Squier is Fender's own budget brand. A Squier Stratocaster and a Fender Stratocaster share the same design, and often the same dimensions: a $201 Squier Sonic and a $2,340 American Professional both have a 25.5-inch (648 mm) scale and a 9.5-inch fingerboard radius. Some differences are deliberate, like the rounder 7.25-inch radius of vintage-style models. Most of the price goes into wood, pickups and hardware, finish and where the guitar is built.
We lined up every Stratocaster series Thomann had in stock in October 2026. The median price climbs from $221 for a Squier Sonic to $5,850 for a Fender Custom Shop, about 26 times more.
Every Strat series, from cheapest to most expensive
| Brand | Series | Models | Median price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squier | Sonic | 35 | $221 |
| Squier | Affinity | 18 | $308 |
| Squier | Classic Vibe | 32 | $481 |
| Fender | Standard | 7 | $652 |
| Fender | Player II | 45 | $933 |
| Fender | Vintera | 12 | $1,285 |
| Fender | American Professional | 31 | $2,294 |
| Fender | American Ultra | 15 | $2,643 |
| Fender | American Vintage | 14 | $3,032 |
| Fender | Custom Shop | 12 | $5,850 |
Prices are Thomann's as of October 18, 2026, including color versions.
What the money buys
Wood. The Squier Sonic and even Fender's entry Standard Strat use poplar bodies, and the Classic Vibe 60s uses nato; from the Player II up, Fender mostly uses alder, the traditional Strat wood.
Pickups and hardware. Better pickups, tuners that hold pitch and a smoother tremolo are the first upgrades as you move up the table.
Where it's built. Squiers come from Asia, the Player II from Mexico, the American series from Fender's factory in California, and the Custom Shop by hand.
What doesn't change much. Feel. With a good setup, a $450 Classic Vibe plays closer to a $2,300 American Professional than the price suggests.
The steps worth knowing
Squier Sonic Strat HT H MN SNB, $201
The cheapest way into a Strat, with a fixed bridge and one humbucker, so it stays in tune. #145 of 610 ST style guitars.
Squier CV 60s Strat CAR, $449
The Classic Vibe series, built to look and feel vintage: the Squier many players keep for years. #244 of 610 ST style guitars.
Fender Player II Strat MN RLO, $899
The first Fender-made step with an alder body, built in Mexico. In our ranking it's one of the highest-rated Strat-style guitars at any price: #1 of 610 ST style guitars.
Fender Am Pro HSS Strat RW OW, $2,340
The American Professional, with an alder body, a deep C neck and a humbucker at the bridge. #3 of 610 ST style guitars.
Fender Am Ultra II Strat HSS EB UBST, $2,565
Fender's most modern American Strat, with an ebony fingerboard, a compound-radius neck and a TUSQ nut. #5 of 610 ST style guitars.
Which should you buy?
For a beginner, a Squier Sonic or Affinity. For a player who wants one guitar for years, a Classic Vibe or the Player II, which is where our rankings put the best value. The American series makes sense when you know exactly what you want and plan to keep it.
Questions
Is Squier as good as Fender?
The Classic Vibe series comes close in feel; Fender's American models are better built and finished. For the price, Squier is excellent.
Is a Fender Player II worth it over a Squier?
If you'll play it for years, yes: alder body, better pickups and hardware for roughly twice the price of a Classic Vibe.
Did Squier or Fender prices go up?
Since August 17, 2026, Squier prices at Thomann rose 0.2% on average and Fender prices fell 0.6%, as we found in our brand price study.
How we measured. We took every Squier and Fender Stratocaster Thomann listed as in stock on October 18, 2026, grouped them by series from the model names and took the median of each group. Specs come from Thomann's product data. Products show today's price and rank, updated every night; the table is fixed to October 18.
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Denis Kataev runs AudioFu. Every night the site records the prices of more than 38,000 instruments and studio tools at Thomann, and he writes about what those numbers show: what got cheaper, what just arrived, and which discounts are real.
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