Cricut Access is a subscription that costs $9.99 per month or $95.88 per year

Cricut Access is an optional monthly or yearly subscription for people who own a Cricut cutting machine. The monthly plan costs $9.99, and the yearly plan costs $95.88 — which works out to $7.99 per month if you pay upfront. You do not have to buy it; the machine works without the subscription. But the subscription unlocks features and content that cost extra otherwise.

Cricut is a company that makes cutting machines for crafts — devices that cut paper, vinyl, fabric, and other materials into shapes and designs. The machines connect to software on your computer or phone, where you design or choose what to cut. Cricut Access is the subscription layer on top of that software.

Key Takeaways

  • Cricut Access costs $9.99 per month or $95.88 per year, and you can cancel anytime without penalty.
  • The subscription gives you access to thousands of designs and fonts that would otherwise cost money individually, plus priority customer support.
  • Without the subscription, you can still use your machine with free designs or designs you buy one at a time.
  • Cricut also sells Cricut Access Premium for $119.88 per year, which adds unlimited cloud storage and commercial use rights.

What the subscription includes

Cricut Access gives you access to a library of over 100,000 designs, fonts, and projects. These are templates you can cut when ready or customize before cutting. Without the subscription, most of these designs cost between $0.99 and $4.99 each, or you can use the free designs Cricut provides (a smaller selection). With the subscription, you can use any of them as many times as you want.

The subscription also includes a 10 percent discount on designs and materials you buy outside the subscription library, and priority customer support — meaning your support requests go to the front of the queue. You get access to weekly projects and tutorials that Cricut publishes for subscribers.

Cricut Access does not include the machine itself. You buy the machine separately, and prices range from around $300 for the Cricut Explore 3 to $500 for the Cricut Maker 3. The subscription is an add-on after you own the machine.

When the subscription makes financial sense

If you cut designs regularly — more than a few times a month — the subscription usually pays for itself. A single design costs $0.99 to $4.99, so if you use more than two or three paid designs per month, the $9.99 subscription is cheaper than buying them individually. If you use the machine casually or mostly cut your own designs, you may not need it.

The yearly plan saves money if you know you will keep the subscription for at least 10 months. At $95.88 per year, it costs $7.99 per month — $2 less than the monthly rate. You can switch between monthly and yearly anytime, and you can cancel without penalty.

Cricut Access Premium and what it adds

Cricut also sells Cricut Access Premium for $119.88 per year (or $11.99 per month). This includes everything in regular Cricut Access, plus unlimited cloud storage and the right to use designs commercially. Regular Cricut Access limits you to personal use only.

Commercial use means you can cut designs and sell the finished products — for example, cutting vinyl decals and selling them, or cutting fabric and selling sewn items. If you use your Cricut only for personal projects, regular Cricut Access is enough. If you sell what you make, Premium is the legal option.

How to manage your subscription

You manage your Cricut Access subscription through your Cricut account online. You can turn it on, turn it off, or switch between monthly and yearly anytime. Cricut does not charge cancellation fees, and your access stops at the end of your billing period — you do not lose access mid-month if you cancel.

If you buy a monthly subscription and decide you want yearly instead, you can upgrade and Cricut will credit the remaining monthly payments toward the yearly price. The opposite is also true: you can downgrade from yearly to monthly, though you will not get a refund for the unused portion of the year.

Free alternatives and what you give up

You do not need Cricut Access to use your machine. Cricut provides a free library of designs you can cut without paying anything. You can also upload your own designs or buy individual designs from Cricut or third-party creators. This route costs nothing upfront but means paying per design if you want designs beyond the free selection.

Some people use free design software like Canva or Inkscape to create their own designs and upload them to Cricut's software. This takes more time and design skill but costs nothing. Others buy designs from sites like Etsy, which sometimes cost less than Cricut's per-design prices but do not include the subscription's other perks like priority support.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I try Cricut Access before I pay?

Cricut offers a free trial of Cricut Access, usually for seven days. You can start the trial through your Cricut account. The trial gives you full access to the design library and all subscription features. If you do not cancel before the trial ends, your payment method will be charged for the first month.

What happens to my designs if I cancel the subscription?

Designs you have already downloaded and saved to your account stay with you. Designs you have not downloaded are no longer available to cut unless you buy them individually. Your own custom designs and uploads are always yours, whether you have the subscription or not.

Is Cricut Access worth it if I only use my machine a few times a year?

Probably not. If you cut fewer than three designs per month, buying individual designs as you need them will cost less than the subscription. You can always turn the subscription on later if you start using the machine more often.

Can I use the same Cricut Access subscription on multiple machines?

Yes. One Cricut Access subscription covers all Cricut machines linked to your account. You can have multiple machines and use the same subscription library on all of them.

Does Cricut Access work offline?

No. You need an internet connection to access the design library and read designs. Once a design is downloaded to your computer, you can use it offline, but browsing and selecting new designs requires internet.