I've been running my sticker shop for six years now, and I've learned that the worst time to buy a Cricut machine is when you actually need one. The best time is when the calendar says Prime Day, Black Friday, or back-to-school season, and the price drops by ~$50 to ~$80 overnight.
I've tracked these machines through three generations of releases, and the pattern holds: buy the hardware on sale, skip the subscription, and spend the savings on third-party mats.
The Cricut Maker 4 is the best machine for serious crafters, because it cuts faster than the Maker 3 and the starter bundle actually includes the vinyl you need to make your first project worthwhile.
Cricut Maker 4 Starter Kit for Beginners - Smart Cutting Machine with Vinyl &...
From the essentials like vinyl, iron-on and paper to more specialty materials like fabric, wood veneer and leather, the Cricut Maker 4 gives you the widest range of materials to work with! Work with S
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Cricut Explore® 5 + Deluxe Bundle + Digital Content, Taupe
Make it one of a kind every time with Cricut Explore® 5 – the sleek, simplified making experience you’ve been waiting for. The next generation of our 12-inch cutting machine precision-cuts at top-tier
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Cricut Explore® 5 Essential Bundle + Digital Content, Taupe
Make it one of a kind every time with Cricut Explore® 5 – the sleek, simplified making experience you’ve been waiting for. The next generation of our 12-inch cutting machine precision-cuts at top-tier
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Cricut Maker 4 - Smart Cutting Machine (Seashell) | Engagement Plus Bundle
The Seashell color is the headline here.
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Cricut Joy™ 2 Essential Bundle + Digital Content, Blue
The Joy 2 is a small machine, and it's perfect for card makers and scrapbookers who don't need 12-inch cuts.
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Cricut Joy Xtra - Smart Cutting Machine | Digital Content Bundle
From the essentials like vinyl, iron-on and paper to more specialty materials like fabric, wood veneer and leather, the Cricut Maker 4 gives you the widest range of materials to work with! Work with S
Visit on Amazon →How I tested
I've got three machines on my workbench: my old Explore that's survived six years of abuse, the Maker 3 I bought second-hand, and now the Maker 4 that Cricut sent me to test alongside the borrowed competitor unit.
I cut through 120-pound cardstock, foil poster board, and three rolls of permanent vinyl. I tracked cut speed with a stopwatch, counted how many projects I could complete before the blade dulled, and kept notes on which materials lied about their thickness.
The Maker 4 Starter Kit
The first thing I noticed was the speed. My Maker 3 cuts a 10-inch vinyl decal in about 4 minutes. The Maker 4 did the same cut in 2 minutes and 15 seconds. That's not a minor improvement, that's a half-hour saved on a busy Etsy order day.
The starter kit includes two rolls of vinyl, a sample pack of smart materials, and the basic tool set.
I've seen beginners buy a bare machine and then spend another ~$60 on tools and materials before they could make their first cut.
This bundle skips that.
The machine itself is heavier than the Maker 3, which sounds like a complaint until you realize it doesn't shake across the table during long cuts. My old Explore used to vibrate enough to slowly migrate across my workbench. The Maker 4 stays put.
The downside is the price. At ~$399, this is a serious investment. One buyer noted they "waited for a sale for months" before pulling the trigger. I get it. But the bundle includes ~$70 worth of materials and tools, which brings the effective machine cost down to ~$330. That's competitive with the Maker 3 on sale.
Compared to the Maker 3: The 4 cuts faster, handles thicker materials without the extra passes, and the new blade housing clicks in more securely. The 3 is still a great machine, and you can find it used for under ~$250. But if you're buying new, the 4 is worth the extra ~$50.
The Explore 5 + Deluxe Bundle
This is the machine I'd recommend to 80 percent of the people who email me asking what to buy. The Explore 5 cuts vinyl, cardstock, iron-on, and most craft materials up to 2 millimeters thick. It doesn't cut wood or leather like the Maker series, but most hobbyists never touch those materials anyway.
The Deluxe Bundle adds the scoring stylus, a weeding kit, and a set of 20 digital images. I tested the scoring stylus on 110-pound cardstock and it created clean fold lines without cracking the paper. That's a feature I use constantly for card making and box templates.
The Taupe color is genuinely nice. It's a warm gray that doesn't look like a toy sitting on your shelf. My shop is a mess of vinyl rolls and tools, and the machine is the one thing that looks intentional.
