Choosing between Cricut machines is mostly a question of what you actually want to make. This guide compares the two pairings readers ask about most often — Venture vs Maker, and Explore 3 vs Joy Xtra — using specifications already documented in our own Cricut reviews and tutorials. Where we have not verified a specification, we say so rather than guessing.
I have owned and used Cricut machines since the Explore Air 2, and I have reviewed the Joy, Joy Xtra, Venture, Maker 3 and Explore 3 on this blog. Prices change constantly and models get retired, so this page deliberately avoids price claims. Every number below comes from a spec I have already written up in a linked article. If a spec is not in that list, I have left it out.
The short answer
- Big projects, batches, or selling what you make: the Cricut Venture, Cricut’s wide-format machine. It cuts up to 24 in wide and runs fast.
- Fabric, thin wood, chipboard, leather, or the most tools: a Maker. It is the only Cricut machine that can use the knife blade and rotary blade, and Cricut lists 300+ compatible materials.
- Mostly vinyl decals, iron-on, cards and paper: the Explore line. It handles 100+ materials and, on Explore 3 and later, long mat-free Smart Material cuts.
- Stickers, labels and small decals in a small space: the Joy Xtra, which adds print-then-cut and a much wider cut than the original Joy.
Cricut Venture vs Maker: which one?
These two get compared a lot because they are the two “big capability” machines, but they are solving different problems. Venture is about size and speed. A Maker is about material variety.
What is actually different
| Specification | Cricut Venture | Cricut Maker (Maker 3 / Maker 5) |
|---|---|---|
| Max cut width | 24 in | 12 in (Maker 5, per Cricut); 11.7 in on Smart Materials with Maker 3 |
| Longest single cut | 12 ft single images; 75 ft for repeated images | 12 ft with Smart Materials |
| Cutting speed | Up to 25 in per second (25.4 in/sec per Cricut) | No comparable speed claim published on this site — treat speed as unverified here |
| Compatible materials | 100+ | 300+ |
| Tools | 7 tools (sold separately) per Cricut; uses Explore-compatible blades, which wear faster | 13 tools (Maker 5) per Cricut; knife blade, rotary blade, scoring wheels, engraving and debossing tips, perforation and wavy blades |
| Knife blade for thin wood / chipboard | Not supported — knife blade is Maker-only | Yes — balsa and basswood up to 3/32 in, chipboard up to 3 mm |
| Non-bonded fabric (rotary blade) | Bonded fabric only | Yes — rotary blade cuts regular, non-bonded fabric |
| Mats | Own performance mats only; other Cricut mats will not fit and will crack or warp | Standard Cricut mats, including the purple StrongGrip mat for heavier materials |
| Space needed | Cricut recommends a minimum workspace of 35 × 42.5 × 41.5 in; machine sits at a 45-degree angle | Desktop machine; Maker 3 weighs 15.4 lb |
| Drawing width | Up to 24 in | Draws and writes within its 12 in width |
Choose the Venture if your projects are genuinely large — wall decals, oversized paper flowers, big signage — or if you are cutting the same design over and over and the cut time is the bottleneck. The speed is the real story, and it is the reason it suits a small making business.
Choose a Maker if your projects are about materials rather than scale: basswood cake toppers, chipboard wall decor, leather bows, quilting and dressmaking. You can start with the fine-point blade and add the knife blade, rotary blade and other tips as your projects grow.
The honest downside either way: the Venture needs a lot of room and its own mats and blades, and the Maker’s extra blades and tips are additional purchases on top of the machine.
Cricut Explore 3 vs Joy Xtra: which one?
This is the pairing most first-time buyers land on, because both do the popular everyday projects and both are far cheaper than the machines above. The difference is almost entirely cut size versus footprint.
What is actually different
| Specification | Cricut Explore 3 | Cricut Joy Xtra |
|---|---|---|
| Max cut width | 11.7 in | 8.5 in (Smart Materials) |
| Longest cut | 12 ft with Smart Materials | 4 ft with Smart Materials |
| Max cut on a mat | Uses standard Cricut mats (12 × 12 in and 12 × 24 in) | 8.2 × 11.7 in on the Joy Xtra mat — about an A4/US Letter sheet |
| Machine size | Desktop machine | 12.5 × 6 × 5.5 in, 6 lb |
| Compatible materials | 100+ | 75+ (per Cricut, via the Joy Xtra generation) |
| Blades | Premium fine-point, deep-point, bonded fabric | Same premium fine-point blade; single tool clamp; no specialty blades |
| Print-then-cut / stickers | Yes | Yes — this is the Joy Xtra’s big upgrade over the original Joy. Needs an inkjet printer. |
| Good for personalised apparel | Yes | Yes for Joy-Xtra-sized designs; Cricut does not position the original Joy this way |
| Pens and foil | Pens, markers, foil transfer kit | Joy-branded pens and markers, foil transfer kit |
Choose the Explore 3 if you want one machine that covers decals, iron-on, cards and long banner or sign cuts, and you have desk space for it. The 12 ft mat-free cut is the feature that separates it from the smaller machines.
