Best Cricut for Stickers & Decals (Plus How to make)

Welcome to the best Cricut for Stickers awards

After spending the last 14 days designing, cutting, sticking, and missing out on my favorite TV show, which was cruelly spoiled by my hubby (I will get you back, don’t you worry about that), I’m ready to reveal which are the very best Cricut machines for making stickers.

Look:

Finding the perfect sticker machine comes down to two things: the quantity and your budget. As soon as you’ve determined these, it will be easy to nail down that perfect machine to create the most amazing stickers.

I thought it would be a great idea to shorten your research with the help of this list. The heavy lifting is already done for you because I’ve been in the crafting business for many years. I gave up my corporate drone job years ago and became a stay-at-home mom. To supplement the family income, I got into crafting. After making way too many mistakes that I care to admit, I’ve started to get predictable money flowing in. Thus, I hope this list will help you get on the right track.

Frankly, by picking any of the machines listed below, you will have a winner on your side. When I’ve made this list, I focused on everyone’s needs. There’s one that’s small and portable, there’s a professional commercial grade one, and an affordable one as well.

Now, let’s get to cutting already!

Read More: How to Make Vinyl Labels With Cricut. Get helpful information for your labeling project in this complete guide!

#1 Cricut Maker 3 – Best Overall

And we have a WINNER!

The Cricut Maker 3 is the ultimate cutting machine for making stickers. Not only does it do a fast job with traditional stickers, but if you’re creating vinyl bumper stickers, you can get it done even faster. The top speed is 8 inches per second. And best of all, with vinyl bumper stickers, you don’t need a mat.

Besides, the design software is super easy to use. It pretty much consists of dragging and dropping, a bit of resizing, and you’re ready to cut.

You’re typically limited to the mat size, which is 12” x 24”. But not anymore! With this new upgrade, you can easily handle bulk vinyl stickers up to 12 feet long. Talk about productivity increase!

Here’s why it got the top spot:

Accurate and fast: Forget about scissors. This Cricut Maker 3 leaves them in the dust. The accuracy is perfect, even with the most intricate stickers.

Bulk bumper stickers orders are a dream: With smart materials, you can complete bulk jobs almost effortlessly. First of all, you don’t have to use a mat, which is a big time-saver, and secondly, smart materials got a big speed upgrade.

More than just stickers: Whenever you’ll want to expand your crafting journey, you won’t have to buy a new or different machine, like you’d have to with other brands. This Maker 3 can handle 300+ materials, so you can use it for many years to come.

The only drawbacks worth mentioning:

The design app is not offline-friendly. Indeed, the Maker 3 can currently only be operated with Cricut Design Space. The main limitation with this is that you can’t upload new designs in offline mode. If you have internet issues, you can use your phone to create a hotspot and add the stickers there, and disconnect it and work normally afterward.

The second thing I would like to mention is that the smart materials are on the pricier side. The good news, however, is that you won’t need a mat that costs money and slows you down.

If you’re looking for the very best cutter on the market for making stickers easily and very quickly, you just found your winner.

On the other hand, if you want something portable and a bit cheaper, check out #2 below.

Read our related article, How to Make Stickers With Cricut Joy for a complete tutorial to create your own stickers!

#2 Cricut Joy – Best Affordable Cricut Machine for Stickers

We all know that sticker making comes down to margins. The least expensive machine you can get, the faster you become profitable. That is the reason why the Cricut Joy is so high on my list.

Besides being tiny and portable, it’s a great learning tool for kids. They can pick up scrapbooking with ease and create amazing stickers they will cherish for years to come.

Since the machine is tiny, you can save a lot of money by eliminating material waste. If you want to handle a few bulk jobs, those are doable as well since this baby can cut up to 20 feet in length.

Here’s why it’s worth buying:

Compact and portable: This tiny thing is easy to carry around and allows you to create stickers on the go without being forced to use scissors or waste materials.

Safe for kids: This is a child-friendly cutter. If your kids can handle a knife, they will be safe with the Cricut Joy as well. Plus, it’s a great tool for scrapbooking.

Wow factor: Nothing beats the experience of witnessing something done right in front of your eyes. Thus, with a live performance, you can charge more.

However, there are a few drawbacks that I would like to mention:

First, this cutter is a bit pricey to my liking. However, if you have high margins, you can recoup the investment in no time.

Besides, nothing comes close to the portability of the Cricut Joy, so that’s a big plus.

In addition, the tools seem pricey and are not compatible with other Cricut products. It’s a bummer if you already own another Cricut machine.

Besides these, it can be a real money saver since you’re not wasting materials and can always show off your creations in public to get that “WOW” effect.

Read More: Can You Make Stickers With a Silhouette Cameo? You sure can! We cover how to make planner stickers in this guide.

#3 Cricut Explore 3 – Best Value Cricut Machine for Stickers

If you don’t want to spend the big bucks, this cutting machine will be your best buddy for a very long time. It’s the newest one in the Explore series, so you can enjoy a big speed upgrade if you go with smart materials for your sticker making.

With the Explore 3, you’re getting high accuracy, whether you’re using the mat or smart materials. You can actually do the bulk cutting with smart materials since you can cut materials up to 12 feet long. That’s a big-time saver and it beats scissors every day of the week.

Plus, if you ever get tired of making stickers, you can still use this machine to cut more than 100 other materials. With its 400g cutting strength, it will be a breeze.

Here’s why it’s worth buying:

Great value: It’s not as expensive as the Maker 3, yet it almost features all the assets of its counterpart. Basically, you get almost all the same features at a discount price.

Fast and accurate: The cutting speed with smart materials is lightning fast without sacrificing accuracy.

Bulk sticker work: Since you can cut up to 12 feet in length, you can easily handle bulk orders.

