Helping businesses choose
better software since 1999
better software since 1999
Guides & Research
Capterra’s researchers use a mix of verified reviews, independent research and objective methodologies to bring you selection and ranking information you can trust. While we may earn a referral fee when you visit a provider through our links or speak to an advisor, this has no influence on our research or methodology.
Capterra carefully verified over 2 million reviews to bring you authentic software and services experiences from real users. Our human moderators verify that reviewers are real people and that reviews are authentic. They use leading tech to analyze text quality and to detect plagiarism and generative AI. Learn more.
Capterra lists all providers across its website—not just those that pay us—so that users can make informed purchase decisions. Capterra is free for users. Software and service providers pay us for sponsored profiles to receive web traffic and sales opportunities. Sponsored profiles include a link-out icon that takes users to the provider’s website. Learn more.
Fons by MakeMusic is a powerful business solution for music schools and independent music teachers. Automated payments and streamlined scheduling mean you'll earn more and never send another invoice! Reduce administrative tasks with clear communication, auto-enforced policies, and professional relationships. Fons lets you focus on what matters most, teaching!
Provider
Fons
Located In
United States
Foundation
2015
Open API
No
Deployment
Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based, On-Premise Windows
Training
Documentation, In Person, Live Online, Videos, Webinars
Support
FAQs/Forum, Knowledge Base, Chat, Email/Help Desk, Phone Support
Music Schools & Lessons Studios, Independent Music Teachers, Academic Tutors, Lessons, Appointments, and Scheduling.
Content Source: Fons
Based on other buyer's searches, these are the products that could be a good fit for you.
Fons Reviews
Pros
I love the ease of client booking, options of subscriptions and packages, and the interface of the software. My clients all love it as well.
Every time I have a question I get clear directions, an offer to help, and an offer to call. I am so thankful for the amount of time Fons has saved me.
Recurring automatic payment based on actual appointment usage is brilliant. Team is extremely responsive and always incorporating feature requests as upgrades to the site.
First off, the customer support is amazing. Very quick to respond, friendly, and of course helpful.
Cons
I wish I could drag and drop calendar appointments. However, they are constantly adding and upgrading new features, so this may be in the works.
After reviewing several scheduling options, this one did not make the cut due to low integration options and lack of 2-way google sync.
Some of my clients (mostly with older phones) have trouble with the app.
I stopped my subscription a few months ago and they are still charging me and my client s.
"Best business decision I have ever made"
Overall: 10/10 - amazing community, great customer service that will help you even when you just need to read something correctly (Thanks [SENSITIVE CONTENT] and [SENSITIVE CONTENT]!). It has boosted my SEO here locally and helped get my website in front of many more prospective students and parents. This is the best thing you can do for your teaching business hands down.
Pros: The online portal is great, the ability to put a booking link on my website increases my professionalism greatly. I love that once my clients are set up, Fons takes care of reminders, invoicing, and keeps an up to date calendar of my availability. The biggest part was the SEO boost
Cons: I wish there was a "client view button" right now I have a dummy account in my own name to see things as a client. Totally not a big deal at all.
Vendor Response
"Fons is great"
Overall: Fons has definitely simplified by life by providing a super simple way for my students and clients to schedule appointments *for themselves*. No more exchanging dozens of emails/text messages to try to nail down a time to meet. I just send them my link and they find a time that works for them. I am so pleased!
Pros: Makes scheduling appointments with clients SO MUCH easier
Cons: Can be a bit bulky to navigate at first, until you get used to the terminology they use to describe the various different services they offer.
Vendor Response
"Fons customer service feedback"
Overall: I like the quick customer service feedback, but I have two pieces of advice to make the customer service experience better. Sometimes it feels like the team is defensive about bugs, despite this being a new software and therefore understandably prone to bugs. For Fons, it doesn’t seem like the customer is always right. I had a rather negative experience when the CEO responded to my anxiety in an email badly, accusing me of not reading it thoroughly getting impatient when I didn’t understand. I think this is unfair, since I am not a tech person and operating this level of technology for my business has been daunting and stressful, especially since adopting it correctly affects how and when I’ll be paid. As a disability rights activist who is married to someone with a reading disability, the accusation of not reading it correctly came across as rather ableist and condescending. I’d rather keep things professional, which for the customer service side I think means dealing with understandably nervous and anxious clients with grace and kindness. Or not taking their money. Which unfortunately I had already paid for the entire year just before this distressing exchange.
Pros: It’s pretty easy to use, but has a learning curve that can be overwhelming, especially since it’s a new software and there are still bugs being worked out as features are added.
Cons: The high learning curve and how that affected how quickly I’d be paid.
Vendor Response
"Just What I Needed"
Overall: I had been monthly invoicing people for piano lessons and often having to ask 3-4 times and suspend lessons in order to get paid. Fons has now taken over all the work for me. I got my time back and no longer have to create monthly invoices. Payments are automatically done so I never have to ask twice for payment, it just shows up. The amount of stress this has taken off of my is tremendous!
Pros: This software is easy to navigate and understand. It solves my problem of creating invoices and hoping that payments come in.
Cons: It has not worked 100% yet. Each month so far I've had to get help with some aspect of my getting payments.
Vendor Response
"I no longer dread billing my students."
Overall: I love teaching guitar, but I hate the tedious administrivia part of running your own business, and until recently the worst part was scheduling and billing my students. I tracked their lessons with pencil and paper, and used email to schedule and bill. Looking back on it, the whole process was incredibly inefficient and prone to miscommunication and mistakes. Now my calendar is synced with my students, and the billing happens behind the scenes. When I first signed up with Fons I think it had just opened for business, and I'd occasionally encounter bugs. Their customer service is AMAZING. Like, "how do you stay in business with this level of service?" amazing. Not only did they genuinely care if I had a problem, often things I reported got fixed within a few days. The app now feels solid and I recommend it without reservation.
Pros: Not spending six hours at the start of every month calculating and emailing invoices to each of my students.
Cons: A minor gripe: I'd like to have access to a record of each email Fons sends on my behalf.
Vendor Response
