These two services take different paths to the same records. With ChartSquad, your client asks for their own records, and then shares them with your firm. With Record Grabber, your firm sends the request, and Record Grabber chases it for you. Pick the path first. Then price the same set of providers with each one.
Who asks for the records matters. A patient asking for their own records has federal rights about timing and copy fees. A request sent to a law firm is handled under different rules. We explain that below.
We build phone intake for personal injury firms. This guide covers a later step in a case. We checked each company’s public pages on October 24, 2026. We have not used either service or measured which one is faster.
Two different paths
| Your question | ChartSquad | Record Grabber |
|---|---|---|
| Who asks? | The client, through a free personal health record account. | Your firm, through Record Grabber’s portal. |
| Who follows up? | ChartSquad says it handles calls and follow-ups with providers for the patient. | Record Grabber says it sends the request within one business day and follows up every four. |
| Where records go | Into the client’s account. The client chooses who can see them, such as your firm. | Into your firm’s portal, with an email when they arrive. |
| Listed price | Free account for the patient. Law-firm pricing is by request. | $50 per request, plus the provider’s fees. No contract or monthly minimum. |
| Listed timing | A 15-day national average, as reported by ChartSquad. | A three-week average, as reported by Record Grabber. |
ChartSquad describes its account and its average provider fee in its FAQ. It says plainly that it is not a record retrieval service. Its page for law firms explains how firms help clients use it. Record Grabber lists its steps on its system page and its fees on its pricing page. These averages come from each company. They are not results we measured.
Why the path matters
A patient has a legal right to get copies of their own records. Under the federal rule, the provider must act on the patient’s request within 30 days. It may take one 30-day extension, but only if it explains the delay in writing. See 45 CFR 164.524.
The same rule limits what the provider may charge the patient. The fee may cover only certain costs, such as copying labor and postage.
That fee limit does not cover every request. A 2020 court order changed this. Now the limit applies when patients get their own records. It does not apply when a patient asks the provider to send records to someone else, such as a law firm. HHS explains this in its notice about the court order.
This is the idea behind ChartSquad: the client asks for their own copy and then shares it. ChartSquad says its average provider fee is $6.50 or less per request. That is an average across its requests, not a quote for your client’s providers.
A firm request through Record Grabber is a different kind of request. The provider’s fee may be higher, and Record Grabber bills that fee back to you. In return, your staff do not need the client to set up an account or stay involved.
Follow one example
We’ll use one made-up client, Maria Lopez. She was hurt in a rear-end crash. Your firm needs her records and bills from four places:
Example · Records to collect for Maria Lopez
- Ambulance
- Run report and bill
- Hospital
- Emergency room records, imaging report and bill
- Family doctor
- Follow-up visit notes and bill
- Physical therapy
- Treatment notes and bill, start to finish
Record Grabber math. Four providers means four requests. At $50 each, that is $200, plus whatever each provider charges. Record Grabber says it prepays those provider fees and lists them on your invoice. Ask whether a provider that sends records and bills separately counts as one request or two.
ChartSquad math. Maria’s account is free. If her providers matched ChartSquad’s reported average, provider fees would be about $26 for four requests. Her real providers may charge more or less. ChartSquad does not list a law-firm price on its site, so ask for a written quote for the same four providers.
The bigger difference may be staff time. With ChartSquad, Maria must create the account and share her records. With Record Grabber, she does not, but your firm pays more per request.
Check before you choose
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List every provider and record type. Write down each place the client was treated. Include bills, imaging and ambulance records, not just visit notes. A missing bill can slow down a demand.
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Decide who will make the request. Ask whether your client can set up an account and respond to messages. A client who is in pain or busy may need more help. If the client will not stay involved, a firm request may be simpler.
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Ask if you need certified copies. Some cases need records with a signed statement from the provider. Record Grabber lists certified documents and affidavits on its system page. If you use ChartSquad, ask how it handles this before you rely on it.
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Get a quote for the same list. Send both companies Maria’s four providers. Ask for the service fee, how provider fees are billed and when you get charged. Do not compare a free patient account with a firm price without counting staff time.
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Watch the 30-day clock. Write down the date each request is sent. If a provider has not acted in 30 days, ask the service what it will do next. For patient requests, ChartSquad says it can help the patient file a complaint with HHS’s Office for Civil Rights.
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Check what arrives. Compare the records to your list. Look for the right patient, the full date range and a bill for each visit. A short or partial file is a reason to ask again, not proof that nothing else exists.
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Store and share with care. Keep records where only the right staff can open them. Before you share a file outside the firm, remove details that do not belong. Our Acrobat and Foxit guide shows how to remove private details from a PDF.
Make the call
Try ChartSquad when your client can help and you want the lower patient fees that come with their own request. Try Record Grabber when you want your staff, not the client, to control the request, and a flat $50 fee fits your budget.
Both companies also sell medical summaries. Price that work separately and check any summary against the original records.
When the records arrive, the next job is often putting events in order. Our Casefleet and CaseMap+ guide covers case timelines.