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For most first-time buyers, Cricut Joy 2 is the better choice. Cricut lists the newer machine at a $99 US starting price (2026), compared with $179 for the original Joy, while adding Print Then Cut, scoring, support for 75-plus materials, a lighter and flatter body, and an Easy Printables sensor. Choose the original Cricut Joy only when your projects are limited to basic cards, labels, decals, drawing, foil and vinyl and you can obtain it at a substantial discount.
Both machines are compact Bluetooth cutters for narrow projects. Neither is a replacement for a full-width cutter when you need large apparel graphics, posters or broad sign vinyl: each accepts Smart Materials only up to 4.5 inches wide. The decision therefore depends less on maximum size than on whether you need printable stickers, scoring, broader material support and easier storage.
At a glance: what separates Cricut Joy 2 from Cricut Joy?
The two machines share the same basic role: cutting and drawing small designs from vinyl, iron-on, cardstock and other craft materials. Joy 2 keeps the original machine’s 4.5-inch working width and four-foot single-design length, but changes the hardware and tool system enough to matter in everyday use.
| Feature | Cricut Joy | Cricut Joy 2 | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| US starting price | $179 | $99 | Joy 2 has the lower listed starting price; a discounted original Joy can still cost less. |
| Dimensions | 8.4 × 5.4 × 4.3 in | 9.1 × 5.4 × 2.8 in | Joy 2 is longer but substantially flatter. |
| Weight | About 3.9 lb (1.77 kg) | 2.7 lb (1.2 kg) | Joy 2 is easier to move and store. |
| Supported materials | 50-plus | 75-plus | Joy 2 offers a broader tested-material range. |
| Print Then Cut | No | Yes | Only Joy 2 can cut around designs printed on an inkjet printer. |
| Scoring | No | Yes | Joy 2 can create fold lines for projects such as scored cards. |
| Foil transfer | Yes | Yes | Both can add foil when used with compatible tools and materials. |
| Maximum Smart Materials width and length | 4.5 in wide; up to 4 ft long | 4.5 in wide; up to 4 ft long | Neither machine cuts wide sheets. |
| Maximum cut speed | 5 inches per second | 5.3 inches per second | The difference is small; design size and material usually matter more. |
| Wireless connection | Bluetooth 1.0 | Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) | Both use wireless control; Joy 2 uses the newer BLE implementation. |
The listed prices and material counts are Cricut figures for 2026. Weight figures are the manufacturers’ published values, and the original Joy’s weight is stated as approximately 3.9 pounds. Treat retailer bundles, regional prices and availability as separate offers rather than assuming they match the starting prices above.
#1 Best Overall
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What Cricut Joy can do
The original Joy is a small, focused cutter for designs that fit its narrow format. It can cut and draw on more than 50 listed materials, including common vinyl, iron-on, cardstock and paper choices. Smart Vinyl, Smart Iron-On and Smart Label materials can be loaded without a cutting mat, reducing setup for simple decals, labels and short signs.
Cards and paper crafts
Joy is well suited to small greeting cards, gift tags and paper embellishments. You can cut shapes and lettering, then use a compatible pen to write or draw details. Because the machine has no scoring function, folds must be made manually with a ruler, bone folder or another separate method. That extra step is manageable for occasional cards but becomes tedious for batches of scored designs.
Labels, decals and short signs
For pantry labels, notebook decals, small wall graphics and similar jobs, Joy’s 4.5-inch width is usually adequate. Smart Materials can feed directly into the machine, and a single continuous design can run up to four feet long. The width, rather than the length, is the practical constraint: a long narrow label is possible, while a broad logo is not.
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Joy accepts compatible pens and markers for writing and line art. It also supports foil transfer, allowing decorative foil accents when the appropriate foil tool and material are used. These capabilities remain present on Joy 2, so upgrading does not remove any of the original Joy’s core craft uses.
What Joy 2 adds
Joy 2 performs the original Joy’s main cutting, drawing and foil tasks and adds capabilities aimed at printable and folded projects.
Print Then Cut for stickers and printable designs
Print Then Cut lets you print artwork on an inkjet printer and have Joy 2 cut around the printed shapes. This is the feature that most clearly changes the buying decision. It supports small full-colour stickers, labels with illustrations, planner elements and other printable projects that a blade-only workflow cannot produce.
Rank #2
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Joy 2’s Easy Printables sensor is designed to read the registration information used for this process. The sensor does not print anything; it helps the machine locate the printed design so the blade can follow the intended outline. You still need an inkjet printer, suitable printable material and enough clear space for the machine to detect the marks.
