Cricut Explore 3 review
The easiest cutting machine to start with, and the hardest to stop paying for.
A smart cutting machine that runs Smart Materials up to 12 feet long without a mat, bundled with a digital library of 30 images and a Premium Fine-Point Blade.
Check price on AmazonSpecifications
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Speed | Stated 2x faster than the previous Explore generation |
| Materials | Cuts over 100 materials including cardstock, vinyl, iron-on, glitter paper, cork and bonded fabric |
| Smart Materials | Compatible with Smart Vinyl, Smart Iron-On and Smart Paper up to 12 ft, no mat required |
| Blade included | Premium Fine-Point Blade |
| Software | Design Space, cloud based |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, works on iOS, Android, Windows and Mac |
| Bundle contents | Machine plus a digital library of 30 images registered to your account |
Specifications above come from Cricut's published product information. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.
What it does well
- Mat-free cutting with Smart Materials up to 12 feet is a real production advantage. Long banner and decal runs stop being a mat-loading exercise, and mats are a consumable you stop buying as often.
- Design Space is the gentlest introduction to cutting machine software that exists. It makes decisions for you, and for a first-time seller that is the difference between a product on the shelf and a machine in a cupboard.
- The tutorial ecosystem is enormous. Whatever goes wrong, somebody has filmed it going wrong and filmed the fix, which is worth more than most features when you are troubleshooting at eleven at night.
- Over 100 materials from one included blade covers card, vinyl, iron-on, cork and bonded fabric, so the product range is broad before you buy a single accessory.
- It runs from a phone or tablet as well as a computer, which suits people working from a kitchen table rather than a desk.
Where it falls short
- Design Space is cloud based and requires an internet connection. If your connection is unreliable, or if you object on principle to your design tool living on someone else's server, this is a permanent characteristic rather than a setting.
- Cricut Access is a subscription and the software is designed to keep suggesting it. You can decline it and use your own files, but you will be asked frequently, and the bundled 30 images are a sample rather than a library.
- The commercial-use licence on purchased and included designs is where new sellers get caught. Some artwork is licensed for personal use only, and characters, logos and slogans carry copyright and trademark protection regardless. Read the licence terms on every design you use commercially.
- Smart Materials are Cricut's own product line and cost more than generic vinyl on a roll. The mat-free convenience is real and so is the price premium, and at production volume that difference is not trivial.
- The Explore line does not cut thicker material the way the Maker line does. Fabric without backing, leather and thicker stock need the Maker's rotary and knife blades.
What owners report
Owners consistently report that the Explore 3 is the machine that made a craft business feel achievable, and the specific thing they credit is Design Space's simplicity combined with the mat-free Smart Materials workflow. Sellers producing decals and shirts describe genuine speed gains over earlier machines.
The complaints are equally consistent, and they are about the software rather than the hardware. Subscription pressure comes up constantly, as does frustration at needing an internet connection to use a machine sitting on the desk. A third recurring theme is the cost of Smart Materials compared with generic rolls, which sellers notice once volume increases.
Before deciding this is a business rather than a hobby, put your material cost per item and your time per item into our Etsy shop revenue calculator. Craft margins are decided by labour per unit far more often than by which machine is on the table.
Who it suits
- Beginners who want a saleable product this week rather than after a month of learning software.
- Sellers making vinyl decals, iron-on shirts, card and paper products at moderate volume.
- Anyone producing long runs of decals or banners, where mat-free Smart Materials genuinely save time.
- People working from a phone or tablet rather than a desktop computer.
Who should skip it
- Anyone who needs to work offline or wants their design files stored locally, where Silhouette Studio is the better fit.
- Sellers who object to subscription software and do not want to be asked about it repeatedly.
- Anyone cutting fabric, leather or thicker stock, who needs the Maker line's rotary and knife blades.
- Sticker sellers who want the most accurate print and cut registration, where the Silhouette Cameo has the edge.
Alternatives worth considering
Silhouette Studio works without an internet connection and your files stay on your machine, with no subscription pressure. The trade is a steeper learning curve, fewer tutorials, and a paid Studio upgrade if you want to import SVG designs. Take it if control and offline working matter more than a gentle start.
Check price on AmazonA little more for the rotary and knife blade capability that lets you cut fabric without backing, leather and thicker stock. If your product ideas involve sewing or leather goods rather than vinyl and card, the Explore line will hit its ceiling and this one will not.
Check price on AmazonA cutting machine produces solid-colour applied designs. Sublimation prints full-colour photographic images onto polyester and coated blanks like mugs and mousepads, which no cutter can do. It does not work on cotton, so most sellers who want both product types end up owning both machines.
Check price on AmazonCommon questions
Do I need a Cricut Access subscription to use the Explore 3?
No. The machine cuts your own designs and uploaded files without a subscription, and this bundle includes 30 images registered to your account. What you should expect is a software experience that regularly presents Access as the natural next step, and a design library where most of the appealing artwork sits behind it. Decide before you start whether you will use your own files, because that decision changes the real cost of ownership considerably. Our Cricut vs Silhouette Cameo comparison covers both software models in detail.
Can I sell things I make with a Cricut?
The machine imposes no restriction on selling your own designs. The restrictions come from the artwork. Purchased and bundled design files carry licences that may permit personal use only, and characters, logos, slogans and brand marks are protected by copyright and trademark whatever machine cuts them. This is the most common reason new craft shops get closed, and it is entirely avoidable by reading the licence on every file.
Cricut Explore 3 or Maker: which do I need?
Explore, if you cut vinyl, iron-on, card and paper, which covers the overwhelming majority of craft products people sell. Maker, if you need to cut fabric without backing, leather or thicker material, because the rotary and knife blades are the difference and the Explore cannot be upgraded to them. Buy for the products you will actually make in year one.
Are Cricut Smart Materials worth the extra cost?
For long runs, often yes, because mat-free cutting up to 12 feet removes a real bottleneck and saves mats. For small items, generic vinyl on a mat is considerably cheaper per square foot and the time difference is minor. Most sellers end up using both: Smart Materials for long decal runs and standard rolls for everything else.
How much can you make selling Cricut crafts?
It depends almost entirely on labour per item, not on the machine. Weeding intricate vinyl is slow, and a $12 decal that takes twenty minutes to make and pack is not a business. Run your numbers through the Etsy shop revenue calculator, which has a field for time per item and a desired hourly wage, and design products around the answer.
Keep reading
- Cricut vs Silhouette Cameo compared
- Etsy shop revenue calculator
- Silhouette Cameo 5 review
- Epson SureColor F170 review
- Print on demand business guide
This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.