When it comes to machine cutting and craft projects, two of the most popular names are Cricut and Silhouette. Both have proven themselves to be reliable machines, but for each person’s craft needs, one may be better than the other.
Design capabilities: Both machines have a wide range of design capabilities, from intricate designs with fine details to bold and colorful designs. With Cricut, you can upload your own artwork, use the online library of images and fonts, or create your own designs with the Design Space software.
With Silhouette, you can use the library of fonts and shapes or create your own designs with their Studio software. Both machines also support a variety of file types like JPG, SVG and DXF files.
Cutting material: When it comes to cutting materials, both machines can handle a variety of different materials including cardstock, vinyl, fabric, leather and more. However, Cricut has a wider selection of materials that it can cut than Silhouette (including some heavier materials like chipboard).
Software: Both machines come with their own software for creating designs and for controlling the cutting process. Cricut’s Design Space is free to use and is fairly easy to navigate.
It also has some useful features such as layers so you can create multi-layered projects. Silhouette’s Studio software has more features than Design Space but is also more complicated to use.
Price: When it comes to price, Cricut has the edge over Silhouette as its machines are generally cheaper than those from Silhouette (although there are exceptions). The cost of replacement blades and mats is also usually lower for Cricut than for Silhouette.
Conclusion: Ultimately which machine is better depends on the individual’s needs – both machines have their advantages and disadvantages so it really comes down to personal preference. If you are looking for something that is easy to use but still offers plenty of design options then Cricut could be the better choice; however if you need more advanced features then Silhouette might be worth considering instead.