Scoring for controlled folds
Joy 2 adds scoring support, so a scoring tool can press a crease into cardstock and similar materials before or alongside cutting. Scored cards, boxes, tags and folded decorations become more repeatable because the fold position is built into the project instead of measured by hand. Check the bundle contents before buying: a scoring tool may not be included with every package, so budget for one if your chosen bundle omits it.
Lighter, flatter hardware and automatic loading
At 2.7 pounds and 2.8 inches high, Joy 2 is about 1.2 pounds lighter and 1.5 inches flatter than the approximately 3.9-pound, 4.3-inch-high original Joy. Its footprint is 9.1 inches long by 5.4 inches wide, compared with 8.4 by 5.4 inches for Joy. The newer machine also adds automatic load-and-go behavior, reducing the manual handling involved when feeding supported materials.
Can Cricut Joy 2 make stickers, and do you need a printer?
Yes, Joy 2 can make stickers, but a printer is required for full-colour Print Then Cut stickers. The printer is not built into the cutter. You create or import artwork in Cricut’s design software, send it to a compatible inkjet printer on printable material, and then return the printed sheet to Joy 2 for contour cutting.
- Prepare the artwork. Arrange each sticker design with enough space between shapes for the blade to separate them. Keep the total layout within Joy 2’s 4.5-inch cutting width.
- Choose printable material. Use a printable sheet that the Joy 2 material settings support. If the sheet is not a Smart Material, place it on the appropriate mat and make sure it is firmly adhered.
- Print with an inkjet printer. Print at the quality and scale required by your design. Do not resize the sheet between printing and cutting.
- Load the print into Joy 2. Position the sheet so the Easy Printables sensor can read its registration marks. Keep the printed marks unobstructed.
- Run the cut. Joy 2 reads the marks and follows the contours selected in the project. Perform a small test cut first when using an unfamiliar printable material.
- Weed and finish. Remove excess material and, if needed, add a clear protective layer. The cutter determines the shape; water resistance, outdoor durability and adhesive performance depend on the printable material and finish you choose.
Without a printer, Joy 2 can still cut premade colored vinyl, Smart Label material, cardstock and other non-printed media. You simply will not have the printed-color stage that distinguishes Print Then Cut.
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The machine price is only the first purchase. Plan for the materials and tools that match the projects you intend to make.
Rank #3
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Smart Materials and mats
Cricut lists Smart Vinyl, Smart Iron-On and Smart Label materials for Joy 2. These can load without a mat and support an individual continuous design up to 4.5 inches wide and four feet long. Repeated cuts can extend to approximately 20 feet, provided the design is repeated and the material feed remains stable. Those limits apply to the narrow Joy format; they do not turn the machine into a wide-format cutter.
Traditional materials may require a LightGrip mat. Mats wear out as fibers, paper dust and adhesive residue accumulate, so replacement LightGrip mats belong in the operating budget even though the exact replacement price depends on the seller and bundle. Keep a spare mat if you make cards or labels regularly, because a mat that has lost its grip can cause shifting and ruined cuts.
Blades, scoring tools and pens
Both machines use compatible cutting blades and accept compatible pens or markers for writing and drawing. Joy 2’s scoring function requires a compatible scoring tool; verify whether it is included before checkout. A package that contains the machine but not the scoring tool will not provide the crease-making capability on day one.
The Tool Desk
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Print Then Cut adds the cost of an inkjet printer and printable media. If you already own a suitable printer, the additional expense may be modest; if not, include the printer, ink and replacement sheets in the comparison with a discounted original Joy.
Cricut displays Cricut Access at $9.99 per month on its US product page. A subscription is not required to own either cutter, and the value depends on whether the included designs, fonts or project content replace assets you would otherwise purchase. Subscription pricing and availability can vary by region and date.
Size and speed: what the numbers mean in practice
Joy 2’s 5.3-inch-per-second maximum cut speed is only 0.3 inches per second faster than Joy’s 5-inch-per-second rating. That is roughly a six-percent maximum-speed difference, not a guarantee that every project finishes six percent sooner. The machine slows or changes behavior for intricate paths, thicker materials, multiple passes and tool changes. Choose Joy 2 for its added functions and easier storage, not solely for speed.
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The dimensions affect where the cutter lives. Joy 2 is flatter, so it can slide onto a shelf beneath a desk or into a shallow cabinet even though it is 0.7 inches longer. The original Joy is shorter front-to-back but taller and heavier. Measure the shelf depth and allow room in front and behind for material to feed; a nominal footprint does not include the moving sheet.
