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Religion · head to head

Gloo vs IconCMO

Gloo logo

Gloo

Religion

Data and AI platform connecting churches, ministries and the people looking for them

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
IconCMO logo

IconCMO

Religion

Comprehensive church and organization management software

From
$50/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Gloo has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Gloo churches are not the paying customer, so the product roadmap answers to ministries, funders and campaign buyers whose interests do not always match a local congregation.; IconCMO membership and accounting are priced as two separate subscriptions, so a church needing both pays for both
  • They diverge on capability: Gloo covers Gloo Workspace, IconCMO covers Member Management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Gloo and IconCMO actually diverge.

Attributes where Gloo and IconCMO differ
AttributeGlooIconCMO
Starting priceFree$50/month
Pricing modelFree tier for churches, paid tiers and campaign services quotedsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Desktop
FoundedUnknown1985

Identical on both: 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 Gloo

  • Gloo Workspace
  • Church messaging
  • Prayer inbox
  • Explorer campaigns
  • Ministry insights
  • Aggregated content and research
  • Free tier

Only in IconCMO

  • Member Management
  • Financial Management
  • Volunteer Coordination
  • Facility Management
  • Accounting Packages
  • Payment Processing
  • Email Systems
  • Reporting Tools

What people use each for

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

Gloo

  • A church with no communications budget wanting AI drafting and mass texting without a subscriptionnot IconCMO
  • A congregation that wants to be the local referral destination for people searching online for help with addiction or anxietynot IconCMO
  • A denomination seeking engagement data across its member churches rather than per-church anecdotesnot IconCMO
  • A ministry running a national awareness campaign that needs to route responders to nearby churchesnot IconCMO

IconCMO

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

Where each one falls short

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

Gloo

  • Churches are not the paying customer, so the product roadmap answers to ministries, funders and campaign buyers whose interests do not always match a local congregation.
  • Participation routes congregant and enquirer interactions through a commercial data network, and a church board should have the data terms reviewed before enrolling a congregation rather than after.
  • It is not a church management system: there is no membership database, giving ledger, child check-in or rostering, so it sits alongside an existing ChMS rather than replacing one.
  • Free message credits are capped monthly, and a church that builds its weekly communications on texting will exceed them and move to paid volume where the effective cost is comparable to dedicated messaging vendors.
  • The company has grown by acquiring more than twenty brands, and integrating that many products takes time, so overlap and inconsistency between the acquired tools is visible to users.

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

Gloo

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Core Workspace AI tools
    • Monthly message credit allowance
    • Prayer inbox
  • Gloo+ and campaign services$undefined/year
    • Higher message volumes and additional media features
    • Explorer campaign participation
    • Ministry and denomination data services

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 Gloo if

  • You need gloo workspace.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want church messaging.
Gloo review

Choose IconCMO if

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

Questions people ask

Is Gloo or IconCMO better?
Neither clearly leads. Gloo starts at Free and IconCMO at $50/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gloo or IconCMO?
Gloo has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Gloo and $50/month for IconCMO.
Does Gloo or IconCMO run on more platforms?
Gloo runs on Web, iOS, Android. IconCMO runs on Web, Desktop.
Can I use Gloo for free?
Yes. Gloo has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. IconCMO starts at $50/month.
What is Gloo best used for?
Gloo is most often used for a church with no communications budget wanting ai drafting and mass texting without a subscription, a congregation that wants to be the local referral destination for people searching online for help with addiction or anxiety, a denomination seeking engagement data across its member churches rather than per-church anecdotes, a ministry running a national awareness campaign that needs to route responders to nearby churches. Of those, a church with no communications budget wanting ai drafting and mass texting without a subscription and a congregation that wants to be the local referral destination for people searching online for help with addiction or anxiety are not what IconCMO is typically brought in for.
What can Gloo do that IconCMO cannot?
Gloo covers Gloo Workspace, Church messaging, Prayer inbox, Explorer campaigns. IconCMO covers Member Management, Financial Management, Volunteer Coordination, Facility Management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Gloo: Is this the same as Gloo Gateway the API product?

No. This is gloo.com, the faith sector data and AI platform. Gloo Gateway is an unrelated API gateway product from a different company.

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
Gloo: Why is it free for churches?

Because churches are not the revenue source. Ministries, publishers, philanthropists and campaign funders pay to reach and measure engagement with the audience the network reaches.

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
Gloo: Does it replace our church management software?

No. There is no membership ledger, giving records, check-in or volunteer rostering. Keep your ChMS.

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
Gloo: What happens to data about people who contact us through Explorer?

That is the question to put in writing to Gloo before joining. Enquirer data flows through a commercial network, and the governing terms should be reviewed by whoever advises your board.

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