However, there are a few drawbacks that I would like to mention:

It’s one of the newest machines that Cricut has launched, so it’s pricey. However, it’s worth the cost if you can charge your creations a bit higher and gain a faster-cutting speed up to 8 inches per second.

Yes, it’s fast, but with certain materials only. This means that to enjoy that insane speed, you need to use smart materials.

Besides these drawbacks, this machine is a keeper. The previous generation has proven to be a real workhorse. I still have mine, and it works flawlessly. Since it’s new, there’s a huge demand for it, so grab it while it’s available.

Read More: How to Make Wine Labels With Cricut. If you’re a wine lover, this guide is for you! Personalized wine labels are great for parties, weddings, and more!

#4 Cricut Explore Air 2 – Best Beginner Friendly Cricut Machine for Stickers

The Cricut Explore Air 2 is the perfect machine if you don’t want to sink a lot of money into your sticker-making. Also, this machine is the most beginner-friendly that I’ve ever used.

This Explore Air 2 is the previous generation, which means you only get standard speed at an affordable price. Many crafters, like me, have been using this cutter for years without encountering any issues. So, you’re investing in a workhorse.

Besides, it has a 400g cutting power, so you can handle 100+ different materials if you ever get bored of making stickers.

Here’s why it’s worth buying:

Even Granny can use it: Cutting stuff can’t get easier than this. All you have to do is select the design, insert the material, and hit “Cut,” and wait until it’s done.

Perfect for hobbyists: Whether you want to use it at home or start an Etsy business, this cutter will serve you well.

More than just a sticker cutter: If you ever get tired of making stickers, you can sink your teeth in the other 100+ materials.

However, there are a few drawbacks that I would like to mention:

The good news is that the design software is free. Although, if you want to get additional stuff, like designs or fonts, you have to sign up for an optional monthly plan.

Secondly, Cricut tried to cater to all audiences with mobile apps and whatnot but still hasn’t fixed the offline issue. That means you can only edit stuff and can’t create new things while offline.

It’s one of my most prized possessions because it delivers. Best of all, it’s one of the easiest machines to use for sticker making or cutting anything else. However, Cricut is known for having supply issues, so you have to act fast if you want to grab an Explore Air 2 before stocks run out.

Read More: Can Cricut Explore Air 2 Cut Magnet? Yes! And we show you how.

Conclusion

We have reached the end of this award show. I hope you had a blast, just like I did while testing these machines. By now, it should be clear which one your winner is.

As you have seen, I’ve shown you everything there’s to know about these machines — the good, the bad, and the ugly — so you get the full picture.

Also, I covered all angles by picking the user-friendliest machine, the most affordable one, the most portable one, and of course, one for commercial use.

One more thing I have to mention is that Cricut has been known for having supply issues. So, if the machine you want is in stock, jump on it and buy it before it runs out of stock.

As always, if you want to reach out to me, you know where to find the contact button.

Happy Crafting!

Read More: Cricut Window Cling VS Vinyl. Is there really a big difference between window cling and removable vinyl? Learn more!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

How can you go about making stickers with best cricut machines?

First of all you need to pick one of the cricut machines listed above so that you’re getting the very best cricut machine for the job. This can be the cricut joy, circut maker and even the cricut explore air 2. You then print then cut your stickers. You can get printable stickers nowadays or you print it out with your home printer. Then you take a picture or scan your stickers and add it to your free cricut design space software. In cricut design space you have to adjust the cutting area. Cricut’s design space made this all too easy. After that you cut it out with your cricut cutting machine. For the best results you will need sticker paper. Sticker paper can be found anywhere. There are vinyl sticker options for outdoor stickers. If you want to add your sticker on a shirt then you will have to use heat transfer vinyl. Heat transfer vinyl is the longest lasting material.

How fast can a cricut cutting machine cut a vinyl sticker?

Thanks to the latest speed boost vinyl stickers can be cut at 8″ a second. This means that you will be able to cut stickers in record time with this machine. These cutting machines do a great job with vinyl and other materials. Picking from the cutting machines you can be rest assured your’re getting the best sticker maker. Since these cutting machines are fast you can handle bulk work with ease. Typically the vinyl sticker isn’t too complex so the cut will be accurate. After it has been cut you can stick that vinyl sticker anywhere you like.

How good is cricut design space for you to cut stickers?

I love cricut design space because it’s so easy to learn to cut stickers. It’s almost as if design space would be child’s play. You can make stickers to your liking . The thing is a cutting mat will be needed or the stickers will be crooked. The only time when you won’t need a cutting mat is when you’re working with smart vinyl or other materials. It’s so easy to make stickers. The typical cricut cutting size is 12 inch by 24 inhes of 20 feet. Cricut design space is free to use. If you want to get access to premium designs or fonts you need to activate your subscription within cricut design space. After you have found what you’ve been looking for print it out on sticker paper. Scan it then do the print and scan technique detailed above. With the latest generation of cricut machines you can only use design space for control. So this is why it’s so important to get the best cricut machine for the job.

How easy is to make a vinyl sticker?

To make a vinyl sticker isn’t hard. First of all you will need either the cricut explore air 2 or the cricut maker machine. design space software. After that’s done you have to select want to cut and let the machine do it’s job. The cut feature allows you to cut vinyl by 12 x 24 or up to 12 feet with smart materials. In essence that’s how you create a vinyl sticker.

Which is the best machine for a vinyl sticker?

The best machine for a vinyl sticker could be the maker machine or the cricut explore air 2. If you’re a beginner I highly recommend to choose the cricut explore air 2 to create a vinyl sticker. On the other hand if you want to create more than just a vinyl sticker then go with the maker machine.