CogNote vs Shinnpad
CogNote
cognote.studioShinnpad
shinnpad.comSide by side
| Figure | CogNote | Shinnpad |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $5/mo | $8.99/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 3 | 4 |
| Spec score · Music School Software | 9.2 (#2) | 8.4 (#4) |
| Spec score · Music Lesson Scheduling Software | 9.2 (#2) | 8.4 (#5) |
| Data export | Teachers can export full studio data as JSON at any time, including after moving between hosted and self-hosted deployments. | Users can export students, families, and payments to a spreadsheet at any time. |
| Family portal | Each family receives a private link for schedules, practice links and notes without a login. | Each family can receive a private portal showing upcoming lessons, balance, and payment information. |
| Integrations | The documented stack uses Supabase, Vercel, Resend or SMTP, Stripe, VexFlow and OpenSheetMusicDisplay. | The privacy policy lists Supabase, Vercel, Stripe, Resend, Photon, OSRM, Open-Meteo, and Nager.Date as service providers or APIs used to operate the service. |
| Support | The hosting page directs product questions to [email protected]. | Support is available through in-app Settings or by email; typical replies take 2–3 business days, while Studio Max includes priority support with a one-business-day reply aim. |
| What it does | CogNote is an open-source studio-management and music-practice suite for private music teachers. | Shinnpad is lesson-management software for independent music teachers covering scheduling, rosters, payments, parent access, and bookkeeping. |
Plans
Shinnpad
- StudioFree
- Studio Pro$8.99 a month
- Studio Max$17.99 a month
- Studio Admin$19 a month
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.
Shinnpad
Shinnpad is web-based lesson-management software for independent music teachers. It combines scheduling, student rosters, payments, a parent portal, bookkeeping, and tax-report preparation. Teachers can create rotating A/B or red/green campus days, with schedules shifting around holidays, breaks, and days off. The free Studio plan is always free for up to 10 students and includes manual payment tracking, a read-only parent portal, a public studio site, and manual bookkeeping tools. Studio Pro costs $8.99/mo or $89.99/yr and adds unlimited students, Stripe card payments and autopay, automatic mileage, calendar sync, Schedule C export, and an email suite. Studio Max costs $17.99/mo or $169/yr and adds receipt scanning, an AI deduction finder, an AI year-end tax report, and priority support. Studio Admin costs $19/mo plus $7 for each additional studio. Shinnpad tracks mileage, expenses, and income, but does not file taxes or provide tax, accounting, or legal advice. Records can be exported to spreadsheets.