The 7 Best Hona Alternatives for Personal Injury Firms in 2026

Hona built its name on a simple promise. Give clients a tracker that shows where their case stands, the way a delivery app shows a package, and they will stop calling to ask. For a PI firm drowning in "any update on my case?" calls, that pitch lands.

The product looks different in 2026. Hona now sells the original client portal, an inbound AI receptionist called Voice AI, and a case agent called Lia that launched this September to run treatment check-ins, each with its own price and contract terms.

That growth is also why comparing Hona alternatives gets confusing. A firm tired of its client app needs a very different Hona alternative than a firm that wants someone to call clients after a physical therapy visit, so this list sorts every option by the product it would replace. For the calls, HelloCounsel leads the list.

The 7 Best Hona Alternatives at a Glance

1. HelloCounsel: The Hona alternative that replaces Voice AI and Lia for PI firms that want client, provider, adjuster, and inbound calls handled and logged

2. Case Status: Replaces the client portal with a branded client app and messaging

3. Eve: Replaces Lia inside a full plaintiff platform

4. EvenUp: Replaces Lia for firms already using EvenUp for demands

5. CaseGen: Replaces Voice AI and Lia for multi-practice firms that want AI intake plus check-ins

6. Smith.ai: Replaces Voice AI with AI and a live-agent backstop

7. Hello Megan: Replaces Voice AI with a fixed-fee AI legal receptionist

What Hona Does Well and Where Firms Start to Push Back

Hona, originally called Milestones, is a Y Combinator-backed company used by more than 500 personal injury firms. Its three products solve different problems, so look at each before choosing a Hona alternative.

The client portal still does its original job well

Clients get a branded case tracker that explains each stage in plain language. Behind it, your firm gets automated updates tied to case status changes in your case management system (CMS), two-way texting in one inbox, drip education by case phase, intake forms, automatic review requests, and message translation. For clients who like checking their own status, it works, and several reviewers credit it with fewer "where's my case?" calls.

Voice AI adds an inbound receptionist, billed by the minute

Voice AI answers overflow, after-hours, and 24/7 calls on your existing number, recognizes existing clients, routes calls, and detects 31 languages. The catch is the meter. It costs $200 a month for 100 minutes plus a $500 setup fee, with tiers up to 3,500 minutes. At an assumed three-minute average call, 100 minutes covers about 33 calls, which a busy PI main line uses up fast, and it is often the first product firms want a Hona alternative for.

Lia handles treatment check-ins, mostly by text

Lia sends appointment reminders and post-visit follow-ups, flags missed appointments and treatment gaps, and escalates problems to staff. It can place calls, although text is its main channel, and staff enroll clients through a Chrome extension. Lia is priced and contracted separately, and existing treatment-phase automations in the portal can overlap with it and send clients duplicate messages, so current portal customers should plan some cleanup.

What reviewers say about Hona

Hona holds a 4.1 on Capterra across nine reviews, and its G2 reviews explain why some firms start looking at Hona alternatives. A May 2025 G2 reviewer described an annual auto-renewal "without opportunity to opt out" and said status-change texts "result in more calls rather than fewer." A January 2026 reviewer added that staff get a notification for every incoming text, whoever it was meant for.

That second complaint is worth sitting with. An automated update that confuses a client does not remove a call. It creates one, usually for a case manager who was in the middle of something else. The praise is real too: several reviewers single out Hona's support team, and a GetApp reviewer picked Hona over Case Status because the team felt like a partner.

A portal covers the first part of that duty. The harder part of a PI case runs the other way, because your firm needs information only the client has, such as whether she made it to physical therapy this week. That is the part the next tool is built for.

1. HelloCounsel, the Best Hona Alternative for Client and Case Calls

As per our analysis, a typical PI case generates about 150 calls over its life, as our breakdown of how many calls a PI case generates shows. A portal can deflect some of the incoming ones. The calls your firm has to make, such as checking on treatment, chasing a provider, or returning an adjuster's call, still land on someone's desk.

HelloCounsel builds AI voice agents for personal injury, workers' comp, and mass tort firms to take that phone work in both directions. Our agent, Counsel, answers inbound calls, places outbound calls, and writes each outcome to your CMS.

Check-ins happen by phone, and the answers go into the file

Lia leans on text, and a text is easy to ignore. When a client skips it, the file gets a blank where the treatment update should be. Counsel calls clients after their appointments instead, asks whether they attended, how the pain is, and whether a doctor referred them anywhere new, then writes those answers into the matter. Monthly status calls reach clients before they think to call you, which keeps client communication consistent.

Inbound calls reach the right person, without a per-minute meter

Voice AI answers inbound calls too, so choosing a Hona alternative here comes down to how the call is handled and billed. Counsel answers your main line 24/7 and identifies the caller before handling the call. A client in treatment reaches her case manager, an adjuster gets verified and helped, and a new lead goes through AI intake using your criteria, which is the case-phase routing a generic AI receptionist lacks. Spanish-speaking callers stay on the same line, even when they switch languages mid-sentence.

