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Religion · head to head

IconCMO vs Planning Center Services

IconCMO logo

IconCMO

Religion

Comprehensive church and organization management software

From
$50/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Planning Center Services logo

Planning Center Services

Religion

Digital worship planning and service execution platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: IconCMO membership and accounting are priced as two separate subscriptions, so a church needing both pays for both; Planning Center Services the free tier of Services stops at 5 team members
  • They diverge on capability: IconCMO covers Member Management, Planning Center Services covers Service Planning.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which IconCMO and Planning Center Services actually diverge.

Attributes where IconCMO and Planning Center Services differ
AttributeIconCMOPlanning Center Services
Starting price$50/monthOn request
PlatformsWeb, DesktopWeb, IOS, Android
Founded19852006

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 IconCMO

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

Only in Planning Center Services

  • Service Planning
  • Volunteer Scheduling
  • Song Setlists
  • Planning Center Giving
  • Music Database
  • Calendar Systems
  • IOS support
  • Android support

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

IconCMO

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

Planning Center Services

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

Where each one falls short

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

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

Planning Center Services

  • The free tier of Services stops at 5 team members
  • Each Planning Center product is billed separately, so Registrations, Giving, Check-ins, Groups and Calendar each carry their own free cap and their own subscription
  • The Music Stand add-on is a further $5 a month
  • Text messaging costs $5 a month for a toll-free number plus $0.02 per message
  • Card payments are charged at 2.15 percent plus $0.30 per transaction, with a further 1.5 percent on international cards

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Planning Center Services

On request
  • Basic$49/month
    • Service planning
    • Basic volunteer scheduling
  • Plus$99/month
    • All features
    • Advanced scheduling
    • Mobile app

Which should you pick?

Choose IconCMO if

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

Choose Planning Center Services if

  • You need service planning.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want volunteer scheduling.
Planning Center Services review

Questions people ask

Is IconCMO or Planning Center Services better?
Neither clearly leads. IconCMO starts at $50/month and Planning Center Services at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, IconCMO or Planning Center Services?
IconCMO starts at $50/month and Planning Center Services at On request.
Does IconCMO or Planning Center Services run on more platforms?
IconCMO runs on Web, Desktop. Planning Center Services runs on Web, IOS, Android.
What is IconCMO best used for?
IconCMO is most often used for church membership and attendance records, donation tracking and contribution statements, fund accounting for a congregation, event registration and child check-in on the premium tier. Of those, church membership and attendance records and donation tracking and contribution statements are not what Planning Center Services is typically brought in for.
What can IconCMO do that Planning Center Services cannot?
IconCMO covers Member Management, Financial Management, Volunteer Coordination, Facility Management. Planning Center Services covers Service Planning, Volunteer Scheduling, Song Setlists, Planning Center Giving. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Planning Center Services: How much does Planning Center Services cost?

Planning Center Services pricing is not publicly available. The pricing page requires account authentication and redirects to the login portal. Contact Planning Center sales directly for rate information.

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
Planning Center Services: Does Planning Center Services offer a free plan or trial?

No public information about free plans or trial availability is accessible without logging in. Contact Planning Center directly to inquire about trial options.

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
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