The 12 Best Guitar Lessons Websites Online (Free and Paid Options)

Although you can probably learn faster and better from a private guitar teacher, modern times offer a lot of alternatives. One of them is online learning. Up-and-coming and established musicians can now learn from home!

This is by far the most convenient way of learning pretty much everything, which includes playing guitar as well. Fortunately, the choice is amazing, as there must be hundreds, or even thousands of websites that offer tons of video lessons for beginners, intermediate, and even advanced players.

With such a wide offer, it may be hard to pick the right one for you. Fortunately, some of the best online guitar lessons are free, while those that require membership usually offer a short trial period. Finally, many of these lesson resources, especially for beginners, can be found on YouTube.

Here is a list that suggests some of the best free or paid websites, as well as a couple of amazing YouTube channels:

1. Guitareo – Free Month Trial

Guitareo is a great online platform for those looking to learn the guitar. Packing a punch with over 85 courses and a thousand lessons, it covers a wide range of styles and techniques. Their special ‘Guitareo method’ – a ten-level program – helps you start off right and then keeps you moving up the ladder, offering additional tips once you’ve completed the course.

What’s really cool about it is that it doesn’t break the bank like private lessons might, and the instructional videos are easy to understand. Plus, it has a slick design and works on your browser and mobile devices.

You can get a free month’s trial of Guitareo using this link.

Check out our video review of Guitareo below:

If you’re an advanced player, you might find Guitareo a bit lacking in content. But overall, if you’re just starting out or at an intermediate level, Guitareo is a pretty solid choice.

2. GuitarTricks – 14-day Trial

For more than two decades, GuitarTricks is one of the first sites about guitar lessons that come to mind and there is a long list of good reasons for that. With over 40 instructors and more than 11,000 lessons, this site covers pretty much every guitar playing style.

Besides tons of high-quality material, another strong point is that everything is organized pretty well. This particularly refers to, now already famous, subscription levels, which start with basic access and end with personal, one-on-one live lessons. Tons of jam tracks are included as well.

Due to its reputation, monthly and yearly fees are a little bit above-average, but you can count on a 60-day satisfaction guarantee. A 14-day Guitar Tricks free trial is included too.

3. Justin Guitar – Free

Although completely free, this site definitely has plenty of great things to offer. Led by just one person (Justin Sandercoe), the quality of lessons is pretty amazing and there is no doubt you can learn a lot of great things here.

With tons of song tutorials, playing techniques, and various styles, Justin Guitar aims primarily at beginners, but there is a lot of content for advanced guitarists as well. The site is completely free!

4. TrueFire – 30-day Trial

This site is unparalleled in many ways and I will mention just two of them. The first one would be the fact that there are more than 40.000 video lessons. The second one is that there are hundreds of instructors. Among them, you can find lessons from guitar legends like Tommy Emmanuel, Steve Vai, and Robert Ford.

Despite the quantity, TrueFire definitely isn’t one of those sites that try to cover pretty much everything. Beginners won’t find too much use in this place, as there aren’t many song lessons and similar beginner things. On the other side, intermediate and advanced players will definitely benefit a lot from these lessons.

5. Fender Play – 30-Day Trial

This is one of the youngest teaching platforms around, as it started less than two years ago. However, it gained huge popularity, because Fender is one of the world’s largest guitar makers. Interestingly enough, it is not only browser-based but it’s also available for iOS and Android users. This means you can use your smartphone or tablet to watch lessons.

Currently, Fender Play focuses on beginners and already has a quite large base of lessons. You can learn pretty much everything, starting from guitar fundamentals like chords, scales, and various playing techniques. Also, there is plenty of popular songs you can learn to play.

On the other side, intermediate players and advanced players can skip this site at once, though we presume things will become better in the future.  Another important thing to mention is that the site looks amazing. It is very stylish and also extremely easy to use. A free 30-day trial is included as well.

6. Guitar Jamz, Marty Music – Free

These two channels are led by the same guy, Marty Schwartz, which is pretty much a YouTube legend. Combined, these two channels have more than 2 Million subscribers, so we won’t waste any more words in introducing this man.

