Nova Music vs Shinnpad
Nova Music
trynovamusic.comShinnpad
shinnpad.comSide by side
| Figure | Nova Music | Shinnpad |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $8.33/mo | $8.99/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 4 |
| Spec score · Music Lesson Scheduling Software | 8.5 (#4) | 8.4 (#5) |
| Integrations | The documented integrations are Stripe payments plus iCal and Google Calendar synchronization. | 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. |
| Privacy | Nova says it does not sell personal information for money and uses service providers for hosting, payments, analytics, reliability, and support. | The privacy policy says Shinnpad does not sell personal or studio data, does not use third-party advertising, and stores and processes data in the United States. |
| Support | Nova's help center lists 33 articles across seven categories and offers support by email at [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. |
Plans
Nova Music
- FreeFree
- Pro$10 a month
- Pro$100 a year
- Pro annual$100 a year
- StudioPriced on request
Shinnpad
- StudioFree
- Studio Pro$8.99 a month
- Studio Max$17.99 a month
- Studio Admin$19 a month
In their own words
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.
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.