Cricut Maker vs Cricut Maker 3 Comparison: Which Should I Buy?

With the release of the new Cricut Maker 3, you may be wondering which is best to buy or if it’s worth upgrading?

(deciding between the Explore Air 2 and Explore 3 instead – read this post)

I’m going to answer that very simply and honestly (not a sponsored post) and I pride myself on getting right to the point so…

The verdict:

I do not think it is worth upgrading to the Maker 3 f you already have a Cricut Maker machine.

If you are buying a new machine and deciding between the Maker vs Maker 3, I would recommend buying the regular Maker (as long as it’s still available)*

The only reason I would recommend buying the Maker 3 is if you are going to be cutting projects requiring cuts of 12″ by >24 inches often. That’s truly the only key benefit of the new Maker 3 that would warrant the price.

*it’s possible that they will stop selling the Cricut Maker soon in which case you would want to purchase the Maker 3 instead by default.

Now here’s some more details on why I say this:

• The Maker 3 is $429 (can find on sale for as low as $349)
• The Maker is $399 (can find on sale for as low as $199) so often up to $150 cheaper than the Maker 3 depending on current sales.
• The Maker 3 does not include a cutting mat or the rotary blade (which are included with the regular Maker) so those are already additional add-on costs ($30-50+) you’d have to buy
• The Maker can use all the same tools as the Maker 3 (rotary, knife, etc)
• The only key difference is that the Maker 3 can cut longer projects >24 inches because it doesn’t require a cutting mat.
• I would still often use a cutting mat even with the Maker 3 because I often use leftover scraps of paper or vinyl and not full rolls (can be more wasteful).

Is it worth upgrading to the Cricut Venture?

Find out here.

Love our straight forward and easy to follow content?

Check out our Mastering Your Cricut in 21 Days ebook and video course.

Get 50% off today with code CRICUTNEWBIE at checkout