Due to the growing popularity of Cricut machines, you must be thinking of buying one as well. If that is the case, read this Cricut Machines Comparison guide and a short quiz that will help you to determine which is the right machine for your projects. The guide includes the Cricut Explore line of machines, Cricut Maker, and Cricut Joy as well!
With different Cricut machines in the market, the decision to choose the right one and purchase it is a daunting task for many- the same goes for you; that is why you are here! This perfect guide of Cricut Machines Comparison will help you understand the capabilities of different Cricut machines and tell you which machine is best for which type of crafter by stating the benefits.
It doesn’t matter which Cricut machine you choose; if you face problems with how to use it or want to learn even more, visit our Cricut Academy. It is the best place for you to learn all about Cricut machines.
Current Cricut Cutting Machines
There are three Cricut cutting machines currently available in the market.
- Cricut Joy
- Cricut Maker
- Cricut Explore Air 2
Cricut Gypsy, Cricut Cake, Cricut Personal, Cricut Expression, and the Cricut Expression 2 are the Legacy machines that are no longer available in the market. Cricut no longer supports these machines.
Cricut Explore, Cricut Explore One, and Cricut Explore Air faced discontinuation as well. Still, the three Explore machines continue to regulate Cricut’s support and work perfectly fine with the recent version of Cricut Design Space software.
The Cricut Cuttlebug also faced discontinuation this Spring 2019. This machine was for die-cutting and embossing purposes.
The Cricut Joy Machine
Cricut announced their latest cutting machine, the Cricut Joy, on February 12, 2020. People may ignore it for its smaller size, but the machine is simply amazing.
Cricut Joy has a compact design- the cutting machine is smaller and half the size of Cricut Explore and Cricut Maker. The edges are cut down slightly from the other Circuit machines and have a single blade and a pen holding compartment. The cut-off width is 4.5”.
Don’t let the small size fool you. The machine has cool new features. The best of the features it offers is mat-free cutting, which allows you to cut 20 feet of Smart Vinyl in a single turn. The machine comes with a Card Mat, enabling you to make cards suitable for any special occasion.
The little compact machine is perfect for almost all of your basic Cricut crafts, like iron-on vinyl, writable labels, and cardstock.
The Cricut Maker Machine
The most famous machine in Cricut’s line is the Cricut Maker. The machine’s look is the same as that of Explore machines, but the re-design makes the machine totally different. It does everything the Explore machine does, but with added features.
Cricut Maker doesn’t need a stabilizer like other Explore machines to cut unbounded fabric with its tiny Rotary Blade. For all your felt cutting, this is your machine.
But, Cricut Maker also cuts thicker materials up to 3/32” such as balsa wood and thick leather with the Knife Blade. Instead of Scoring Stylus, it uses Scoring Wheel to score all types of materials.
The company announced four new tools in July 2019. You can check the individual posts to know more about them:
- The Engraving Tool
- The Debossing Tool
- The Wavy Rotary Tool
- The Perforation Tool
The adaptive system of the machine was made with evolution as the vision. It was built to accommodate the tools the Cricut hasn’t thought of until now! They have an extensive array of tools in testing which the machine can use as they release.
The machine’s price is the highest than other machines starting at $399, and when on sale, it becomes $349. But if you take your crafting, sewing, woodworking, or any other designing work seriously, this is the best machine for you.
We have a lengthy post about the Cricut Maker on our website. It has every necessary point and valuable information you need about the machine.
The Cricut Explore Air 2 Machine
The Cricut Explore Air 2 has a comprehensive machine’s price. The design and looks like a paper printing machine, but it is truly amazing. The machine starts at $299 and maybe expensive for some users. But the good news is, it is almost always on sale, and sometimes at a low price of $179.
Explore Air 2 is a busy bee machine that can cut vinyl, iron-on, cardstock, faux suede or leather, felt, and more than 100 other materials. It can’t cut as thick materials as the Cricut but is suitable for most crafters. It also offers many different colors to match your craft area.
The Cricut Explore Air Machine
Cricut doesn’t support this machine anymore, but you can find a used one in the market. Explore Air is a lesser version of Explore Air 2. It offers two features that the Cricut Explore One (below) does not:
- Built-in Bluetooth that doesn’t require you to plug it into your device.
- It has a secondary tool holder for you to cut and score or vice versa simultaneously.
The Cricut Explore One Machine
You won’t find this machine with Cricut as well. Although you can find a used one. The Cricut Explore One is the cheapest out of them all that the Cricut offers. You can cut more than 100 materials with it and the machine has the same capabilities (writing, scoring, cutting) as the other Explore Air machines. The difference is that it doesn’t have a built-in Bluetooth (you’ll need to plug in a cord from your PC), and it doesn’t offer double tool holders, so you can’t cut or score (or score or write) at the same time.