Clefwise vs CogNote
Clefwise
clefwise.studio
CogNote
cognote.studioSide by side
| Figure | Clefwise | CogNote |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | A$16.67/mo | $5/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 3 |
| Spec score · Music Lesson Scheduling Software | 8.3 (#6) | 9.2 (#2) |
| Data practices | Clefwise does not use third-party tracking cookies or analytics services and does not sell personal information to advertisers or data brokers. | The hosted service says it does not sell personal information, use advertising tracking or train AI models on student records. |
| Integrations | Clefwise uses Stripe for payment processing and optionally synchronizes lessons with Google Calendar. | The documented stack uses Supabase, Vercel, Resend or SMTP, Stripe, VexFlow and OpenSheetMusicDisplay. |
| Scheduling | It supports recurring lessons, availability windows, lesson credits, and Australian school-term scheduling. | It supports recurring weekly lessons and one-tap attendance while preserving local lesson times across daylight-saving changes. |
| Support | Privacy requests can be sent to [email protected], with responses promised within 30 days. | The hosting page directs product questions to [email protected]. |
Plans
In their own words
Clefwise
Clefwise is a web-based platform for managing music teaching businesses, with scheduling, invoicing, parent access, teaching tools, and business analytics. It supports recurring lessons, availability windows, lesson credits, and Australian school-term scheduling. Invoices offer Stripe checkout, bulk sending, and overdue tracking, while a parent portal brings together schedules, lesson notes, invoices, messages, and information for each parent’s children. Teachers can manage practice tracking, repertoire libraries, student progress, recital programmes, and RSVP tracking. Business analytics include profit and loss, revenue charts, expense tracking, and tax-ready exports. Clefwise uses Stripe for payment processing and can optionally synchronize lessons with Google Calendar. Its Australian focus includes school terms for every state through 2027, AUD invoices with ABN and GST, and Sydney-hosted core data. The Free plan costs nothing and covers 3 students, scheduling, invoicing and online payments, a parent portal, and lesson notes. Pro costs A$200 a year. Students do not have their own accounts; a student-facing app is planned for a future release.
CogNote
CogNote is an open-source studio management suite for private music teachers, combining lesson scheduling, attendance, family communication, student progress tracking, quizzes, and flashcards. Teachers can schedule recurring weekly lessons and record attendance with one tap; cancellation windows, banked credits, and credit expiry are configurable studio settings. Families can use a private link to see schedules, practice links, and notes without logging in, and teachers can email lesson notes. Progress views include skill radar charts, trend lines, attendance, and per-note quiz analytics. Students can start practice from a link without an account, using note and symbol quizzes with instant feedback or SM-2 spaced-repetition flashcards. Notation appears on a staff with clefs, key signatures, and more than 40 musical symbols. CogNote is MIT-licensed, supports data export, and can be self-hosted. Hosted Free has soft caps of five active students, five practice lessons, and five sheet music items; Hosted Pro costs $5 a month and includes a 30-day trial for new accounts. Self-hosting is free but requires running the stack, including Docker or Supabase, email, and backups.