TrueFire VS Fender Play (direct comparison)

We're comparing two online guitar programs: TrueFire and Fender Play.

In many ways, they are the polar opposite of each other, but particularly in terms of the skill level they appeal to. Fender Play is for complete beginners, while we tend to recommend TrueFire for more advanced players.

You can checkout our individual reviews of both programs here:

• TrueFire review
• Fender Play review

For this comparison we're going to look at the basics and provide some high-level grading for each program, to help you decide which one is better and/or right for your situation.

First, let's start with some basic numbers.

TrueFire just has a lot more content and more members, as it's one of the longest-running guitar lesson websites in existence. It also covers a lot more ground than Fender Play, with a wide range of styles and concepts covered. On the positive side for Fender Play they have a cheaper price tag around Note that with the annual membership, Fender offers a 10 percent discount off all Fender gear, namely guitars and amps. .

Skill Level, Depth and Challenge

In terms of catering to each skill level, Fender Play struggles to compete with TrueFire. The only place Fender Play gets close is in the beginner category, but even then we'd prefer TrueFire's courses, if we had to pick between the two. TrueFire just has a lot more depth and unique information in their courses, while Fender Play feels like mostly recycled YouTube-level info.

Not that YouTube guitar lessons are bad.

If you read the Fender Play review that I wrote, you'll notice that struggling to cater to non-beginners is a consistent problem for that program. TrueFire - on the other hand - is one of the best when it comes to intermediate and advanced guitar lessons.

Website Design and Navigation

When grading user experience, it's a bit of a mixed bag with these programs.

On the Fender Play side, it looks sleek and modernized, but it can be hard - at times - to figure out where you are and where you're going. Navigation within and outside of each course is a bit difficult to get a handle on.

TrueFire is the opposite, in that it's a little easier to navigate, but not quite as sleek or modernized as Fender Play has managed to be. Overall, we'd say Fender Play wins the design and aesthetic award.

Supplemental Content and Material

TrueFire easily beats Fender Play in the tabs, diagrams, and audio file department. Many of their courses have tons of this type of content, and they're consistent about including it in most of their material, even with a wide range of course authors and contributing teachers.

Licensed Song Lessons

Fender Play does teach you songs, but they tend to teach you segments or easy versions of songs way too often. While we wouldn't recommend either program for song lessons, TrueFire does a better job with the songs they do teach, leaving Fender Play with another notch in the loss column.

You could make the case that Fender does a better job of offering licensed music, but it's just not up to the same quality standard that we get with TrueFire. We'd also argue that Fender Play gets students into playing songs way too quickly.

Conclusion

Though Fender Play has a great design and a powerful marketing team behind it, it just doesn't come close to matching the volume or quality of content that TrueFire has been putting out for years.

If we had to choose between the two, we'd easily choose TrueFire, especially if you're more of an intermediate or advanced guitar player.

It's an especially good fit if you want to buy specific courses (no membership required) or study a nuanced style/technique.

In a direct TrueFire VS Fender Play comparison, TrueFire is the clear winner.

Questions

Do you have questions about our comparison?

Maybe you have a specific question about TrueFire or Fender Play, or something I just failed to mention in this article.

If so, drop us a line in the comments section below and we'll check in to help out as best we can.

See you there.