CogNote vs Nova Music
CogNote
cognote.studio
Nova Music
trynovamusic.comSide by side
| Figure | CogNote | Nova Music |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $5/mo | $8.33/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 3 | 5 |
| Spec score · Music Lesson Scheduling Software | 9.2 (#2) | 8.5 (#4) |
| Billing | CogNote can generate invoices from attendance and billing policies, email PDF invoices, record payment and export payment CSV files. | Billing supports invoice creation, payment-status history, multiple payment methods and configurable tax rates and late fees; Stripe and automated invoicing require Pro. |
| Integrations | The documented stack uses Supabase, Vercel, Resend or SMTP, Stripe, VexFlow and OpenSheetMusicDisplay. | The documented integrations are Stripe payments plus iCal and Google Calendar synchronization. |
| Product | CogNote is an open-source studio management suite for private music teachers, with scheduling, attendance, families, progress tracking, quizzes, and flashcards. | Nova Music is a studio-management platform combining scheduling, billing, student management, family messaging and practice tracking for music teachers. |
| Scheduling | It supports recurring weekly lessons and one-tap attendance while preserving local lesson times across daylight-saving changes. | Scheduling includes recurring patterns, month/week/day/agenda views, conflict detection, availability management, locations and categories. |
| Support | The hosting page directs product questions to [email protected]. | Nova's help center lists 33 articles across seven categories and offers support by email at [email protected]. |
Plans
Nova Music
- FreeFree
- Pro$10 a month
- Pro$100 a year
- Pro annual$100 a year
- StudioPriced on request
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.
Nova Music
Nova Music is a studio management platform for music teachers, combining lesson scheduling, student records, billing, family messaging, and practice tracking. Teachers can schedule recurring lessons, view multiple calendars, detect conflicts, and manage availability; Pro adds makeup credit tracking. A PIN-based student portal lets students see upcoming lessons, submit assignments, track progress, access shared resources, and message their teacher. Practice tools include daily logs, streaks, goals, points, levels, and achievement milestones. The Free plan supports up to 10 students and includes scheduling, group lessons, basic attendance, direct messaging, a student portal, and 100 MB of file storage. Pro costs $10 a month, supports unlimited students, and includes invoicing, Stripe payments, calendar sync, and 5 GB of storage. The features page also lists cash, check, card, and Venmo as payment methods. Nova is available on iOS and the web; the iPhone app requires iOS 17.0 or later. The maker describes it as built for piano teachers, guitar instructors, voice coaches, and private studios.