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Which machine fits common projects?
| Project or requirement | Better fit | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| One-color vinyl decals and labels | Either | Both cut narrow vinyl and Smart Materials; Joy can be the value choice when discounted. |
| Small iron-on names and graphics | Either | Both support iron-on work, subject to the 4.5-inch width. |
| Full-colour printable stickers | Joy 2 | Print Then Cut and the Easy Printables sensor are exclusive to Joy 2. |
| Scored greeting cards or folded boxes | Joy 2 | Scoring is built into Joy 2’s tool system; original Joy has no scoring function. |
| Drawing with pens | Either | Both support compatible pens and markers. |
| Foil accents | Either | Both support foil transfer with compatible tools and materials. |
| Long, narrow labels | Either | Both accept a single Smart Materials design up to four feet long and 4.5 inches wide. |
| Wide shirt fronts, large posters or broad signs | Neither | The 4.5-inch maximum width is the limiting factor. |
When the original Cricut Joy still makes sense
Joy remains a sensible purchase in three situations. First, your projects are strictly basic cuts, labels, decals, drawing, foil or vinyl and you do not expect to print sticker sheets. Second, you already have a separate method for making fold lines and do not need scoring integrated into the machine. Third, you find a substantial discount that offsets the newer model’s lower listed starting price.
“Substantial” should be judged against the complete setup, not just the machine. Compare the discounted Joy package with the Joy 2 package after adding a mat, pens, blades, Smart Materials and any scoring tool or printer you would eventually buy. A low machine price is less attractive if the bundle omits accessories you need immediately.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When Joy 2 is worth paying for
Joy 2 earns its premium—or makes the decision straightforward at its $99 listed starting price—when you will use any of the following:
- Printable, full-colour stickers or labels made with an inkjet printer.
- Scored cards, boxes, tags or folded paper decorations.
- A broader range of the 75-plus materials Cricut lists for Joy 2.
- A lighter machine that is moved frequently or stored in a shallow space.
- Automatic load-and-go behavior that simplifies repeated material loading.
If none of those matters, the original Joy’s shared cutting width, four-foot single-design length, foil support and pen compatibility may cover your work at a lower sale price.
A practical buying checklist
- Write down your largest finished width. If it exceeds 4.5 inches, stop comparing these two models and look for a wider cutter.
- Mark any printable projects. If even occasional full-colour stickers are important, select Joy 2 and include an inkjet printer or confirm that you already have one.
- Mark any folded projects. If you want machine-made creases, select Joy 2 and verify the scoring tool in the bundle.
- Inventory existing supplies. Check whether you own compatible pens, mats, printable sheets, vinyl and iron-on materials. Missing consumables can erase an apparent price advantage.
- Compare the actual package contents. The $99 and $179 figures are Cricut’s 2026 US starting prices, not guarantees for every retailer bundle or region.
- Check storage and feed clearance. Use Joy 2’s 9.1 × 5.4 × 2.8-inch dimensions or Joy’s 8.4 × 5.4 × 4.3-inch dimensions as a starting point, then add room for the material to enter and exit.
- Decide whether a subscription is useful. Cricut Access is optional; evaluate its $9.99-per-month US listing against the designs and fonts you actually plan to use.
Common limitations and ways to avoid failed projects
Expecting wide cuts
A four-foot length can sound large, but the 4.5-inch width remains fixed. Split a wide graphic into panels only when your design and application method can hide or align the seams; otherwise use a machine designed for wider media.
Best Value
- 5-in-1 Connectivity: Equipped with a 4K HDMI port, a 5 Gbps USB-C data port, two 5 Gbps USB-A ports, and a USB C 100W PD-IN port. Note: The USB C 100W PD-IN port supports only charging and does not support data transfer devices such as headphones or speakers.
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Assuming every material is matless
Only compatible Smart Materials load directly. Cardstock, printable sheets and other media may need a LightGrip mat. Follow the material setting and perform a test cut before committing a full sheet.
Skipping a test cut
Blade depth, adhesive strength and material coatings vary. A small test prevents an entire sheet of vinyl or printable media from being wasted, particularly when using a new brand or thickness.
Blocking Print Then Cut registration marks
Keep the marks visible and do not trim, rotate or resize the printed sheet after printing. The Easy Printables sensor needs the printed reference pattern to locate the design.
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Buying a bundle without checking tools
Scoring, pens and replacement mats may be optional or bundle-dependent. Read the contents list and price each missing item before deciding that a package is cheaper.
Bottom line for the Joy 2 versus Joy decision
Buy Cricut Joy 2 for the stronger all-around setup: it costs less at Cricut’s 2026 US starting price, weighs less, stores flatter, supports more listed materials and uniquely handles Print Then Cut and scoring. It is the clear choice for printable stickers, scored paper crafts and buyers who want room to expand.
Buy the original Cricut Joy only when you have a narrowly defined vinyl, label, card, drawing or foil workflow and the machine is discounted enough to outweigh Joy 2’s added capability. In either case, confirm the 4.5-inch width suits your projects and budget for mats, tools, consumables and—if you want printable stickers—an inkjet printer.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
