Guitar Tricks vs Fender Play: Which Platform Is Best for You?

Online Guitar Lessons for Beginners > Guitar Trick vs. Fender Play

So you’re ready to throw yourself into learning guitar with online lessons? Congratulations! This is the start of a very exciting journey! 

But with so many great options out there like Fender Play and Guitar Tricks, it can be tough deciding on which one to choose.

To help you make that important decision, I’ve put together a comparison that will finally put the Fender Play vs. Guitar Tricks debate to rest!

In this article, we’ll have a look at some of the key features and how they compare across both apps. 

But first, have a look at this short comparison overview below before we dive right in.

Is It Beginner Friendly?

There’s nothing worse than going to the effort of subscribing to and downloading an app only to realize it’s a bit too advanced for you. Diving into the deep end too soon can make the whole process feel overwhelming and cause you to quit before you even start!

With that in mind, I always recommend making sure you choose an online guitar lesson that suits you and your level of playing. 

While both Guitar Tricks and Fender Play are well suited to beginners, Guitar Tricks includes a lot more advanced content.

Guitar Tricks

Guitar Tricks is known for having a whole load of content for all levels. They categorize their levels from 1 to 5 – 1 being easy and 5 being very challenging. And by “very challenging” we mean very challenging!

On the other hand, the beginner content is simple and straightforward, ensuring you don’t get totally lost along the way. 

As a whole, if you’re committed to learning guitar long-term, Guitar Tricks has enough content for your whole journey – from the greenest of beginners to the gnarliest of advanced players!

Fender Play

The course content on Fender Play is marked from 1 to 7 – 1 being easy and 7 being very challenging. 

Fender Play’s ranking is a little less realistic than Guitar Tricks. Its level 7 course content actually feels intermediate, not advanced.

With its low-level content grading, it’s fair to say that the majority of Fender Play’s content is more beginner-friendly. So if you’re completely new, this might be the better option.

Price: Best Bang for Your Buck

With so many free resources out there, it’s sometimes pretty hard to justify paying money for an online learning platform – especially when they vary in price so much. 

And often the higher price doesn’t necessarily mean better quality. So make sure to shop around and know which features you’re looking for.

So how much is Guitar Tricks and Fender Play? If you thought this would be the deciding factor that would help you go for one against the other, it’s not! Both online learning platforms cost pretty much the same – give or take 5 cents. 

Guitar Tricks

Guitar Tricks comes in at $19.95 per month or $179.99 per year.

There is also the free version of Guitar Tricks which grants you basic access to a small number of lessons and other features. 

This, as well as the free trial (see below) is a great way to get a taste of the platform before fully committing. 

Fender Play

Fender Play comes in at $19.99 per month or $149.99 per year, making the annual payment option cheaper than Guitar Tricks.

One of the great perks of the Fender Play subscription is the fact that you get 10% off all Fender equipment during this period, which, if you’re buying a new guitar, is pretty huge!

Trial Period: Can I Try It for Free?

In case you’re still on the fence regarding Guitar Tricks vs Fender Play, you’ll be delighted to hear that both offer a free trial.

This gives you an opportunity to check out their respective features, get a grasp on the lessons and course content, and figure out if it suits your style.

Guitar Tricks

Guitar Tricks offers a 14-day trial period, allowing you enough time to have a look around at all the features and give them a try.

You also have the option of signing up for the free version if you’re not quite ready to take the plunge.

Fender Play

Fender Play offers a 7-day trial period, which is great, but also doesn’t feel like long enough to really get a comprehensive feel for the platform.

Unlike Guitar Tricks, Fender Play does not offer a free version after your trial period, so the pressure to decide is a bit more here. 

Refund Policy: Can I Get My Money Back?

In case all of this is starting to sound a bit official, don’t worry – there is a way out!

So if there are any surprises with the platform you’ve chosen or if it’s simply not a good fit for you, there are refund or cancellation policies in place.

Guitar Tricks

Guitar Tricks offers a 60-day money-back guarantee – no questions asked. 

This means that within the first 60 days of purchasing the full subscription, you can request a refund if you aren’t satisfied with the platform.

An important thing to note here is that the process may differ slightly depending on the platform you purchased the app from. So depending on where you downloaded it from, you’ll have to request your refund from either Google Play, the Apple Store, or Guitar Tricks. 

Fender Play

Fender Play does not offer refunds.

However, if you cancel your next month’s subscription in advance, you can stop all future payments. 

