is no lock-in contract. We would rather you were able to leave and chose not to.
Is there a free trial?
Yes, a seven-day guided trial on Solo, Practice or Firm. It is guided rather than self-serve because a practice management system tells you very little until it has your real matters in it, and we would rather help you load them than leave you looking at an empty workspace.
Who builds MatterFirst?
NorthCape Technology, a Melbourne-based software company. MatterFirst is built in Australia for Australian legal practice, which is why trust accounting and Xero are first-class rather than regional add-ons, and why PEXA and InfoTrack are on the roadmap rather than absent from it.
Is MatterFirst suitable for a firm of my size?
It is designed for solo practitioners up to firms of roughly twenty seats. Below that, Solo carries the full platform for one user. Above it, the platform works but you should expect to talk to us about migration and rollout rather than signing up online.

Weighing MatterFirst against Affinity?

Seven-day guided trial with your own matters, and a migration conversation if you need one.

Book a demo See pricing