EveryCutFileThe short answer
Gift tags, small labels and small cards: Cricut Joy 2. On its mat it cuts card up to 4.25 × 11.75 in (4.5 in wide on Smart Materials). It cuts, draws, writes, foils and scores, so folded cards and small boxes with score lines work.
Cards, labels and sticker sheets: Cricut Joy Xtra. On its mat it cuts up to 8.25 × 11.75 in (8.5 in wide on Smart Materials). It cuts, writes, draws and foils but has no scoring tool, so fold lines are folded by hand.
Boxes, larger cards, shirts and signs on a 12 in mat: Cricut Explore 5. It cuts more than 100 materials, adds the deep-point and bonded-fabric blades, and cuts at 14.1 in per second.
Fabric, softwood, engraving, debossing or perforating: Cricut Maker 5. It is the only one of the five with the rotary, knife, wavy and perforation blades, and Cricut lists 300+ materials.
Wide vinyl, banners and long runs for selling: Cricut Venture. It cuts 24 in wide at 25.4 in per second, has an automatic cutoff tool, and runs Design Space on Mac and Windows only.
Side by side
Figures from Cricut’s machine comparison page. Smart Materials load without a mat; the longest cut is for a single piece.
On a mat the cutting area is a little smaller than the mat, by Cricut’s quick start guides: 4.25 × 6.25 in or 4.25 × 11.75 in on Joy 2, 8.25 × 11.75 in on Joy Xtra, and 23.5 × 11.5 in or 23.5 × 27.5 in on Venture.
| Machine | Widest cut | Smart Materials length | Mats | Materials | Speed | Design Space on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joy 2 | 4.5 in | 4 ft | 4.5 × 6.5 in, 4.5 × 12 in | 75+ | 5.3 in/s | iOS, Mac, Windows, Android |
| Joy Xtra | 8.5 in | 4 ft | 8.5 × 12 in | 75+ | 5.6 in/s | iOS, Mac, Windows, Android |
| Explore 5 | 11.7 in | 12 ft | 12 × 12 in, 12 × 24 in | 100+ | 14.1 in/s | iOS, Mac, Windows, Android |
| Maker 5 | 12 in | 12 ft | 12 × 12 in, 12 × 24 in | 300+ | 14.1 in/s | iOS, Mac, Windows, Android |
| Venture | 24 in | 12 ft | 24 × 12 in, 24 × 28 in | 100+ | 25.4 in/s | Mac, Windows |
What fits on each, from this site
Every design here lists its size. The links open the library filtered to designs whose whole flat file fits the mat’s cutting area, either way round, so they cut without resizing: 4.25 × 11.75 in (108 × 298 mm) on the Joy 2 long mat, 8.25 × 11.75 in (210 × 298 mm) on the Joy Xtra mat, and 11.5 × 11.5 in (292 mm square) on a 12 × 12 in mat for Explore 5 and Maker 5.
The filter compares the flat file, so a box or card counts at its unfolded size, not its finished size. Print Then Cut, some tools and some materials have smaller limits; the mat sizes reference gives the figures.
Designs that fit the Joy 2 long mat →
Designs that fit the Joy Xtra mat →
Check before you buy
Score lines: our boxes, cards and envelopes have fold lines meant for a scoring tool. Joy 2, Explore 5, Maker 5 and Venture can score; on Joy Xtra you fold those lines by hand.
Your device: Venture runs Design Space on Mac and Windows only. The other four also work from a phone or tablet.
Your own files: every machine cuts SVG files uploaded to Design Space, including the free files on this site. The SVG upload limit and the mobile DXF restriction are on the Design Space page.
From the maker’s documentation: Cricut: compare Cricut cutting machines, Cricut: Cricut Joy 2 quick start guide, Cricut: Cricut Joy Xtra quick start guide, Cricut: Cricut Venture quick start guide.