Comparison
minicounsel vs CanLII
CanLII is a free, essential resource for Canadian lawyers. minicounsel adds AI-powered research for Ontario. Here's when to use each — and why many lawyers use both.
TL;DR
CanLII is free, covers all of Canada, and is great for browsing case law with keyword search. minicounsel adds AI-powered natural language search with 99.9% accuracy, judge decision patterns, lawyer case histories, and opposing counsel research — focused exclusively on Ontario courts and the SCC. At $99/month, minicounsel Pro is for lawyers who need research speed and accuracy beyond what keyword search can provide. Many lawyers use both.
Different tools, different strengths
CanLII and minicounsel solve different problems. CanLII is a free public database — the foundation of Canadian legal research. minicounsel is an AI research tool built for speed and accuracy on Ontario case law.
CanLII
Free
keyword search · all of Canada
Comprehensive, publicly funded database. Essential for every Canadian lawyer. No AI, no profiles, no natural language search.
minicounsel Pro
$99/mo
AI search · Ontario focused
99.9% accurate AI research via ChatGPT & Claude. Judge and lawyer profiles. Courtroom-ready speed.
Feature comparison
| Feature | minicounsel Pro | CanLII |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $99/mo | Free |
| AI-powered natural language search | ||
| Works inside ChatGPT & Claude | ||
| Ontario case law (ONCJ, SCJ, ONCA, SCC) | ||
| All Canadian jurisdictions | ||
| Judge profiles & decision patterns | ||
| Lawyer profiles & case history | ||
| Opposing counsel research | ||
| Keyword / Boolean search | ||
| Legislation & regulations | ||
| Tribunal decisions | ||
| Courtroom-ready speed |
When to use each
Use minicounsel Pro when you:
- Need to find Ontario case law for a specific legal issue
- Want AI to search using natural language, not just keywords
- Need to research a judge's decision patterns before a hearing
- Need real-time research during a courtroom appearance
- Want to look up opposing counsel's case history
Use CanLII when you:
- Need case law from provinces outside Ontario
- Looking up a specific citation you already have
- Need to browse legislation and regulations
- Looking for tribunal decisions
- Need a free resource for basic case browsing
Common questions
- Is minicounsel a replacement for CanLII?
- Not exactly — they're complementary. CanLII is a free, comprehensive database covering all of Canada with basic keyword search. minicounsel adds AI-powered research with 99.9% accuracy specifically for Ontario case law, plus judge and lawyer profiles. Many lawyers use CanLII for broad Canadian browsing and minicounsel Pro for focused Ontario research.
- Why pay for minicounsel when CanLII is free?
- CanLII offers keyword search — you need to know the right terms. minicounsel Pro lets you describe what you're looking for in natural language through ChatGPT or Claude, and returns verified Ontario case law with 99.9% accuracy. You can also upload your own client documents directly in ChatGPT or Claude for analysis — minicounsel never sees your files. It also includes judge decision patterns, lawyer case histories, and opposing counsel research — none of which CanLII offers.
- Does CanLII have AI search?
- CanLII recently launched Search+, a free AI tool that converts natural language questions into Boolean queries. It's a smarter way to use keyword search, but it's not true semantic search — results still depend on keyword matching. minicounsel Pro provides true AI-powered semantic search through ChatGPT and Claude with 99.9% accuracy. See our detailed CanLII Search+ comparison for more.
- Does minicounsel cover all of Canada like CanLII?
- No. minicounsel focuses exclusively on Ontario courts (ONCJ, SCJ, ONCA) and the Supreme Court of Canada. CanLII covers all Canadian jurisdictions. If you need case law from other provinces, use CanLII for that and minicounsel for Ontario.
- Can I use both CanLII and minicounsel?
- Yes, and many lawyers do. CanLII for free browsing across all of Canada, and minicounsel Pro for AI-powered Ontario research, judge profiles, and lawyer research. They cover different needs.
Add AI research to your CanLII workflow
99.9% accuracy. Works inside ChatGPT and Claude. $99/month, 7-day free trial.
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