MyVocalStudio vs a spreadsheet, Venmo and a calendar
Most teachers start with a spreadsheet of students, a calendar for lessons and Venmo for payments. It works, and it costs nothing to learn. What it costs is time: reminders sent by hand, payments matched by hand, and notes in three places.
30 days of every feature, no credit card.How they differ
MyVocalStudio keeps the same things in one place and does the routine work for you: students book online, reminders go out on their own, invoices send themselves, and every lesson, payment and note sits on the student’s record. It is free for one teacher on the Solo plan, and you can keep taking Venmo.
What it costs
| Question | MyVocalStudio | Spreadsheet, Venmo and a calendar |
|---|---|---|
| Software, one teacher | $0 on the Solo plan, or $10 a month on Encore for the AI assistant and texting | Whatever your spreadsheet and calendar apps cost you now |
| More than one teacher | $6 a month on Ensemble, and the bill stops at $39 | A shared sheet everyone edits |
| Card payments | Stripe’s standard fee, 2.9% + 30¢ per US card payment, paid to Stripe. We take no cut, and you can pass the fee on or absorb it | Depends on the app you use |
| Venmo, Cash App, PayPal, Zelle | Keep them: your handles go on your payment links, and you mark the lesson paid when it arrives | Yes |
| Trial | 30 days of every feature, no card | Nothing to try |
Card fees are Stripe’s published US rate for domestic cards. We never hold your money: payments land in your own Stripe account.
Sources, each checked October 7, 2026: Stripe pricing. Prices change, so check their page before you decide.
Side by side
| Question | MyVocalStudio | Spreadsheet, Venmo and a calendar |
|---|---|---|
| Booking | Yes, from your studio page or the app, with no account needed | Messages back and forth, then a calendar entry |
| Reminders | Email and app reminders on every plan. Text reminders on Encore and Ensemble | You send them yourself |
| Who owes what | Invoices track it, and overdue reminders go out until it is paid | You match payments to rows by hand |
| Packages and make-ups | Yes, deducted as lessons are taught, with a low-balance alert. Make-up credit comes off the next invoice | Counted by hand |
| Lesson notes and practice | Yes: shared lesson notes with attachments, plus private notes. Yes: practice assignments, a daily log and a streak | A doc, a text or a notebook |
| One record per student | Lessons, payments, notes and messages together | Spread across a sheet, a calendar and a payment app |
| On your phone | An iPhone and Android app for you and your students | Each app on its own |
| Getting your data out | Export any list, or your full records, as spreadsheets | Already a spreadsheet |
Who should keep the spreadsheet
- You teach a few students, they pay on time, and the schedule rarely changes. A spreadsheet is simple and already done.
- You enjoy building your own system and changing it whenever you like.
- You would rather your families never see a portal, an app or an invoice.
Moving your studio over
Upload the spreadsheet you use now, as a CSV or Excel file. Names, parents, emails, phones, rates, lesson days and times and what’s owed are read for you, a lesson history can come with it, and the columns are matched even when the file is messy. Nothing is saved until you confirm.
Bring your upcoming lessons in from Google Calendar or any .ics file, and standing weekly lessons become recurring ones.
Importing and exporting your data →Questions
Is a spreadsheet good enough to run a music studio?
For a few students who pay on time, yes. Once you are chasing payments, sending reminders by hand or keeping notes in three places, software gives you that time back. MyVocalStudio is free for one teacher on the Solo plan, so trying it costs nothing.
Can I keep taking Venmo?
Yes. Add your Venmo, Cash App, PayPal or Zelle to your payment links, and mark the lesson paid when the money arrives. If you also want cards, they go to your own Stripe account.
Will my spreadsheet import?
Yes. Upload the CSV or Excel file you use now. The columns are matched for you, even when the file is messy, and nothing is saved until you confirm.
What does it cost to take card payments?
Only Stripe’s standard fee, paid to Stripe: 2.9% + 30¢ per US card payment on October 7, 2026. MyVocalStudio takes no cut, and you choose whether to pass the fee on to your students or absorb it.
Can I still get everything back out as a spreadsheet?
Yes. Export any list, or your full records, as spreadsheets whenever you like.
Try it with your own studio.
Bring your students over and run a real week. 30 days of every feature, no credit card.
Start free →