Web Design
Law firm website design
$3,500 flat, 21 days, WordPress you own. The build at the center of this comparison.
Compare · FirmForte vs The Modern Firm
FirmForte vs The Modern Firm: the agency we argue with the least.
Most of these comparison pages exist because the other company does something we think is a trap. This one's different. The Modern Firm is a long-running, independent shop that builds on WordPress, hands you a site you actually own, and openly warns lawyers off proprietary lock-in, long contracts, and forced marketing bundles. We agree with all of it. So this isn't a takedown. It's an honest read on three narrow differences that might matter to you, and a straight answer about where they're the better choice. If you're choosing between us, you're already choosing well.
Start with the agreement
Same beliefs about ownership. A few different bets after that.
It's worth being clear about how much common ground there is before anyone draws a line. On the things that burn most lawyers, we and The Modern Firm are on the same side. The differences sit on top of that shared foundation, not against it.
Common ground — both of us
- Build on WordPress, the open platform any developer can maintain
- You own the site, the domain, and the content outright
- No proprietary CMS, no platform lock-in
- No forcing you into a marketing retainer to get a website
Where the two of us split
- AEO is our default spine; for them it's not a named, built-in service
- Our pricing is posted and flat; theirs is quoted per firm after a call
- We ship in a fixed 21 days; their timeline is bespoke and varies
- You host where you like with us; they host and maintain it for you
The Modern Firm doesn't publish a fixed price list, and its process is consultative by design, so specifics below come from its own published guidance and general practice rather than a posted sheet. None of the four differences makes either of us right. They're just choices, and one set will fit your firm better than the other.
The short version
Which way you should lean.
Both are solid choices for a solo or small firm that wants to own its website. This is about temperament and priorities as much as features.
Lean FirmForte if
- You want AEO built into every page by default, not added on later.
- You'd rather see a posted price than book a call to learn the number.
- You want a fixed, fast schedule: live in 21 days, same for everyone.
- You're comfortable hosting the finished site wherever you choose.
Lean The Modern Firm if
- You want a hands-on, bespoke design process with room to explore options.
- You'd rather someone host and maintain the site so you never touch it.
- You value a long, established track record with small firms specifically.
- You're not on a clock and prefer a collaborative pace over a fixed sprint.
Line by line
Where we match, and where we don't.
The first rows are the agreement, stated plainly so it doesn't get lost. The later rows are the real differences. The Modern Firm's column reflects its published approach, not a posted price sheet.
| Feature | FirmForte | The Modern Firm |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | WordPress | WordPress (same) |
| Who owns the site | You | You (same) |
| Lock-in | None | None (same) |
| Pricing | Four flat tiers posted on the site, from $3,500 | Quoted per firm after a call; no posted price list |
| Process | Productized: fixed scope, one design revision round | Bespoke and consultative, scoped to each firm |
| Timeline | 21 days, fixed, same every build | Varies by scope; collaborative rather than fixed |
| AEO (cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews) | Default spine: FAQ + LegalService schema, answer-first content on every page | Strong on SEO and content; AEO isn't a named, built-in service |
| Hosting & maintenance | You host on a vendor you choose; updates are yours or on a retainer | Managed for you: monthly hosting and upkeep handled hands-off |
| Best fit | Firms wanting AEO, a posted price, and a fast fixed launch | Firms wanting a bespoke process and hands-off, managed care |
The difference that matters
The real split is AEO, not ownership.
Strip away the things we agree on and one difference is left standing. The Modern Firm builds a genuinely good website and does real SEO. We do that too, but the whole shop is organized around being found and cited by AI engines, not just ranked in Google. That's a different center of gravity, and it's the honest reason to pick one of us over the other.
01
Built answer-first, by default
Every FirmForte page ships with conversational Q&A blocks and FAQ plus LegalService schema, written so ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews can pull a clean answer about who you are, where you practice, and what you charge. It's not an upsell or a phase two. It's how the site is built on day one.
02
We track the citations
On the retainer tiers we monitor whether the four major AI engines actually name your firm for the queries that matter, and adjust when they don't. Most web shops, including very good ones, aren't yet measuring this, because Google rankings are still the default scoreboard.
03
We're honest about the limits
Here's the part most "AEO" pitches skip. The schema is hygiene and rich-result eligibility, not a magic switch that forces a citation. The content earns the mention. We say so on the AEO page too, because overpromising on this is exactly how the industry lost lawyers' trust in the first place.
04
If AEO isn't a priority
Then this difference doesn't move you, and you should weigh the rest on its merits. A firm that mainly wants a beautiful, well-written, owned WordPress site and isn't fussed about AI citations yet will be happy with either of us. We'd rather say that than pretend the gap is bigger than it is.
The honest part
Where The Modern Firm is the better pick.
This is the section a sales page usually skips. We're not skipping it, because there are real firms we'd send their way without hesitation.
01
You want a bespoke, unhurried process
Our build is productized on purpose: fixed scope, one revision round, 21 days. That's a feature for some firms and a constraint for others. If you want an open, exploratory design process with more back-and-forth and more options on the table, The Modern Firm's consultative model is built for exactly that, and ours isn't.
