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Religion · head to head

ChurchDesk vs IconCMO

ChurchDesk logo

ChurchDesk

Religion

Church management and member portal platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
IconCMO logo

IconCMO

Religion

Comprehensive church and organization management software

From
$50/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ChurchDesk all subscription plans carry a one time setup fee of 655 GBP per parish for onboarding and training; IconCMO membership and accounting are priced as two separate subscriptions, so a church needing both pays for both
  • They diverge on capability: ChurchDesk covers Member Portal, IconCMO covers Member Management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ChurchDesk and IconCMO actually diverge.

Attributes where ChurchDesk and IconCMO differ
AttributeChurchDeskIconCMO
Starting priceOn request$50/month
PlatformsWeb, MobileWeb, Desktop
Founded20101985

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Religion).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ChurchDesk

  • Member Portal
  • Announcements
  • Event RSVP
  • Email Integration
  • Calendar Systems
  • Giving Platforms
  • Mobile App
  • Mobile support

Only in IconCMO

  • Member Management
  • Financial Management
  • Facility Management
  • Accounting Packages
  • Payment Processing
  • Email Systems
  • Reporting Tools
  • Desktop support

Both cover

  • Volunteer Coordination
  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ChurchDesk

  • Member managementnot IconCMO
  • Donation trackingnot IconCMO
  • Event planningnot IconCMO
  • Volunteer schedulingnot IconCMO
  • Communicationnot IconCMO

IconCMO

  • Church membership and attendance recordsnot ChurchDesk
  • Donation tracking and contribution statementsnot ChurchDesk
  • Fund accounting for a congregationnot ChurchDesk
  • Event registration and child check-in on the Premium tiernot ChurchDesk
  • Bulk email to membersnot ChurchDesk

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ChurchDesk

  • All subscription plans carry a one time setup fee of 655 GBP per parish for onboarding and training
  • Multi-Parish support is only available by contacting sales on the Small, Medium and Large plans
  • Payment Terminal add-on costs 456 GBP per year on top of the Basic through Medium plans

IconCMO

  • Membership and accounting are priced as two separate subscriptions, so a church needing both pays for both
  • The Basic membership plan at $50 a month includes a single user
  • Communications and email statements start at the Standard plan at $75 a month, capped at 2,000 emails a month and 5 users
  • Event registration, check-in and document storage require Premium at $125 a month
  • Accounts payable and receivable are gated to the Premium accounting tier at $45 a month

Pricing, plan by plan

ChurchDesk

On request
  • Starter$99/month
    • Basic features
    • Up to 500 members
  • Plus$299/month
    • All features
    • Unlimited members
    • Advanced portal

IconCMO

$50/month
  • Membership & Donation - Basic$50/month
    • 1 User account
    • Membership tracking
    • Attendance tracking
  • Membership & Donation - Standard$75/month
    • 5 Users
    • All Basic features
    • Communications
  • Membership & Donation - Premium$125/month
    • Unlimited Users
    • Unlimited Emails
    • All Basic and Standard features
  • Accounting - Standard$35/month
    • 1 User
    • General Ledger
    • Banking

Which should you pick?

Choose ChurchDesk if

  • You need member portal.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want announcements.
ChurchDesk review

Choose IconCMO if

  • You need member management.
  • You work on Web, Desktop.
  • You also want financial management.
IconCMO review

Questions people ask

Is ChurchDesk or IconCMO better?
Neither clearly leads. ChurchDesk starts at On request and IconCMO at $50/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ChurchDesk or IconCMO?
ChurchDesk starts at On request and IconCMO at $50/month.
Does ChurchDesk or IconCMO run on more platforms?
ChurchDesk runs on Web, Mobile. IconCMO runs on Web, Desktop.
What is ChurchDesk best used for?
ChurchDesk is most often used for member management, donation tracking, event planning, volunteer scheduling. Of those, member management and donation tracking are not what IconCMO is typically brought in for.
What can ChurchDesk do that IconCMO cannot?
ChurchDesk covers Member Portal, Announcements, Event RSVP, Email Integration. IconCMO covers Member Management, Financial Management, Facility Management, Accounting Packages. Both handle Volunteer Coordination, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ChurchDesk: What is ChurchDesk's pricing structure?

ChurchDesk offers four subscription plans billed annually: Basic at £54/month, Small at £97/month, Medium at £140/month, and Large at £239/month, excluding VAT.

Source
IconCMO: What is the lowest price for Icon CMO Membership & Donation package?

The Basic Membership & Donation plan costs $50/month for 1 user account and includes membership tracking, attendance tracking, donations tracking, and support. Alternatively, you can bill annually at $550/year.

Source
ChurchDesk: What is included in ChurchDesk plans?

All tiers include the same core modules: Calendar, People, Forms, Website, Workflows, and Finance, plus attendance tracking, payments, booking enquiries, and studio access.

Source
IconCMO: How many users are supported in each Icon CMO tier?

Membership & Donation tiers support 1 user (Basic, $50/month), 5 users (Standard, $75/month), or unlimited users (Premium, $125/month). Accounting packages support 1 user (Standard, $35/month) or 5 users (Premium, $45/month).

Source
ChurchDesk: What setup costs does ChurchDesk charge?

ChurchDesk charges a one-time setup fee of £655 per parish for 'Upstart & Training,' which covers initial configuration and onboarding.

Source
IconCMO: What add-on services are available for Icon CMO?

Icon Systems offers Icon Bookkeeping starting at $500/month, Icon Payroll starting at $40/month, and SMS Text Messaging ranging from $20 to $300/month depending on message volume (500 to 10,000 texts per month).

Source
ChurchDesk: What ChurchDesk add-ons are available?

Add-ons include Studio (£57/month), Cookies & Analytics (£10/month), Additional Websites (£36/month), and Payment Terminal (£456/year for smaller plans). The Large plan includes one Payment Terminal.

Source
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