Cricut Black Friday 2026: Maker, Explore, Joy and EasyPress

Cricut makes home cutting machines in three main lines, Joy, Explore and Maker, plus EasyPress and other heat presses for iron-on and sublimation. For Black Friday 2026, decide how wide and how thick your projects are first, then pick the line and generation. Each page below covers one line and what to read in a listing.

A Utah maker of craft cutters

Cricut is based in South Jordan, Utah, and is listed on Nasdaq. Its first cutter came out in 2005. Today’s machines are computer-controlled cutters that take a blade, pen or scoring tool and follow a design sent from a computer or phone.

Cricut refreshes its lines often. The Joy 2 and the Explore 5 were announced in February 2026, the Maker 5 in September 2026, and earlier generations stay on sale for some time after each launch. A listing that says only “Cricut Explore” or “Cricut Maker” could mean any of four or five machines.

Design Space and Cricut Access

Every Cricut cutter runs on Design Space, Cricut’s design software. You build or upload a design there and send it to the machine. A paid Cricut Access subscription adds the full content library and some software features, such as Create AI, a tool that generates single-layer, cut-ready designs. You can cut your own designs without a subscription.

Pick a product

• Cricut Maker: the most capable line, with 13 tools for fabric, wood and leather, from the original Maker to the Maker 5.
• Cricut Explore: the 12-inch cutter for vinyl, cardstock and iron-on, from the Explore Air 2 to the Explore 5.
• Cricut Joy: the compact Joy, the wider Joy Xtra and the Joy 2 for labels, cards and stickers.
• Cricut EasyPress and heat presses: the EasyPress 3 and SE, the Mini and the AutoPress 2.

Reading a Cricut listing

Find the generation number on the listing and in the photos, since the machines look alike across years. Smart Materials, which cut without a mat, only work on newer machines, so an older model may need mats for every project. Check what the box holds: Cricut sells most machines in bundles, and the tools, mats and starter materials vary from one bundle to the next.

For used or open-box machines, ask whether the blade and mat are included, and check the seller’s returns policy. Heat presses that use the Cricut Heat app need activating on a phone before first use.