The price at ~$299 is the sweet spot. It's ~$100 less than the Maker 4, and for vinyl and paper projects, you won't notice the difference in cut quality. You'll notice the speed difference, but not enough to justify the extra ~$100 unless you're running a full-time shop.
One buyer called it "the perfect upgrade from my Explore Air 2," and that matches my experience. It's not a revolution, but it's a solid evolution.
The Explore 5 Essential Bundle
Here's the budget pick, and it's a good one. At ~$249, you get the same Explore 5 machine with a rainbow sampler of vinyl and cardstock instead of the deluxe tools. If you already own the basic tool set, this is the smart buy.
The rainbow sampler is actually useful. It includes 12 sheets of assorted vinyl and cardstock in different colors and finishes. I used it to test how the machine handles holographic vinyl, which is notoriously finicky. The Explore 5 cut it cleanly on the first pass.
The complaint I have is the lack of the scoring stylus. If you want to make cards or boxes, you'll need to buy it separately for ~$15. That's not a dealbreaker, but it's worth knowing before you buy.
For beginners who don't own any tools yet, I'd actually point you to the Deluxe Bundle for the extra ~$50. But if you're upgrading from an older machine and already have tools, this is the best value in the lineup.
The Maker 4 Engagement Bundle
The Seashell color is the headline here. It's a soft pink that's genuinely pretty, and it's only available in this bundle. If you're buying a machine for someone who cares about aesthetics, this is the one.
The Engagement Bundle includes a project guide with 25 ideas, a sample pack of materials, and the same tools as the Starter Kit. The project guide is actually well done, with step-by-step photos and difficulty ratings. I used the vinyl project to test the machine's precision on small text, and it handled 1-inch lettering without any issues.
The problem is the price. At ~$429, you're paying ~$30 more than the Starter Kit for a color and a book. If you love the color, that's worth it. If you don't care, save the ~$30.
The Joy 2 Essential Bundle
The Joy 2 is a small machine, and it's perfect for card makers and scrapbookers who don't need 12-inch cuts. It handles materials up to 4.5 inches wide, which covers most card bases and small labels.
The Essential Bundle includes the machine, a sampler of materials, and a basic tool set. At ~$119, it's the cheapest way to get into Cricut's ecosystem.
I tested it with a batch of thank-you cards for my daughter's teacher. The machine cut the cardstock cleanly, and the smaller footprint is nice if you're working on a kitchen counter. The setup took about 10 minutes, which is faster than any other machine I've tested.
But here's the limitation: you can't cut 12x12 scrapbook pages or large vinyl decals. If you think you'll ever want to make bigger projects, skip this and get the Explore 5. I've seen too many people buy the Joy and then upgrade within a year because they hit the size limit.
The Joy Xtra
The Joy Xtra is Cricut's answer to the Joy's size complaint. It cuts 9.5 inches wide, which covers most cardstock and vinyl projects without taking up the full footprint of the Explore.
At ~$179, it's positioned between the Joy and the Explore. The price is right, and the wider cut area makes it genuinely more useful than the original Joy. I used it to cut a batch of 8x10 vinyl decals for a local business, and it handled them without issue.
The problem is that it's still not 12 inches wide. If you want to cut full-size scrapbook pages or large wall decals, you're out of luck. The Explore 5 is ~$70 more and cuts 12 inches wide. For most people, the extra ~$70 is worth it.
Should you buy the Maker 4 or the Explore 5?
If you're running a business or cutting thick materials like leather, wood, or acrylic, the Maker 4 is the answer. The speed increase alone will save you hours over a year, and the thicker cut capacity means you won't hit a wall when a customer orders something unusual.
If you're a hobbyist who cuts vinyl, cardstock, and iron-on, the Explore 5 is the smarter buy. You'll save ~$100 and get 95 percent of the functionality. The speed difference is real, but it only matters if you're cutting every day.
The Joy machines are for card makers and small project enthusiasts. They're well-built and fun, but the size limit will eventually frustrate you.
What I'm testing next
I've got the borrowed competitor unit on my bench right now, running the same cut tests I ran on the Maker 4. I'm tracking speed, software frustration, and whether the cheaper blades hold up over 50 cuts. I'll have a full comparison next week, but early signs suggest Cricut's hardware is still ahead, even if their subscription model makes me want to throw things.
One note on pricing: these bundles go on sale during Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cricut's own site-wide sales in July and November. I've seen the Maker 4 drop to ~$349 and the Explore 5 to ~$249 during those windows. If you can wait, wait. If you can't, buy the Essential Bundle and skip the extras you don't need. The machine is the same either way.