CogNote vs MusicDesk
CogNote
cognote.studio
MusicDesk
musicdesk.ioSide by side
| Figure | CogNote | MusicDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $5/mo | $14.99/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) | 8.1 (#8) |
| Spec score · Music Lesson Scheduling Software | 9.2 (#2) | 8.0 (#13) |
| Billing | CogNote can generate invoices from attendance and billing policies, email PDF invoices, record payment and export payment CSV files. | MusicDesk supports recurring monthly family subscriptions and accepts major credit cards through Stripe. |
| Family portal | Each family receives a private link for schedules, practice links and notes without a login. | Families can view upcoming lessons, cancel within the school's notice window, and book makeups when enabled. |
| Integrations | The documented stack uses Supabase, Vercel, Resend or SMTP, Stripe, VexFlow and OpenSheetMusicDisplay. | The maker names Stripe for payment processing and family payments, plus Supabase, Resend, Vercel, and Calendly among its third-party services. |
| Product | CogNote is an open-source studio management suite for private music teachers, with scheduling, attendance, families, progress tracking, quizzes, and flashcards. | MusicDesk provides student management, scheduling, automated billing, and related tools for music teachers and schools. |
| Scheduling | It supports recurring weekly lessons and one-tap attendance while preserving local lesson times across daylight-saving changes. | It supports one-on-one and group lessons, attendance tracking, lesson notes, substitute teachers, and teacher-specific schedules. |
| Support | The hosting page directs product questions to [email protected]. | Email support is included for all users, and the FAQ says phone and video support are in the works. |
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.
MusicDesk
MusicDesk provides student management, scheduling, and billing tools for music teachers and schools. It supports one-on-one and group lessons, attendance tracking, lesson notes, substitute teachers, and teacher-specific schedules. Schools can bulk-import students, manage family contacts, assign students to teachers, and store notes and files. Families can view upcoming lessons in a portal, cancel within the school's notice window, and book makeups when enabled. Recurring monthly family subscriptions and major credit card payments are supported through Stripe. The service also supports instrument rentals and estimates teacher pay from lessons taught and attendance, using hourly or lesson-type rates; timesheets can be exported to CSV. MusicDesk runs in a browser on phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops, but has no separate iOS or Android app. Its plan costs $14.99 per month for one team member, with each additional teacher or admin adding $4.99 per month. New accounts receive 30 days of full-feature access without a credit card, and subscriptions can be changed or canceled anytime.