It’s worth pointing out that this no-refund policy can really get in the way of annual subscriptions. For example, if you’re two months into your annual subscription and want to cancel, there is no refund option for the remaining 10 months. 

Weekly Commitment: How Much Time Do I Need?

For beginners, the weekly time commitment is a pretty important factor when choosing an online guitar lesson.

If you’re already familiar with my style of teaching, you’ll know I recommend playing guitar often for less time rather than inconsistent marathon sessions. This way, you stay motivated AND make steady improvement as a guitar player.

In this FREE guitar class, for example, I show you the three secrets to learning guitar in just 10 minutes a day.

For both Guitar Tricks and Fender Play, however, the amount of time you invest is entirely up to you. At the end of the day, the more time you dedicate to guitar playing, the more likely you are to see more meaningful improvements.

Guitar Tricks

The content on the Guitar Tricks platform is more in-depth compared to Fender Play, which might require more time from you each week.

Fender Play

Fender Play is known for its short and friendly videos that are perfectly suited to a beginner trying to wrap their head around core concepts and have a bit of fun while doing it.

So you can probably get away with watching a few of them every day or week.

Usability: Ease of Use

No one wants to learn guitar on an app that feels hard to navigate or understand. 

Both Guitar Tricks and Fender Play are great to use, but Fender Play soars into the lead with its colorful, modern, and intuitive user interface. 

Guitar Tricks

Despite having a huge amount of content, Guitar Tricks’s great search function makes it easy to find what you’re looking for. 

Unlike Fender Play, the website and app intentionally leave users to their own devices to determine which learning path they go on themselves. For some, this is a huge plus, but for many others, it can feel like you’re lacking a bit of guidance.

Fender Play

Fender Play has a more modern look and feel compared to its counterpart. It has a lot of bright colors and cool features and uses gamification to keep you motivated to continue learning.

The clear and attractive user interface makes the platform very easy to navigate. A recent update streamlined the lesson interface, which makes it easier for users to realize their goals quickly.

Features: Bells and Whistles

We know that both apps are fairly easy to use, but what do they do? What features do they have that set them apart from each other? And what are their main selling points?

Guitar Tricks

Guitar Tricks starts off with two beginner courses that are designed to cover most basics for all guitar players.

Next, the user has to choose which genre they’d like to explore: rock, blues, or country. And then you’re presented with a number of intermediate lessons exploring those genre-specific skills.

One of the features Guitar Tricks is best known for is its high-quality videos with detailed instructions, multiple camera angles, and close-ups to facilitate easy learning. On top of that, each video tutorial is accompanied by sheet and tab music so that you can easily play what the instructors are teaching.

It also offers a variety of interactive features such as chord and scale libraries, quizzes, and progress-tracking tools to enhance the learning experience.

Additional features include real-time feedback, a lively forum, a metronome, variable playback speeds, and lesson notation.

Fender Play

Fender Play lessons are also based on specific genre-related learning paths. First, you choose your instrument, then you choose your learning path. 

The genres you can choose from are a bit more comprehensive than Guitar Tricks: pop, rock, folk, blues, or country. 

The main difference with Fender Play is the fact that each path includes the very basics in the first few lessons, rather than covering the basic lessons first before choosing your path. 

One of the most helpful Fender Play features is its progress tracking system. This neat feature helps you see what skills, songs, and classes you’ve completed so far. This is a great way to keep you motivated for the onward journey and it also helps you visualize the bigger picture!

You can also adjust playback settings, ensuring that you can listen to songs at your own speed. And the tabs will automatically match the speed you’ve selected.

Additional features include a song library filled with popular songs, bite-size lessons, and an awesome progress tracker.

A Good Alternative

Did you go through all of our guitar app comparisons? That’s a good next step.

• Fender Play vs Yousician
• Simply Guitar vs Yousician
• Jamplay vs Guitar Tricks

And after all that, in case neither of the above feels quite right, there’s always Tony’s Acoustic Challenge.

If for example, you prefer a more structured approach, this might be for you. It allows you to see meaningful progress in just 10 minutes a day!

Or perhaps you prefer to learn with a bit of gamification or a feeling of competition? The whole format of my online learning platform is centered on a series of daily challenges. 

What’s important for me is that you’re ENJOYING the experience of learning guitar. And this course is crafted with exactly that in mind. 

If any of this sounds like it could be a bit more up your alley, watch this FREE guitar class where I show you the three secrets to learning guitar in just 10 minutes a day!