Pickup Music vs Guitar Tricks
Quick take: Pickup Music — Modern, structured pathways — details to verify. Guitar Tricks — Structured beginner-to-intermediate path. Confirm all “to verify” items before paying.
Pickup Music
| Price (monthly) | $29.99/month charged monthly |
|---|---|
| Price (annual) | $179.99 charged yearly ($14.99/month, 'Save 50%') |
| Lesson count | 1,000+ lessons (gift page; older Pickup pages stated 500+ — library grows, count checked 2026-10-17) |
| Trial | 14-day free trial ('Try free for 14 days. Easy to cancel any time.') |
| Refund | 60-day satisfaction guarantee ('Improve your playing or get your money back') |
| Styles | beginner pathways, jazz, rock, neo soul, funk (pathway names on homepage) |
| Levels | beginner, late beginner, intermediate, late intermediate |
| Instruments | guitar, bass, piano |
| Best for | structured learners (to verify) |
Guitar Tricks
| Price (monthly) | $29.95/month |
|---|---|
| Price (annual) | $179/year |
| Lesson count | 11,000+ lessons (pricing page: 'Over 11,000 lessons'; also 1,000+ songs) |
| Trial | 14-day free trial (billing collected, no charge for 14 days; auto-converts unless cancelled) |
| Refund | 60-day money-back guarantee (cancel within 60 days of Full Access signup for a full refund) |
| Styles | acoustic, blues, rock, country, fundamentals |
| Levels | beginner, intermediate, experienced |
| Instruments | electric guitar, acoustic guitar |
| Best for | beginners, intermediate, structured learners |
Which should you pick?
- Pick Pickup Music if you are: structured learners (to verify).
- Pick Guitar Tricks if you are: beginners, intermediate, structured learners.
Our verdict
Pickup Music for structured pathways with human feedback; Guitar Tricks for beginners and the biggest song library.
Pricing is a wash ($29.99 vs $29.95/mo; $179.99 vs $179/yr), both trial 14 days and both back it with a 60-day guarantee. Pickup smaller, curated 1,000+ lesson library is organised into graded pathways with 1-on-1 video feedback across guitar, bass and piano; Guitar Tricks offers 11,000+ lessons and 1,000+ songs with its Core Learning System. Editorial recommendation based on price/features only - not hands-on testing.