One fixed price covers reception, check-ins, and follow-up

Pricing is where this Hona alternative differs most. With Hona, the phone side of client communication means Voice AI at $200 per 100 minutes plus a $500 setup fee, and Lia on a separate quote, so you manage two contracts before you count the portal. HelloCounsel starts at $500 a month (pricing as of September 2026), with no per-minute billing and no setup fee. Plans are scoped to your licences and call volume with a 20% tolerance either way, so a TV campaign month does not arrive as a surprise invoice.

Provider and adjuster calls come off your team's desk

Hona's products focus on the client, so provider and adjuster calls stay with your staff. Assign a records task in your CMS, and Counsel calls the provider, works through the phone menu, waits on hold, confirms the request, and logs the status. When a paralegal needs a live adjuster, Counsel waits in the insurer's queue and rings her when a person picks up. Our guide to AI on medical provider calls covers the records side, and the case for automating outbound calls covers the rest.

Every call ends with a note in the matter

Hona's updates run on status changes in your case management system. Counsel works the other way around: it pulls matter context during the call and writes notes, fields, and summaries back when the call ends, through direct integrations with SmartAdvocate, Filevine, Litify, Lead Docket, and Clio, plus custom integrations for other systems. The file shows what the client actually said, which is the point of CMS write-back.

How HelloCounsel and Hona compare

Key features

• Caller pre-identification: The agent checks the caller against the case management system before handling the call, so it knows whether it is speaking with a client, provider, adjuster, or new prospect, which matter is involved, and which case staff to route to
• Custom call flows: Separate flows for new callers, current clients, providers, adjusters, attorneys, and after-hours traffic, each following your firm's SOP
• 24/7 answering: Picks up every call on the main line, including nights, weekends, and campaign spikes
• AI intake: Qualifies intake calls against your criteria in seconds and writes intake notes directly into the case management system
• Bilingual English and Spanish: Handles both languages on one line, including callers who switch mid-conversation, with no transfer
• Lead follow-up: Calls back new leads who did not sign on the first call and logs each attempt
• Medical records retrieval: Works provider phone trees and hold queues, confirms request status, and repeats follow-up until the records arrive
• Treatment check-ins: Places scheduled client calls after each visit, captures updates, and escalates when the case manager needs to step in
• Insurance claim opening: Opens claims with carriers through outbound calls
• Hold-time handling: Works insurer and provider phone menus and waits in hold queues, then connects your staff when a person answers
• Task completion: Each supported call ends with the action done and the case file updated, so staff do not have to act on a forwarded message
• CMS write-back: Direct integrations with SmartAdvocate, Filevine, Litify, Lead Docket, and Clio, with custom integrations available for other systems
• Call reporting: A dashboard measures call volume, caller type, transfers, and script adherence, so you can size the phone load before and after launch
• Human escalation: Your transfer rules send sensitive, judgment-heavy, or out-of-scope calls to the right person with context loaded

What changes for your team

• Fewer blanks in the file: Treatment answers land in the matter after every visit
• Faster speed to answer: Calls are picked up immediately, including nights and campaign spikes
• Shorter intake: Qualification happens during the call, with notes written to the CMS
• Workflows carried through: Records and claim tasks close in the file
• Lower overhead: Status calls and hold time come off your case managers, the most direct way to reduce case manager workload

HelloCounsel pros and cons

Bring your ten most common client and case calls to a founder call, and we will show you how Counsel handles each one in a two-week pilot.

2. Case Status, the Best Hona Alternative for a Branded Client App

If you want a different client app rather than a different way of reaching clients, Case Status is the Hona alternative closest to the original product. Clients get a branded mobile app and web portal showing where their case stands, what comes next, and what they need to do.

Clients sign in through a text message instead of a password. Your staff get encrypted messaging, bulk announcements for large caseloads, and Client Intelligence, which suggests reply drafts and tone options. Clients can upload documents, scan IDs, and send video messages, and everything syncs with your CMS under SOC 2 Type II compliant messaging.

Pricing and fit: Case Status prices by quote, and its Capterra listing shows a $699 monthly starting price and a 4.9 rating from 13 reviews. It is the natural Hona alternative for swapping one portal for another, though it will not change how many calls your team makes.

3. Eve, the Best Hona Alternative for Check-Ins Inside a Full Platform

Among Hona alternatives, Eve takes the biggest swing. EveOS, launched in June 2026, bundles intake, casework agents for demands and discovery, firm analytics, and a Comms Agent that places the kind of outbound calls Lia is built for.

The Comms Agent runs treatment check-ins, sends case updates, opens insurance claims, and follows up on records requests. Before each call it reads the matter and builds a call plan for your team to approve, then works automated insurer and provider menus and retries when nobody answers. A separate 24/7 intake agent answers in 28 languages and sends retainers for signature.

Pricing and fit: Eve prices by quote. It makes the most sense for firms ready to move intake, casework, and client calls to one vendor, and the least for firms that only wanted to replace Lia.

4. EvenUp, the Best Hona Alternative for Firms Already Using EvenUp

EvenUp is best known for AI demand packages built on past claims data. Its Communication Agents, launched in January 2026, call and text clients for check-ins and reach carriers and providers to open claims, confirm coverage, and request records. Client communication is one module among several, so check-ins sit next to your demand work rather than at the center.

