Comparison

LawStack vs Fastcase

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

LawStack

Access and search federal and state legal codes, rules, and statutes offline. Download essential legal documents to your device and subscribe to pro modules for expanded content. Request new titles to be added.

Highlights
  • Offline access to downloaded titles
  • Full-text search
  • Bookmarks
  • Search highlighting
  • Email sections
  • Request new legal titles
Features
Read full description

Download CFR, USC, rules, and state law to your mobile device. Join thousands and try LawStack for FREE today. - US Constitution - Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) - Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure (FRCrP) - Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure (FRAP) - Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE) - Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure (FRBP) - Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) - United States Code (USC) Looking for more? Go pro and subscribe to a pro in-app module. Examples: - Code of Federal Regulations (latest versions) - United States Code (latest versions) - California Code (CA) - Florida Code (FL) - Texas Code (TX) - Delaware Code (DE) - New York Code (NY) - Washington Code (WA) - Many more... Can't find what you're looking for? Make a request. Then download more legal titles in the future versions of LawStack. We'll try to add the most requested titles first. Features: - Complete offline access for downloaded titles. - Killer full-text search. - Bookmarks. - Header only search option. - Search highlighting. - Saved search term history. - Email sections. - Context-sensitive search. Support: Follow us on Twitter: @LawStack Questions, comments, or feature requests? Need specific updates? Email us at support@lawstack.com. ************************************ Disclaimer: The information in this app is not intended to replace official versions, is subject to revision, and should not be considered legal advice. Tekk Innovations LLC presents this information without warranties, express or implied, regarding accuracy, timeliness, or completeness. In addition, this disclaimer may change at anytime. When necessary, consult primary source material.

About

Fastcase

Access a comprehensive, free mobile law library containing cases and statutes from all 50 states and the federal government. Search by citation, keyword, or browse statute collections with smart search technology for relevant results. Save favorites and research history for on-the-go legal research.

Highlights
  • Free searchable library of US cases and statutes
  • Keyword, natural language, and citation search
  • Browse or search statutes
  • Smart search technology for relevant results
  • Save favorite documents
  • Integrated research history
  • Updated daily
Features
Read full description

Fastcase for the iPhone/iPad is a free legal research application, putting the American law library in the palm of your hand. Fastcase contains cases and statutes from all 50 states and from the federal government. You can search by citation, keyword (in Boolean or natural language), or browse statute collections. FEATURES: - Free, searchable library of American cases and statutes - Keyword (Boolean), natural language, and citation search - Browse or search statutes - Most relevant results first - Customizable, sortable search results - Search results automatically display number of citing cases - Jump right to most relevant paragraph of any case or statute - Integrated research history - Save favorite documents for use later - Updated daily Fastcase for the iPhone has won the prestigious American Association of Law Libraries New Product of the Year Award, and the iPad app includes great new features that take advantage of the larger screen area. Now you can view search results in a side panel while reading a document, enjoy portrait or landscape views, and see multiple levels of statute outline views. Fastcase for the iPhone/iPad also uses smart search technology from Fastcase’s fully-featured Web-based legal research application, which allows you to sort the most relevant results to the top of the list, customize and re-sort search results, and integrate citation analysis tools right into the results list. This application is free, but you’ll need to register an account so that you can save favorites and your own customized search history. There are tons of customizable features, so the more you use the Fastcase app, the better it fits you! Fastcase’s desktop application (www.fastcase.com) is widely considered the smartest alternative for legal research – allowing visual mapping of search results, dual-column printing, and more complete citation analysis and sorting tools. Fastcase was founded in 1999 and has hundreds of thousands of subscribers from around the world. Fastcase for the iPhone/iPad is the world’s largest free mobile law library. Happy searching! WHAT CRITICS ARE SAYING: "The short version of my review is this: I was impressed. The app is easy to use and produces lightning-fast results. . . . For legal research on the go, at any time, and for zero cost, this is a must-have for any lawyer with an iPhone." - Bob Ambrogi, Law.com "The Fastcase iPhone app is an extremely solid app which probably won't be dethroned as the king of mobile legal research anytime soon." - Joshua Auriemma, LegalGeekery.com "The largest free law library available on the iPhone. . . . This is a surprisingly robust legal research tool that will allow its users to find cases and statutes wherever they are, whenever they want, all for free." - Bob Ambrogi "Will it be long before students are required to purchase iPhones for law school in addition to, or instead of, laptops?" - James B. Levy, Legal Writing Professor Blog "The Legal Universe At Your Fingertips, For Free!" - Brad Bogan, Fifth Circuit Blog 2010 Winner, New Product of the Year Award, American Association of Law Libraries

Screenshots

LawStack4 screens
Fastcase4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: LawStack at 80% against Fastcase's 38%. LawStack also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.4) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months). Fastcase's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 34) and iOS requirement (7.1 vs 15.6). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. LawStack sells 34 one-off in-app purchases. Fastcase asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

LawStack holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LawStack has 378 ratings behind it against 72, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of LawStack's written reviews are positive against 38% of Fastcase's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LawStack ships an update fortnightly, Fastcase every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
LawStack versus Fastcase: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLawStackFastcase
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (378 ratings) — better2.4 (72 ratings)
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews — better37.5% of reviews
Number of ratings378 — better72
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.67.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB7 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperTekk Innovations LLCFastcase

Customer experience

LawStack

All ratings378 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral2.9%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews80 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral6.3%
Negative13.8%

