Best Online Guitar Lessons (2026): How to Choose — and Where Guitar Tricks Fits
Photo: Shixart1985 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
"Best" depends on how you learn. This guide compares approaches honestly, explains where Guitar Tricks fits, and links only Guitar Tricks as our affiliate partner.
Affiliate disclosure: The Guitar Plugged is a Guitar Tricks affiliate, and Guitar Tricks is the only platform we affiliate-link on this page. If you sign up through those links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Other platforms are named for comparison only, with no affiliate links.
What "best" should mean
The best online guitar lessons are the ones you will still be using in 90 days. Before comparing features, ask a simple question: what kind of practice will you actually keep doing for three months? Most options fall into four buckets:
- Structured video courses with a set sequence
- Free written or video guides you assemble yourself
- App-first practice that listens and scores you
- Live teachers, in person or online
What to look for
- Sequence: does it tell you what to learn next, or leave you guessing?
- Songs: can you learn real music you care about early on?
- Tabs and notation: are lessons written out so you can practice away from the video?
- Trial: can you test the teaching style before paying?
- Cancellation: is it clear how renewal and cancelling work?
Guitar Tricks: best fit for structured video + songs
Guitar Tricks has taught online since 1998 and, per its own site, publishes more than 11,000 lessons and hundreds of song tutorials. Its Core Learning System runs from Fundamentals into Blues, Rock, Acoustic and Country paths. Guitar Tricks describes a 14-day free trial of Full Access and a 60-day money-back guarantee in its FAQ.
Try Guitar Tricks free for 14 days (affiliate link; we may earn a commission).
For the full breakdown of courses, tools and who it suits, read our Guitar Tricks review.
Free structured reading: TGP Lessons
If you want to start without paying anything, TGP Lessons are free, step-by-step written guides covering first chords, rhythm, blues and more. No account is needed to read them.
Other platforms (named for comparison only — no affiliate links)
- JustinGuitar: a widely used free course site with a structured beginner path
- Fender Play: a subscription video service from Fender
- Yousician and similar apps: app-first practice that listens to you play and gives feedback
- Live teachers: weekly accountability and personal correction; see our guide to finding a guitar teacher
To be explicit: we only affiliate-link Guitar Tricks on this page.
Quick picker
- Want a sequenced video path plus songs: Guitar Tricks
- Want to start completely free: TGP Lessons or JustinGuitar
- Want game-style feedback on a phone: an app such as Yousician
- Want personal correction and accountability: a live teacher
Bottom line
Choose the format you will stick with, test it for a few weeks, and keep going if you are improving. Read our Guitar Tricks review for the details, or begin free with TGP Lessons.
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