02
You want hosting handled for you
The Modern Firm hosts and maintains your site on a monthly plan, testing and applying WordPress updates so you never think about them. We hand you the keys instead, which means more independence but more responsibility. If "I never want to touch the technical side again" describes you, their managed model is the more comfortable fit.
03
You value a long track record
They've been doing this for small firms for a long time, through several eras of the web, and that depth of experience is real. We're newer and leaner, and we built the AEO-first model for where search is going. Both are legitimate things to weigh. Some firms want the seasoned hand; some want the bet on what's next.
04
You want a collaborator, not a sprint
Our process suits a firm that wants the decision made, the price known, and the site live next month. If you'd rather treat the website as a slower, considered project with a partner who'll sit in the weeds with you, that's a different working style, and it's one they're set up to deliver.
The full FirmForte lineup (Audit + Fix, Launch, Launch + Grow, Multi-Attorney) is on the pricing page, and the build is detailed on web design. Comparing the bigger players instead? See FirmForte vs Scorpion and FirmForte vs FindLaw.
Common questions
FirmForte vs The Modern Firm, answered plainly.
If your question isn't here, drop it in the audit form below. We answer everything within a business day.
Neither is simply better; they fit different firms. Both build on WordPress, hand you a site you own, and avoid proprietary lock-in and long contracts, so on the fundamentals there's little to separate them. FirmForte leans toward firms that want AEO built in by default, a posted flat price, and a fixed 21-day launch. The Modern Firm leans toward firms that want a bespoke, consultative design process and managed hosting handled for them, backed by a long track record with small firms. If AEO and a fast, posted-price build matter most, FirmForte fits. If a hands-on process and hands-off maintenance matter most, they do.
Yes to both, and we'll say so plainly because it's true and it's a good thing. The Modern Firm builds on WordPress and gives the firm ownership of the site, and it openly warns lawyers against proprietary platforms that restrict ownership. That puts it in the same camp as FirmForte and on the opposite side from the proprietary-platform agencies. Ownership is not where these two differ.
The Modern Firm doesn't publish a fixed price list. Its pricing is consultative, scoped to each firm after a call, on the reasoning that every website is different. FirmForte takes the other approach and posts four flat tiers, starting at $3,500 for a one-time build. Which is better depends on what you want: a custom quote tailored to your exact scope, or a posted number you can act on without a sales conversation. We're not going to claim we're cheaper, because without a quote from them there's nothing honest to compare on price alone.
The Modern Firm is strong on website quality, content written by attorney writers, and traditional SEO, and it pays attention to AI developments. But AEO, getting cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews, isn't a named, built-in part of its core offering the way it is at FirmForte, where FAQ and LegalService schema and answer-first content ship on every page by default. The honest caveat applies to us as much as anyone: the schema is hygiene, not a magic citation trick, and the content is what earns the mention. AEO is the clearest reason to choose FirmForte specifically over a strong general web shop.
FirmForte's Launch build is 21 days from kickoff to live, fixed, the same schedule for every client. The Modern Firm's timeline is consultative and varies with the scope of the project, in keeping with its bespoke process. If a fixed, fast launch date is important to you, that's a point for FirmForte. If you'd rather not be on a clock and prefer a collaborative pace, the variable timeline may suit you better.
The Modern Firm hosts and maintains your site on a monthly plan, applying WordPress core and security updates for you so you don't have to think about it. FirmForte hands you the finished site to host on a vendor you choose, with updates either handled yourself or rolled into a retainer. It's a genuine trade-off: their model is more hands-off and convenient; ours is more independent. Neither involves lock-in, because both are standard WordPress you can move freely.
When you want a bespoke, unhurried design process with room to explore options; when you'd rather someone else host and maintain the site so you never touch the technical side; when you value a long, established track record working specifically with small firms; or when you prefer a collaborative project over a fixed, productized sprint. Those are real strengths, and for firms that prioritize them, The Modern Firm is a better fit than FirmForte.
Yes, FirmForte designs from a blank canvas rather than a swapped-color template, so the result is genuinely custom to your firm. The difference is in the process, not the outcome's quality: FirmForte productizes that custom design into a fixed scope, one revision round, and a 21-day timeline, while The Modern Firm runs a more open, consultative process with more iteration. If you want a tightly run sprint with a posted price, FirmForte suits you. If you want a longer, more exploratory collaboration, The Modern Firm suits you.
Related services
What you'd actually be buying.
The comparison above is the why. These are the what.
AEO
AEO for law firms
The difference that actually separates us here. Built into every site at launch.
Pricing
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Posted numbers, same for everyone, no discovery call required to see them.
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Free website & AEO audit
A second pair of eyes on your current site.
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- Homepage + top 3 practice-area pages reviewed
- AI citation check across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini
- Schema markup & page speed audit
- Top 3 highest-impact fixes, ranked by ROI
- Competitor citation comparison
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