Comparison

Fastcase vs LexisNexis® Digital Library

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

Head to head
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

About

LexisNexis® Digital Library

Access your law library's complete eBook collection on your mobile device. Read, search, and annotate legal texts offline or online. Share research and organize your notes for convenient legal resource management.

Highlights
  • Access full eBook collection
  • Offline reading and access
  • Search within eBooks
  • Share research links
  • Add highlights and annotations
  • Customizable reading modes
  • Export annotations
Read full description

With the LexisNexis Digital Library app, you can access your law library’s full eBook collection when online or download books so you can use them offline in the courtroom or while traveling. Features: • Use your organization’s complete eBook collection on your phone or tablet – allowing for convenient access to important legal resources anywhere work happens. • Easily read and search inside eBooks. • Get links to specific sections within a book to easily share research with colleagues. • Follow links from within books to the Lexis Advance online service (with an active subscription). • Add your own highlights, annotations, bookmarks, and tags to books for quick reference. • Jump right back into recently read eBooks, highlights, and annotations easily from your custom workspace. • Export annotations and highlights for use in your documentation. • Adjust fonts and reading modes based on your preference. Support for OpenDyslexic font included. • Stay organized with tags, now with improved visibility and functionality. • Subscribe to alerts and receive updates about individual titles and set volumes. How it works Libraries subscribe to LexisNexis digital content to share with their organizations. Many more eBooks and audiobooks are available from additional publishers through OverDrive. The way you access this content is simple: 1. Download and install the app. 2. When prompted, enter your institution’s library code To get this code, contact your library administrator. 3. Start exploring your LexisNexis Digital Library.

Screenshots

Fastcase4 screens
LexisNexis® Digital Library4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: LexisNexis® Digital Library at 3.5 against Fastcase's 2.4. Fastcase's advantage is ratings volume (72 vs 13) and iOS requirement (7.1 vs 14.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

LexisNexis® Digital Library holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Fastcase has 72 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of Fastcase's written reviews are positive against 43% of LexisNexis® Digital Library's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Fastcase ships an update every 4 months, LexisNexis® Digital Library every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Fastcase versus LexisNexis® Digital Library: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFastcaseLexisNexis® Digital Library
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.4 (72 ratings)3.5 (13 ratings) — better
Positive reviews37.5% of reviews42.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings72 — better13
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS7.1 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB4 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperFastcaseOverDrive, Inc.

Customer experience

Fastcase

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

LexisNexis® Digital Library

All ratings13 ratings
Positive61.5%
Neutral7.7%
Negative30.8%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral14.3%
Negative42.9%

Bugs and requests

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

LexisNexis® Digital Library

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Fastcase

No in-app purchases

None

LexisNexis® Digital Library

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Fastcase free?
Fastcase is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is LexisNexis® Digital Library free?
LexisNexis® Digital Library is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Fastcase or LexisNexis® Digital Library?
LexisNexis® Digital Library is rated higher. Fastcase averages 2.4 out of 5 from 72 ratings, while LexisNexis® Digital Library averages 3.5 from 13 ratings.
Do Fastcase or LexisNexis® Digital Library have ads?
Neither Fastcase nor LexisNexis® Digital Library shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Fastcase or LexisNexis® Digital Library?
Fastcase ships an update every 4 months, and LexisNexis® Digital Library every 3 months. Most recently, Fastcase was updated on October 18, 2026 and LexisNexis® Digital Library on October 21, 2026.

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