Fastcase

All ratings72 ratings
Positive26.4%
Neutral6.9%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews64 reviews
Positive37.5%
Neutral3.1%
Negative59.4%

User reviews

LawStack

From 378 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Excellent customer support and responsive developers
  • 🚀 Fast and easy search functionality
  • 📱 Convenient portable access to legal documents
  • ✅ Regularly updated content
  • 🔖 Useful bookmarking and highlighting features

Room to improve

  • 💰 High subscription pricing ($29.99-$99.99 per module)
  • ⏱️ Content updates lag behind official sources
  • 🐛 Bookmarking sync issues across devices
  • 🔗 Hyperlinks pointing to wrong regulations
  • ❌ Limited state coverage

Fastcase

From 72 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use (when it works)
  • 💡 Useful research tool
  • 🆓 Free access (often through bar association)
  • 🚀 Fast and efficient (historically)
  • ✅ Good for on-the-go research

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes constantly
  • 🐛 App won't load search results
  • 🐛 XML parsing errors
  • 🐛 Randomly crashes after a few minutes
  • 🐛 Frustrating user experience

Bugs and requests

LawStack

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Bookmarking functionality not working properly
  • Bookmark sync between devices fails
  • Hyperlinks in regulations point to incorrect content
  • App hangs on initialization
  • Share button malfunction
Show 5 more
  • In-app purchase issues
  • Update errors and failed downloads
  • Cannot delete unwanted sections after update
  • App crashes and won't open
  • Content access restricted after subscription expiration despite previous payment

Requested features

12 requests
  • Add Canadian statutes and codes
  • Include more states (New Mexico, Tennessee, etc.)
  • Cross-linking between Internal Revenue Code and Regulations
  • Search feature for law changes and new laws
  • iPad-specific optimized interface
Show 7 more
  • Dark mode option
  • Complete archive of regulations from original effective date
  • Include state and federal court rules
  • Add case law lookup functionality
  • Include Public Laws and state Acts
  • Add agency policies and administrative codes
  • Collapsible navigation panel for better document viewing

Fastcase

Reported bugs

19 issues
  • App crashes without warning
  • App won't load search results (pinwheel)
  • XML parsing errors
  • App crashes randomly after a few minutes
  • Frequent logouts requiring re-login
Show 14 more
  • App hasn't been updated in years
  • Search functionality is broken
  • Inability to save preferences
  • Random crashes leading to lost work
  • Certificate errors preventing login
  • App freezes at login screen
  • Incompatibility with older iOS versions
  • App crashes immediately after login on older iPads
  • App freezes unexpectedly during research
  • App hangs indefinitely on iOS 8
  • App shuts down completely on login
  • Login issues: "GO" key workaround needed
  • Password recovery not available
  • App crashes after 30 seconds of being open

Requested features

15 requests
  • Fix the app to stop crashing
  • Update the app regularly
  • Fix XML parsing errors
  • Improve user-friendliness
  • Allow saving preferences
Show 10 more
  • Fix login issues
  • Add a Shepardize feature
  • Update outdated statutes and case law
  • Fix search functionality
  • Improve mobile website experience
  • Add password recovery option
  • Fix certificate errors
  • Allow saving search files
  • Add voice input options
  • Add a dark mode option

In-app purchases

34 purchases

LawStack

One-time34
  • California Code of Civil Procedure$1.99
  • California Penal Code$1.99
  • Texas Penal Code: Law, Statute$29.99
Show 31 more
  • New York Penal Code: Law$29.99
  • Texas Rules of Civil Procedure$29.99
  • TX Crim Proc - 1 Year$29.99
  • TX Transportation - 1 Year$29.99
  • LA Code of Civil Proc - 1 Year$29.99
  • FL Civil Rules - 1 Year$29.99
  • NY Civil - 1 Year$29.99
  • TX Family - 1 Year$29.99
  • CA Civil Rules - 1 Year$29.99
  • NY Vehicle Traffic - 1 Year$29.99
  • TX Evid - 1 Year$29.99
  • LA Law - 1 Year$99.99
  • Texas Law: Code and Statutes$99.99
  • FL Law - 1 Year$99.99
  • 46 CFR: Shipping Regs for USCG$99.99
  • 26 CFR - Internal Revenue Code$99.99
  • California Law: Code, Statutes$99.99
  • 26 USC: IRS Code, Int. Revenue$99.99
  • 14 CFR: Aeronautics and Space$99.99
  • 11 USC - 1 Year$99.99
  • 38 USC - 1 Year$99.99
  • 30 CFR: Mineral Resources,MSHA$99.99
  • 28 USC - 1 Year$99.99
  • Federal Sentencing Guidelines$99.99
  • 38 CFR: Pensions, Bonuses, Reg$99.99
  • IL Law - 1 Year$99.99
  • 48 CFR:Federal Acquisition,FAR$99.99
  • New York Law - Code, Statutes$99.99
  • 21 USC - 1 Year$99.99
  • 18 USC - 1 Year$99.99
  • 49 CFR:Transportation Code,Reg$99.99
None

Fastcase

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is LawStack free?
LawStack is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Fastcase free?
Fastcase is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, LawStack or Fastcase?
LawStack is rated higher. LawStack averages 4.7 out of 5 from 378 ratings, while Fastcase averages 2.4 from 72 ratings.
Do LawStack or Fastcase have ads?
Neither LawStack nor Fastcase shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LawStack or Fastcase?
LawStack ships an update fortnightly, and Fastcase every 4 months. Most recently, LawStack was updated on October 5, 2026 and Fastcase on October 8, 2026.

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