JamPlay VS Fender Play (Comparison)
Our pick: JamPlay
With strong intermediate content, song lesson quality, and supplemental material, JamPlay is easily the more comprehensive and a better value than Fender Play.
It's not an exaggeration to say that JamPlay and Fender Play could not be more different.
About the only thing they have in common is they're both online guitar programs and have the word "play" in their titles.
In our JamPlay VS Fender Play comparison we'll look at the differences between the two platforms and grade each in several categories. This will help you figure out which program is stronger in the areas you care about. It'll also tell you which one is better and more valuable. To test each program we actually sit down, sign up, and go through them with guitar in hand. We're not just regurgitating specs you can read elsewhere.
Instead, we're giving grades and tangible ratings to different categories that can help you measure the effectiveness of each membership. In this side-by-side JamPlay VS Fender Play comparison, you'll be able to clearly distinguish the strengths and weaknesses of each program.
If you'd like to know more about either one individually, here are full reviews for each:
Additionally, here's a quick table to help you see how JamPlay and Fender Play compare other along with other, similar programs.
Compare to Similar Programs
PROGRAM | DETAILS | RATING | TRY |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Guitar Tricks
| 92.8 RATING Detail | |
 | JamPlay
| 88.7 RATING Detail | |
 | Yousician
| 72.3 RATING Detail | |
 | Fender Play
| 67.8 RATING Detail |
JamPlay VS Fender Play: A Direct Side-by-Side Comparison
We'll start with some basic data and FAQs about each site. This section compares things like member count, resources available to paying members, pricing, and pre-signup related concerns.
| | |
|---|---|---|
Members as of 2019 | 520,000+ | Unknown |
Free Trial Period | 7 | 30 days |
Total Number of Lessons | 5500+ | 200+ |
Styles (Genres) Covered | 20ish | 5 total |
Instructors | 80+ | 8 |
Monthly (non-promo) Price | $20 | $19.99 (billed monthly) |
Yearly Price | $160 | $12.50/mo. when billed annually |
Fender Play offers a longer trial and a cheaper price than JamPlay. However, their pricing was similar to JamPlay's model early on, before reducing it by about half.
JamPlay home page as of October 2022.
Fender Play home page as of October 2022
Some of JamPlay's promotional pricing can dip under the $100 mark, making it more competitive with Fender Play's yearly cost. Though you get what you pay for with both programs.
Skill Level, Depth, and Challenge
Fender Play's handling of anything beyond basic beginner's content is very weak and disorganized. JamPlay's handling of each skill level is quite good though, particularly ideal for intermediate and advanced players. In a JamPlay VS Fender Play comparison, this is one of the most significant differences.
| | |
|---|---|---|
Beginner Lessons | A | B |
Intermediate Lessons | A | C- |
Advanced Lessons | A | D- |
Topical Order | B | D |
Fender Play isn't able to offer much in the way of depth or what we'd consider a proper ordering of topics. While their courses and learning paths are interspersed with songs that are meant to get you playing fast, the material lacks comprehensive explanation of foundational topics. JamPlay is just the opposite, devoting lots of resources to the details and thorough instruction of each topic they cover.
One of the scale lessons in JamPlay's program.
One of the Level I rock lessons in Fender Play.
Site Structure, Design, and User Experience
Both JamPlay and Fender Play have updated designs that are sleek, fast, and responsive on nearly all browsers and devices. In this category, we find Fender Play largely competitive. The problem is that design and aesthetics have far less to do with the substance of the program. Still, Fender deserves some credit here. They've built a sleek, attractive web app and learning program that's up to par with modern design trends and standards.
| | |
|---|---|---|
Home Page (logged out) | A | A |
User Dashboard | B- | A- |
Course Navigation | B | B |
Interior Course Navigation | A | A |
Main Menu | B | A |
Modern Aesthetic | A | A |
Cell | Cell |
Be careful not to confuse course navigation with topical ordering. Course navigation just refers to your ability to find your way from lesson to lesson and course to course. It does not take into consideration the effectiveness of how the content is ordered. Again, Fender Play does well here. They keep their website up-to-date, minimalist, and easy to navigate. JamPlay isn't far behind, but it's a little less modernized, even after several recent updates.
Some basic lesson structure elements in JamPlay.
Fender Play sports a sleek, minimalist template that's easy to navigate.
Video Player Quality and Features
Fender Play continues their minimalist approach with a centered video player and no navigational control aside from a previous and next video option. Videos are short, but the player is responsive and free of bugs. JamPlay has better navigational structure surrounding their player and more control features like looping, HD options, and speed control. These extra controls are not available in Fender Play's videos as far as we can tell.
| | |
|---|---|---|
Slow Down/Speed Up | A | No |
HD Options | A | A |
Section Looping | A | No |
Full Screen Quality and Pixelation | A | A |
Backend (Server) | Unknown | Unknown |
Social Features | B+ | n/a |
Both players are good, but we like JamPlay's better for their navigation and additional controls. The multiple camera angles offered by JamPlay are also a major boost to the user experience. Consistent with Fender Play's root problems, their minimalist video interface serves to remind us of their overall lack of substantive content.
JamPlay's video interface usually has a lot of content and intuitive navigational elements.
Fender Play leaves most of the area surrounding their video player empty, with only basic navigational elements.
Supplemental Material
Supplemental content might be one of JamPlay's strongest areas. In every comparison article we've done that includes them, they rate better than their competition in this category. You can see from the video player screenshots above the JamPlay piles on the supplemental content, often including things like Guitar Pro software files, downloadable tabs, and even MP3 files. Fender Play will offer chord diagrams, tabs, and sheet music where applicable, though their supplemental content is generally very basic.
| | |
|---|---|---|
Tabs and Notation | A | n/a |
Chord Diagrams | A | n/a |
Audio Files | A | n/a |
Instructor Interaction | B+ | C- |
Guitar Pro Files | Sometimes | n/a |
Printing Option | Supported | n/a |
Cell | Cell |
In most cases, guitar lesson programs that use the course format do a lot more with supplemental content than we see with Fender Play. Against JamPlay, they have little to offer, at least at this point in their course development.
Song Lessons Section
If you look at our Guitar Tricks review, you'll see they're the gold standard in the guitar lesson world for this particular category. When you're evaluating JamPlay VS Fender Play, JamPlay definitely has the more thoroughly developed song lessons, though not quite to the degree Guitar Tricks does.
Many of Fender Play's song lessons are worked into their stated course material, where JamPlay keeps their song lessons entirely separate. Fender Play also seems to religiously avoid difficult songs and caters exclusively to those that just want to get playing quickly.
| | |
|---|---|---|
Songs | 600+ | 150 |
Song Coverage (completeness) | B+ | C |
Navigation | C- | C- |
Instructors | C | B- |
Easy Song Versions | A | Sometimes |
Pay Wall | n/a | No |
Concluding the JamPlay vs Fender Play Comparison
Looking at all these comparison points, Fender Play only beats JamPlay in regards to their website design and perhaps their pricing. However, in every substantive category that we can measure, JamPlay is the better program. Keep in mind, we've reviewed each one by actually buying and using memberships. We aren't just comparing specs or freely available information. We've done our homework by buying memberships and using both of these programs.
In the same way, we've bought memberships and reviewed many guitar lesson programs. Here are a few additional such reviews you might find helpful:
Questions about the Programs
If you have questions about our JamPlay VS Fender Play comparison piece, feel free to leave those in the comments section below. We're always happy to answer questions about our ratings system, the guitar programs we write about, or to help you figure out which one will work best for you.
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Written by GC Editorial on Lessons and Info
Written by GC Editorial on Lessons and Info
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