CogNote vs Fons
CogNote
cognote.studioFons
fons.comSide by side
| Figure | CogNote | Fons |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $5/mo | $19.95/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 3 | 1 |
| Spec score · Music School Software | 9.2 (#2) | 8.2 (#6) |
| Spec score · Music Lesson Scheduling Software | 9.2 (#2) | 8.1 (#8) |
| Billing | CogNote can generate invoices from attendance and billing policies, email PDF invoices, record payment and export payment CSV files. | It offers three automated billing models intended to reduce invoicing and payment chasing. |
| Integrations | The documented stack uses Supabase, Vercel, Resend or SMTP, Stripe, VexFlow and OpenSheetMusicDisplay. | The pricing page lists integrations with QuickBooks and Zoom. |
| Scheduling | It supports recurring weekly lessons and one-tap attendance while preserving local lesson times across daylight-saving changes. | The product supports online booking, streamlined scheduling, and tracking cancellations. |
| Support | The hosting page directs product questions to [email protected]. | The Suzuki Association member offer includes concierge onboarding and training, ongoing business support, and webinars. |
Plans
In their own words
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.