Choose the Joy Xtra if you are short on space, want to store the machine in a drawer or cupboard, and your projects are stickers, labels, cards and small decals — with the occasional small shirt design. The jump from the original Joy’s 4.5 in to the Joy Xtra’s 8.5 in is what makes those projects possible.
Two things worth knowing before you buy either: the machines do not ship with a mat, so budget for one unless you buy a bundle, and print-then-cut will not work with a laser printer.
Which machine fits which tutorial on this site?
This is the part a spec table cannot tell you. Here is how the machines map onto the Cricut projects already published here.
Paper projects: cards, gift boxes, envelopes and bookmarks
These are the most forgiving projects on the site and work on almost any Cricut machine, including the Joy Xtra. If paper is what you make, do not overspend on a wide-format machine.
- Custom Cricut paper gift box — the materials list on this one names the Explore Air 2, Maker and Joy, so any current machine will handle it.
- Paper accordion card and paper pop-up card — scoring-heavy, so a machine that takes a scoring tool helps.
- Paper envelope for handmade cards — needs to fit an A2 or 5×7 card, comfortably within a Joy Xtra’s mat.
- Paper gift bag and paper lantern — larger panels, so an Explore or Maker is the safer fit.
- Layered paper bookmark and paper corner bookmark — small and quick, ideal Joy Xtra projects.
- Paper flower card, layered paper flower card and paper flower wreath — the fine-point blade is all you need.
- Paper shadow box frame — bigger than a Joy Xtra mat, so go Explore or Maker.
Wood, chipboard and dimensional projects: Maker territory
If these are on your list, that single fact decides your machine. The knife blade is Maker-only, and no other Cricut machine can substitute for it.
- Using the Maker’s knife blade to cut wood — balsa and basswood up to 3/32 in, with a 0.75 in minimum cut size.
- Cutting chipboard with a Cricut — 1.5–2 mm chipboard needs a Maker and the knife blade; only 0.37 mm chipboard can be cut on an Explore.
- Cricut cake topper from basswood — the project that best shows why people buy a Maker.
- Dollhouse miniatures with the Cricut Maker — small dimensional parts cut from felt, card and chipboard.
- 19 Cricut felt projects — many of these were made on the Maker, some with the rotary blade on the felt setting.
Vinyl, iron-on and heat-transfer projects: Explore, Joy Xtra or Venture
Standard vinyl and iron-on work on every current machine. Choose by cut size, not by capability.
- Holographic mosaic iron-on — a good example of the small iron-on designs an Explore or Joy Xtra handles easily.
- Patterned iron-on winter decor — layerable, and the sort of project where Smart Materials save time.
- Vinyl stencil for kids’ painting — cheap adhesive vinyl, so no need for a high-end machine.
- What is Cricut Joy (and what can you make with it) — the original Joy’s 4.5 in cut width is the context for understanding why the Joy Xtra exists.
Infusible Ink and mugs: any machine, plus the Mug Press
- Using the Cricut Mug Press — the press works with any Cricut machine, and Infusible Ink is cut first.
- Personalised Infusible Ink tote bag — works on any Cricut; the transfer, not the machine, is the hard part.
Two things to check before you buy
1. Which machine is actually current. Cricut turns over its lineup regularly. Our Which Cricut Should I Buy guide lists the machines Cricut was selling when it was last checked, along with verified prices and specs on Cricut’s comparison chart. Always check Cricut’s current comparison chart for the model you are about to buy, because my own reviews of individual machines (Explore Air 2, Explore 3, Maker 3, Joy) are written when those machines launched and some are no longer in the current lineup.
2. What the machine does not include. Mats, extra blades and tools are usually separate purchases. That matters most if you are buying a Maker for the knife blade or a Venture, which needs its own performance mats.
Frequently asked questions
Can the Cricut Venture cut wood or chipboard?
Not with the knife blade. The knife blade is exclusive to the Maker line. The Venture is compatible with Explore-compatible blades, which wear out faster on it, so it is a machine for large and repeated vinyl, iron-on, paper and bonded-fabric projects rather than thick materials.
Do I need a Maker if I mostly make cards?
No. Card, envelope, gift box and bookmark projects cut perfectly well on an Explore or Joy Xtra. A Maker only pays off if you move into fabric, thin wood, chipboard, leather or engraving.
Is the Joy Xtra big enough for shirts?
Sometimes. Its 8.5 in Smart Material cut width and 8.2 × 11.7 in mat means Joy-Xtra-sized designs work on apparel, and Cricut does position the Joy Xtra for personalised apparel where it does not position the original Joy. If you plan to cut large back prints, you will want the Explore’s 11.7 in width.
What is the difference between Smart Materials and using a mat?
Smart Materials load straight into the machine on a special backing, so no mat is needed and you can cut much longer continuous shapes. You can still use a mat and ordinary vinyl, cardstock or iron-on on the same machines.
Specifications in this guide are drawn from our own Cricut machine reviews and tutorials, and from Cricut’s comparison chart as checked in our Which Cricut Should I Buy guide. Cricut has provided some machines for review on this site in the past; that does not change the specifications reported here. Nothing on this page is a price quote.