Availy vs Fons — A Studio Platform for Any Subject
Fons — now rebranding to MakeMusic Studio after its acquisition by MakeMusic — is a music-first studio manager built around automatic billing. Availy is a newer, any-subject alternative built around student self-booking, lesson credits, and real parent accounts, with your own branded studio subdomain.
| Feature | Availy | Fons (MakeMusic Studio) |
|---|---|---|
| Works beyond music | Built for any subject — academics, music, languages, test prep | Music-first, with an integrated music library |
| Pricing model | $29/mo solo, $99/mo studio — flat, unlimited students | $19.95/mo + $4.95 per additional teacher — lower base price, unlimited clients |
| Student self-booking | Real-time self-booking backed by lesson credits | Real-time booking with instant-confirm or approval modes |
| Online payments | Card payments via Stripe (USD & CAD) — no markup from Availy | Stripe-standard card fees; ACH at 1.8%; plus a 0.4% fee on recurring subscription volume |
| Email & SMS reminders | Included — sent to students and linked parents, each with their own notification preferences | Included — texts go to the family's primary contact only |
| Calendar sync & invites | Personal calendar feed for Google, Apple & Outlook, plus a calendar invite attached to every booking email | Two-way Google sync; Apple via read-only feed; Outlook via a generic feed URL |
| Parent & family accounts | Full parent accounts — per-child balances, booking, and notification controls | One paying primary contact per family; packages can't be shared between siblings |
| Credit packages & memberships | Credit packages, recurring memberships, and a credit ledger students and parents can see | Autopay-first billing — per-lesson auto-charge, package auto-repurchase, subscriptions |
| Late-cancellation handling | Configurable notice window — after the deadline, online cancellation closes; nothing is auto-charged | Automatic enforcement — late cancels auto-charge or deduct a credit, with a forgive option |
Comparison based on each product's publicly published features and pricing as of July 2026. Fons (MakeMusic Studio) is a trademark of its respective owner and is not affiliated with Availy. Details change — check their site for the latest.
When Fons (MakeMusic Studio) is the better fit
If you want autopay-first billing that charges families automatically, auto-repurchases lesson packages, and auto-enforces your late-cancellation policy, Fons is built for exactly that. Its base price is lower than Availy's, and music teachers get its integrated music library.
When to choose Availy
Choose Availy if you teach any subject — not music only — and want real parent accounts with per-child visibility instead of a single billing contact, reminders that reach every family member with their own preferences, a transparent credit ledger, and your own branded studio subdomain.
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