Pricing and fit: EvenUp prices by quote. If you already send demands through EvenUp, its check-ins are the easiest Hona alternative to roll out, and our EvenUp alternatives show where a call-focused tool fits.

5. CaseGen, the Best Hona Alternative for AI Intake and Treatment Check-Ins

CaseGen splits its product into three named AI agents, which makes it one of the few Hona alternatives that overlaps with both Voice AI and Lia. Justina answers calls around the clock, runs intakes, handles existing-client calls, and blocks spam. Maya confirms treatment visits, reschedules missed appointments, and flags clients who stop treating. Justin follows up with leads who have not signed. CaseGen lists 17 language pages and sets up a built-in CRM during onboarding, with integrations including Clio and Filevine.

Pricing and fit: CaseGen charges a flat rate set through a sales call. It suits multi-practice firms that want intake and check-ins from one vendor, especially with callers beyond English and Spanish. Our CaseGen alternatives guide covers how it compares for PI work.

6. Smith.ai, the Best Hona Alternative for AI With a Live-Agent Backstop

Smith.ai answers calls with AI first and hands complex ones to live, North America-based agents whenever needed, across many industries including law. Its AI screens and routes callers against your criteria, every plan includes recording, transcription, and summaries, and it integrates natively with Clio and Zapier. Per-call pricing is easy to read and climbs with volume.

Fit: Smith.ai is the Hona alternative that replaces Voice AI for firms that still want a person available on every line. Our Smith.ai alternatives comparison shows how it holds up for PI firms.

7. Hello Megan, the Best Hona Alternative for Fixed-Fee AI Reception

Hello Megan is an AI legal receptionist for criminal defense, personal injury, family, employment, and business law firms, sold on a fixed monthly price with no per-minute charges. It collects new-client details, books calls on your calendar, checks in with existing clients, tells an urgent call apart from a routine prospect, and supports several languages. Because it serves many practice areas, PI call types get less tailored handling.

Pricing and fit: Hello Megan sets its price through a sales call. It is a sensible Hona alternative to Voice AI if per-minute billing is your main frustration, and our list of AI receptionists for law firms puts it in wider context.

Choosing the Hona Alternative That Fits Your Firm

Name the job first. A new client app will not make treatment calls, and a voice agent will not give clients a tracker to check at midnight, so the right Hona alternative follows from the conversation you need fixed.

What to check before you switch

• Renewal terms: Find your Hona renewal date and notice period first, given the auto-renewal complaints on G2
• Duplicate outreach: Make sure your Hona alternative and any Hona product you keep will not text or call the same client about the same appointment
• Where answers land: Confirm that check-in responses show up in your CMS, not a separate vendor dashboard
• Cost at your volume: Price your real minutes, calls, or clients against each Hona alternative's plan
• Caller recognition: Call in as an existing client and see whether the agent knows the case

Our checklist on how to evaluate an AI voice agent covers the call tests in more depth.

Choose the Tool That Fits the Conversation You Need

Hona gives clients a clear view of their case, and that has value if your clients use it. The limits appear when your firm needs something back from the client, or when the phones stay busy despite the tracker, and adding Voice AI and Lia to close that gap brings per-minute billing, a setup fee, and more than one contract.

For a new client app, Case Status is the direct Hona alternative. For the calls around each case, the ones that pull your team off casework and leave gaps that become a documentation problem, HelloCounsel makes check-in calls, answers inbound calls, and handles provider and adjuster calls on one fixed monthly price from $500. Count a month of status calls and check-ins, then review the HelloCounsel product against that number.

Book a call with the HelloCounsel founders and bring that count. The team will set up a two-week pilot on your real client calls.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best Hona alternative for PI firms?

HelloCounsel is the best Hona alternative for PI firms that want client check-ins, inbound calls, and provider and adjuster calls handled by phone. It writes every outcome to the case file on fixed pricing from $500 a month.

Does HelloCounsel handle inbound calls and outbound follow-up?

Yes. HelloCounsel answers inbound calls and routes them by case phase, and it places outbound calls to clients, providers, and insurers, including check-ins, records follow-up, and claim opening. Each outcome is written to the matter.

Which Hona alternative runs treatment check-ins by phone?

HelloCounsel calls clients after each appointment, asks about attendance, pain, and new referrals, and writes the answers into the matter. Hona's Lia runs check-ins mostly by text.

Is Hona the same as Milestones?

Yes. Hona was founded as Milestones and later rebranded. It is a client communication platform for law firms, best known for its case tracker.

How much does Hona cost?

Hona Voice AI costs $200 a month for 100 minutes plus a $500 setup fee, and the client portal and Lia are priced through sales. HelloCounsel starts at $500 a month with no setup fee.

Which case management systems does HelloCounsel integrate with?

HelloCounsel has direct integrations with SmartAdvocate, Filevine, Litify, Lead Docket, and Clio, and builds custom integrations for other case management systems.

How is a client portal different from an AI voice agent?

A client portal shares updates that clients choose to check. An AI voice agent like HelloCounsel calls clients and answers their calls, collecting details like treatment attendance and logging them to the case file.