Guitar Tricks vs JamPlay in 2026: What Changed, and Which Is Better for You

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By the KYI Team. Last compared 7 November 2026; prices and trial terms were checked on both platforms’ own sites that day.

Quick verdict

First, the thing most comparisons miss: JamPlay is not a separate platform any more

JamPlay was bought by TrueFire, and its library has since been folded into the TrueFire platform under the “JamPlay + TrueFire” name. Go to jamplay.com today and the only membership on sale is JamPlay + TrueFire All Access: 1,500+ courses, 70,000+ video lessons, 450+ song lessons and 400+ educators, which is the combined catalogue. TrueFire’s own site quotes the same product at 1,900+ courses and 85,000+ interactive lessons. There is no standalone JamPlay plan left to buy, so the real question is Guitar Tricks versus TrueFire, and the rest of this page treats it that way. If you want the TrueFire-only angle, read Guitar Tricks vs TrueFire; our original JamPlay review describes the platform as it was before the merger.

Price

Oddly, the same All Access membership costs different amounts depending on which door you walk through. On jamplay.com it is $29 a month or $8.25 a month billed annually, which is $99 a year. On truefire.com the annual plan was on sale at $77.88 for the first year (69% off a $249.99 list price) on the day we checked, and TrueFire discounts that plan more often than not. Guitar Tricks is $29.95 a month or $179 a year, or $143.20 a year with the SAVE20 code, and a few times a year it sells a year for $99 (it is doing so now, for Black Friday 2026).

So on a normal day the TrueFire catalogue is the cheaper annual subscription, and when both are on sale they cost about the same. Price alone should not decide this. Guitar Tricks pricing in full.

Starting from zero: Guitar Tricks wins clearly

Guitar Tricks has one beginner path, the Core Learning System, taught by one instructor in three-to-five-minute videos that assume you have never held a pick. Tab and notation sit next to every video. You always know what the next lesson is.

TrueFire has beginner courses too, and some are excellent, but it is a catalogue, not a path. With 1,500 or 1,900 courses (depending on whose count you use) you choose your own route, and the learning paths help only so much. The old JamPlay had the same problem, with no single track to follow, and the merger made the library bigger, not simpler. If you are a true beginner, this decides it.

Songs

Guitar Tricks’ song lessons are broken into parts with single-guitar arrangements, scrolling notation and jam tracks; a complex song like “Band on the Run” gets 14 videos. JamPlay + TrueFire lists 450+ song lessons, and TrueFire’s strength has always been style and technique courses rather than song-by-song teaching. For learning specific songs properly, Guitar Tricks.

Depth and instructors: TrueFire wins clearly

Once you are past the four style courses, Guitar Tricks thins out; jazz and improvisation in particular are a handful of lessons. TrueFire has whole courses from Robben Ford, Tommy Emmanuel, Steve Vai, Marty Friedman, Andy Timmons, Larry Carlton and Eric Johnson, deep jazz, fingerstyle, blues and country catalogues, and bass as well as guitar. An intermediate player who already has their chords and scales will get years out of TrueFire and months out of Guitar Tricks.

Feedback and support

Guitar Tricks includes a weekly instructor Q&A video (Guitar Insider) and a Feedback System in which you submit a video of your playing and an instructor replies with a private video. A Custom Lesson Plan ($39) and live 1-on-1 Zoom lessons are paid extras. TrueFire’s All Access membership is the library, learning paths, jam tracks and tabs; no instructor feedback is included. For built-in help, Guitar Tricks.

Who should pick which

• Never played, or gave up once: Guitar Tricks. Use the trial, finish Fundamentals 1.
• A year or two in, want to go deep in a style: JamPlay + TrueFire.
• Want to learn songs more than technique: Guitar Tricks.
• Play bass too: JamPlay + TrueFire.
• Want someone to check your playing: Guitar Tricks.
• Budget is the deciding factor: whichever is on sale this month; the TrueFire catalogue on a normal day.

Frequently asked questions

Is JamPlay still available?
The brand lives on as JamPlay + TrueFire, and jamplay.com still takes sign-ups, but the membership it sells is TrueFire All Access with the JamPlay library inside it.

Which is cheaper, Guitar Tricks or JamPlay?
JamPlay + TrueFire for a year ($99 through jamplay.com, less when truefire.com is running a sale) against Guitar Tricks at $179, or $143.20 with SAVE20. During Guitar Tricks’ $99 sales they cost the same.

Can I use both?
Yes, and plenty of players do: Guitar Tricks for the beginner path and songs, TrueFire later for depth.

Which has the better free trial?
Both offer 14 days if you sign up through jamplay.com (TrueFire’s own site gives 7). Guitar Tricks adds a 60-day money-back guarantee against TrueFire’s 14-day refund window.

Last compared 7 November 2026. Read our Guitar Tricks review and TrueFire review, or compare Guitar Tricks with TrueFire, Fender Play, JustinGuitar, Yousician and Pickup Music.