Marty is a great instructor, which focuses mostly on beginner guitar players. Most of his beginner material is about learning famous songs or playing styles of particular guitar heroes. Blues and Rock are the main styles on these channels, but there is much more. All content is free.

7. David Wallimann – Free

David Wallimann may not have Millions of subscribers on his YouTube channel, but I’m pretty sure that even accomplished guitarists can learn a lot from this man. He is one of the most gifted teachers you’ll find on YouTube, with a pretty unique teaching approach.

Compared to most instructors, his approach is far more musical, as he doesn’t focus on the technical aspect of playing only. He will help you to apply your knowledge in a much better way and the most amazing thing is that he encourages others to build their own music style.

The channel is mostly for advanced players and you can also find a fine amount of gear reviews. The most amazing thing is that everything is free and available on its YouTube channel.

8. JamPlay – 7-day Trial

JamPlay stands out for its pretty interactive character. This is practically a live-stream platform. In practice, this means not just pre-recorded content, but live lessons as well.

Besides typical lessons, JamPlay offers live questions and answers on a daily basis too. Finally, there are open mic sessions, so you can jam with other students. A 7-day free trial is offered.

9. Guitar Instructor – 7-Day Trial

Hal Leonard is pretty much a legend these days and Guitar Instructor is one of his most successful projects. This website offers a lot of content and it is primarily designed for those who have just started learning guitar. Of course, there is Leonard’s famous six-path learning method, which helps a lot if you want to learn a specific style, from classical to electric guitars.

Once you purchase your membership, there are tons of lessons available. However, the amount of free content is a little bit disappointing. Fees aren’t high, and a 7-day free trial is included as well.

10. Guitar Compass – 7-Day Trial

Guitar Compass is one of the longest-living names in the business. It started in the pre-internet era, way before websites even existed. For more than three decades, Guitar Compass remained one of the household names and it is one of the best learning platforms for beginners these days.

One of the best things about this site is the price, which is very affordable. Moreover, many lessons are completely free and you don’t even need to sign in, which is a pretty rare thing these days. Also, many users praise its great navigation and easiness of use.

11. Music2me – 7-day Trial

Music2me is a great online music school for both guitar and piano. The lessons are offered in both English and German version. Plus, the videos are recorded in great quality and are easy to follow.

They go through everything that a beginner needs to know, starting off by explaining the different types of guitars, effects, and amps. After that, they take you through a well-structured course, starting from the absolute basics and progressing into playing full songs and solos.

There are currently more than 240 video lessons on this learning platform, which includes over 75 songs. As you get to the more advanced sections, you get to learn about more advanced playing techniques. The instructor goes in-depth teaching you how to play great songs from acts such as Nirvana, Michael Jackson, The White Stripes, Muse, AC/DC, U2, Foo Fighters, Led Zeppelin, and much more.

12. ArtistWorks Guitar – Paid (Free Lesson Samples)

ArtistWorks is an online instrument-learning platform (guitar, bass guitar, banjo, piano, etc.) that offers guitar lessons in abundance. You can choose a course you want to try out, whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player. The platform offers anything from acoustic guitar, fingerpicking, and bluegrass to electric jazz guitar.

The guitar courses are paid but there are some free lesson samples that you can try before committing which is neat. There are some big names on this platform and you can learn from the best.

What’s great about ArtistWorks is the interaction aspect. You can schedule a video exchange with your tutor for feedback which makes it a more intimate experience if you want to ask specific questions. The lessons are on the pricier side but you can choose specific styles that cater to your skill level.

Conclusion

As you can see, some of these sites are specialized for specific groups of guitarists, while others are pretty general and offer a wide range of lessons of various styles, both for beginners and those more advanced.

Best lessons are usually on those sites that require membership, but a lot of amazing things can be found on free sites as well, especially on YouTube channels. After all, even paid websites offer at least a 7-day trial period, so you have enough time to get familiar with it and decide if you want to pay or not.

Keep in mind that these are just my recommendations and that there are many more places to check as well.