Top 4 Online Guitar Lessons for Every Player

Guitar is one of the most popular instruments in the world, and online lessons have made it easier than ever to learn — or keep improving — without committing to expensive in-person instruction. Whether you want to strum campfire chords or shred through scales, there's an online platform built for your goals and your budget. Here are seven of the best online guitar lessons available right now.

Browse our full collection of learn instrument tools for more resources to support your playing.

The Best Online Guitar Lesson Platforms

 

  

Read more

 

  

Read more

 

  

Read more

 

  

Read more

How to Choose the Right Guitar Lesson Platform

With so many solid options, the choice often comes down to your current level, learning style, and what kind of music you want to play.

For Complete Beginners

If you've never picked up a guitar, start with a platform that builds the fundamentals without overwhelming you. JustinGuitar's free beginner course is genuinely excellent and has helped millions of players get their first chords down. Fender Play and Yousician are also strong picks for beginners who want a more app-like, gamified experience.

Muzician stands out at this level too — its structured progression and multi-angle video make it easy to follow along even when you're not sure if your hand position is right.

For Intermediate Players

Once you're past the basics, the question becomes: where do you want to go? If you're interested in a specific style — blues, jazz, fingerpicking — TrueFire's depth is hard to match. If you want a broad, structured path, Guitar Tricks' Core Learning System takes you through theory, technique, and a massive song library in a logical order.

For Advanced Players

Advanced guitarists often use online platforms differently — not as a primary teacher, but as a resource for specific techniques, style transcriptions, or learning from masters. TrueFire's catalog of artist courses and JamPlay's roster of professional instructors work well in this mode.

Electric vs. Acoustic: Does It Matter for Online Lessons?

Most platforms cover both, but some lean one way or the other. Fender Play and Guitar Tricks have strong electric content, while JustinGuitar has excellent acoustic-specific courses including fingerpicking and strumming technique. If you're an acoustic player, check that your platform of choice doesn't treat acoustic as an afterthought.

Building Good Practice Habits

The biggest thing that separates players who improve from those who plateau isn't the platform — it's how they practice. Our guide on how to practice music effectively covers the habits that actually move the needle, from deliberate practice to managing your schedule around short, focused sessions.

A few guitar-specific tips:

• Learn songs you actually like. Motivation matters more than the "optimal" practice path
• Practice chord transitions more than the chords themselves — that's where beginners stall
• Use a metronome from day one, even at painfully slow tempos
• Record yourself. Your ear can't always catch what a recording will

Do Free Lessons Actually Work?

Yes — with caveats. JustinGuitar is the clearest example of free content that can take you from zero to genuinely competent. But most free platforms cap out before you reach intermediate material, and the best feedback tools (real-time listening, tab synchronization) usually live behind a paywall. If free content gets you started and motivated, great. But expect to eventually pay if you want structured, in-depth instruction.

Conclusion

The best online guitar lessons platform is the one you'll actually use consistently. Muzician is a strong all-rounder with multi-instrument access and professional course depth. Guitar Tricks and JamPlay are excellent for structure and breadth. TrueFire is where serious players go to go deep. And JustinGuitar remains the best free option on the internet — full stop. Pick one, commit to a regular schedule, and you'll be surprised how far you can go.