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Martindale-Avvo sells profiles and ads on legal directories such as Avvo, Martindale and Lawyers.com, plus leads, websites and live chat. Probative runs SEO, AI search and ads in accounts your firm owns, month to month, at published prices. This page sets out what each says in public, so you can choose with the facts in front of you.
Key facts
- Martindale-Avvo’s brands include Martindale-Hubbell, Avvo, Nolo, Ngage Live Chat, Lawyers.com and Captorra.
- Its pricing page lists ProVantage profiles “Starting at $399/mo.” for the first user; other products show “Pricing available upon request”.
- Its FAQ says “many attorneys have annual contracts,” while Pay-Per-Lead can be stopped at any time.
- Its Legal Growth Engine terms say “All data generated by Martindale-Avvo will be owned solely by Martindale-Avvo”.
How does Martindale-Avvo compare with Probative?
Martindale-Avvo sells reach on its own directories and leads it generates. Probative builds marketing that sits in your firm’s accounts. Neither is right for every firm.
| Criterion | Martindale-Avvo (its own words, summarized) | Probative |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | Enhanced directory profiles, directory ads, leads, websites, live chat and intake software | SEO, AI search and ads on Google, Microsoft, Local Services Ads, Meta and YouTube. We sell no leads or directory placements |
| Published prices | A published starting price for profiles and for directory ads; the rest on request | Every fee is on our pricing page: a flat monthly fee, never a percentage of ad spend, never per lead or per case |
| Contract | Set by your order form; the FAQ says many attorneys have annual contracts, and Pay-Per-Lead can be stopped at any time | Month to month, with no minimum term, for every service |
| Who owns the site, content and accounts | Data it generates is its own; you keep your own intellectual property. Website and domain ownership on exit not stated | Your firm owns every account from day one, in its own name, and the content we make once you pay for it |
| Reporting | A client portal with profile impressions, clicks and contacts, and lead outcome reporting for LeadDirect | Signed cases counted from your own records, in every package |
| Practice areas and firm sizes | Many practice areas across the US and Puerto Rico; solo practices through larger firms | Every practice area (how many are included depends on the package) and any firm size, nationwide |
| Spanish | Bilingual live chat in English or Spanish; no Spanish ads or directory content found | Spanish ads, pages and intake checks, written and checked by native writers |
Last checked on 27 October 2026 against Martindale-Avvo’s own pages and terms, and Probative’s pricing and terms pages. Sources are listed at the end of this page.
On practice areas, its FAQ says: “We cover 55+ areas of practice across the United States and Puerto Rico.” On firm size, its About page says it leads marketing “among solo practices and small and medium law firms,”.
Who may Martindale-Avvo be a better fit for?
- You want to be seen where people look up lawyers by name. Martindale-Avvo says its online destinations “attract over 25 million monthly consumers.”
- You want a peer-rating history. Martindale-Avvo says Martindale-Hubbell has connected attorneys and clients since 1868.
- You want leads now, with an easy exit. Its FAQ says Pay-Per-Lead can be stopped at any time, and it says LeadDirect leads are exclusive and delivered in real time.
- You want a low-cost start. Its directory ads page says ads start “at just $5” (no unit stated), and a profile has a published starting price.
Who may Probative be a better fit for?
- You want marketing you keep, in your firm’s own Google, Microsoft and Meta accounts, rather than a placement on someone else’s site.
- You want your report to end in signed cases from your own records, not profile views or contacts.
- You want Spanish beyond chat: Spanish ads, pages and call checks.
- You want one flat, published fee and a plan you can end any month on 30 days’ written notice.
What else could you choose instead of Martindale-Avvo?
Other directories and lead programs, such as FindLaw (which now shares a parent with Martindale-Avvo) or Lawyer.com, are the like-for-like swap. A free Google Business Profile and your own website also help people find your firm; test a paid profile against them for a quarter. Agencies such as Scorpion or Juris Digital, or Probative, run marketing you own. Our guide to exclusive and shared leads helps if you are buying leads.
What should you ask Martindale-Avvo, or any directory, before you sign?
- How long is this order, how does it renew, and how do we end it?
- Which data from the program can we export, and in what form?
- If you build our website, who holds the domain and the site files when we leave?
- How many contacts became signed cases last quarter, by our own count?
How we compared
We used only public sources: Martindale-Avvo’s own website, pricing page, FAQ and published terms. We quote its words where it matters and summarize the rest. Avvo’s own pages for lawyers did not open for us, so we did not state an Avvo Pro price. We did not use consumer review sites, because their reviewers are mostly people looking for a lawyer, not firms that bought advertising. Probative’s side comes from our pricing page and terms in plain English.
Probative Growth is not affiliated with Martindale-Avvo, Avvo, Martindale-Hubbell, Nolo, Lawyers.com or Internet Brands. Their names are trademarks of their owners, used here only to identify them. If anything here is out of date, email hello@probativegrowth.com and we will correct it and log the change on our corrections page.
What this means for your firm
- Test a paid profile against your free listings for a full quarter before you renew.
- Ask who owns the data and the website before you sign.
- Count signed cases per source so a directory is judged on cases, not views.
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