Softwr

Religion · head to head

IconCMO vs OpenLP

IconCMO logo

IconCMO

Religion

Comprehensive church and organization management software

From
$50/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
OpenLP logo

OpenLP

Religion

Free, open-source presentation software for churches

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only OpenLP has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: IconCMO membership and accounting are priced as two separate subscriptions, so a church needing both pays for both; OpenLP there is no standalone mobile app; the Android and iOS apps are remote controls for a desktop running OpenLP
  • They diverge on capability: IconCMO covers Member Management, OpenLP covers Presentation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which IconCMO and OpenLP actually diverge.

Attributes where IconCMO and OpenLP differ
AttributeIconCMOOpenLP
Starting price$50/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, DesktopWindows, Mac, Linux
Founded19852004

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 IconCMO

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

Only in OpenLP

  • Presentation
  • Lyric Display
  • Media Playback
  • Bible Display
  • Theme Support
  • Plugin System
  • Custom Layouts
  • Scripture Integration

What people use each for

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

IconCMO

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

OpenLP

  • 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

OpenLP

  • There is no standalone mobile app; the Android and iOS apps are remote controls for a desktop running OpenLP
  • Only the most recent Fedora release and Debian unstable are supported on those distributions
  • The Flatpak build is experimental and the OpenLP team states it does not support its use
  • Requires macOS 10.15 or higher and Windows 10 or higher

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

OpenLP

Free
  • Community EditionFree
    • Full features
    • No restrictions
    • Community support

Which should you pick?

Choose IconCMO if

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

Choose OpenLP if

  • You need presentation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Mac, Linux.
  • You also want lyric display.
OpenLP review

Questions people ask

Is IconCMO or OpenLP better?
Neither clearly leads. IconCMO starts at $50/month and OpenLP at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, IconCMO or OpenLP?
OpenLP has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $50/month for IconCMO and Free for OpenLP.
Does IconCMO or OpenLP run on more platforms?
IconCMO runs on Web, Desktop. OpenLP runs on Windows, Mac, Linux.
Can I use OpenLP for free?
Yes. OpenLP has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. IconCMO starts at $50/month.
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 OpenLP is typically brought in for.
What can IconCMO do that OpenLP cannot?
IconCMO covers Member Management, Financial Management, Volunteer Coordination, Facility Management. OpenLP covers Presentation, Lyric Display, Media Playback, Bible Display.

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
OpenLP: How much does OpenLP cost?

OpenLP is completely free to download, install, and use. Being open source means OpenLP is free forever with no licensing or subscription fees.

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
OpenLP: Can I install OpenLP on multiple computers for free?

Yes, OpenLP can be downloaded, installed on multiple computers, and distributed to others at no cost.

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
OpenLP: What platforms does OpenLP support?

OpenLP is free for Windows, Mac, Linux, and FreeBSD platforms with no platform-specific licensing costs.

Source
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