Best Laptop For Cricut Maker

Having a tough time deciding which is the Best Laptop for Cricut Maker in 2022?

Anyone looking for the best laptop for Cricut producers should be relieved to find that many of the finest options are readily available and fairly priced.

This is owing to the fact that you will not need the most modern and expensive computers for a Cricut maker, as any software required to run it will not require you to pay for it.

Newer and more powerful devices, on the other hand, will save you a lot of time and open up new possibilities for you, so it doesn’t hurt to spend a little money, if you can, for the added benefits.

We’ve narrowed down our top recommendations about the best laptops for Cricut maker in 2022 below.

Best Laptop for Cricut Maker Comparison Table

How We Chose the Best Laptops for Cricut Maker

The Cricut laptop requirements are minimal. However, there are some standard features that your laptop must-have for your Cricut maker.

In the case of Cricut, compatibility is of utmost importance as Cricut Space Design Software is not supported by all operating systems.

With that being said, you should make sure that you go for either a Windows-based laptop or a Mac OS based one. All others including Linux are not supported by Cricut maker.

The CPU is important for guaranteeing that you can operate smoothly on the Cricut. Intel dual-core laptops are a good option.

The Intel Core i5 performs admirably in this regard, not to mention newer gens like the Intel Core i7. You can also get the job done phenomenally on the AMD Ryzen 5.

Using more amount of RAM allows you to work really swiftly with your Cricut maker. You could go with a minimum of 8GB or 16GB.

When you use higher RAM, you may expect faster performance, and your laptop can run many applications at the same time without it crashing and slowing down.

Manufacturers are now focusing on reducing the weight of laptops. With the exception of gaming laptops, most of the others are quite lightweight, weighing less than 3 pounds, and easy to transport, so you can work on the go. HP Pavilion and Apple MacBook Air are excellent examples.

Another important element to consider is the battery life. It is critical to use a laptop with a battery life of at least 6 hours. You may want to acquire one that can easily run for more than 10 hours for your Cricut maker.

All of these combined make up the overall performance of the laptop that you’re going to be getting. No one wants to spend their hard-earned money on getting a laptop that ends up freezing and crashing.

Especially when they are busy with their work. The Cricut Space Design software is not very demanding software, but you still should keep these in mind so that your other work and tasks are not interrupted.

Finally, the device’s price and warranty. If you’re on a tight budget, you’ll be relieved to know that you can still buy the best laptop for Cricut maker for $700-$1000. Confirm that the item is covered by a warranty in case of an emergency.

The 7 Best Laptops for Cricut Maker

1. Asus Vivobook 15 – Editor’s Choice

Size: 15.6-inches | CPU: 10th Gen Intel Core i3-1005G1 | GPU: Integrated GPU | RAM: 8Gb SSD | Storage: 128Gb | Battery: 8 hours | Resolution: 1920×1080 | Refresh Rate: 60Hz

Coming in at the top of our list for the best laptops for the Cricut Maker, we have the Asus Vivobook 15.

The VivoBook lineup of Asus’s laptops is centered around their budget laptops whereas the ZenBook lineup takes up the premium side of the spectrum.

The Asus Vivibook offers an all-rounded performance, suited for all types of users. With its good value for money, it’s easy to see why this laptop has earned the first spot.

This 15-inch laptop, although sports a plastic body, does not feel flimsy or weak to the touch. Metallic bodies are better and feel more premium as well.

On top of that, we have seen plastic bodies having a bit of a flex on them too which doesn’t spark confidence. Sadly, the Vivobook 15 does have a bit of flex to it as well which isn’t something we liked.

For using the Cricut Maker, portability, as well as connectivity, is a must. That is something that the Vivobook 15 ends up doing a good job. It is a lightweight laptop, weighing just a few a little over 3 pounds.

And for the connectivity, you have the options of USB-C 3.1, two USB-A 2.0, USB-A 3.1, HDMI, 3.5mm audio, Wi-Fi and a microSD card reader as well. And with the Thunderbolt, you can connect even more peripherals and devices for more connectivity.

The Vivobook 15 comes with 10th Gen Intel Core i3-1005G1, 8 Gigs of RAM, and 128Gb SSD for storage. The screen size is 15.6-inches and it is a 1920x1080p screen. However it does end up losing a few points due to its subpar screen and color reproduction.

The whites and the darks are not ideal at all and the color reproduction could have been executed much more efficiently.

In our screening tests, the movies with vibrant colors did not really look that alive. Apart from that, Vivobook 15 does a really well-rounded job of delivering just about everything one could need.

The Vivobook 15 has the most notable flaws in the display department, however, those should be minor for those looking for the best Cricut Maker laptop.

Overall it is a jack of all trades, offering you all the everyday features that you could need at a not so expensive price- making it a good investment for all purposes.

RATING:

• Performance: 9/10
• Battery: 9/10
• Display: 8.5/10
• Value for Money: 9/10
• Overall Rating: 9/10

2. MacBook Pro– Best Premium Laptop For Cricut Maker

Size: 14-inches | CPU: M1 | GPU: Integrated GPU | RAM: 16Gb | Storage: 512Gb SSD | Battery: 10 hours | Resolution: 2560 x 1600 | Refresh Rate: 120Hz

Moving down to the second-best laptop for Cricut Maker, we have the MacBook Pro. Among our mentioned laptops in this list, Apple MacBook Pro’s price will surely look way different.

The MacBook Pro is the premium pick for those who are looking for not just a Cricut Maker laptop, but a fantastic machine for everything else as well.

It comes with a similar design that it has rocked previously. Not that there’s anything to complain about that front though, as we like it very much.

The aluminum body with the premium chassis and a compact build, just proves that Apple’s MacBooks are only getting better.

Sadly, it features a notch at the top bezel which gets in the way. Although not very common in laptops, the notch might be here to stay with Apple’s MacBook Pro.

The notch on the MacBook Pro covers the upper menu bar’s middle portion. You won’t see it if you use a dark color scheme with a black menu bar. It does, however, leave a visible mark with a white menu bar.

Unfortunately, the port selection is limited, with only two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports on the left and a headphone jack on the right.

Although ProMotion is activated by default, you don’t have to use it all of the time. The presets for the different refresh rates mean that you don’t always have to use 120Hz and can actually adjust to match the rate of the video being played as well.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro has a greatly enhanced version of the M1 processor. The default setup includes an Apple M1 Pro processor with eight CPU cores: six for resource-intensive tasks and two for light-duty.

Along with these amazing specs, you also have 16 Gigs of RAM and 512Gb SSD for storage, and of course, Wi-Fi connectivity.

The MacBook Pro does not come light on the wallet. It is a heavy and long-term investment, however.

As premium laptops go, the MacBook Pro will be ideal for not just Cricut but all other tasks as well. With its phenomenal and game-changing M1 chip, you’re looking at a home run with this laptop.

RATING:

• Performance: 8/10
• Battery: 9/10
• Display: 9/10
• Value for Money: 8/10
• Overall Rating: 8.75/10

3. Lenovo Ideapad 3 – Best Budget Laptop For Cricut Maker

Size: 14-inches | CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3500U | GPU: Vega 8 | RAM: 8Gb | Storage: 256Gb SSD | Battery: 8 hours | Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Refresh Rate: 60Hz

The Lenovo Ideapad lineup is an affordable one, featuring a very sleek-looking design and overall great build quality. Despite the affordable price, they’re also housing in powerful Ryzen CPUs and overall great performance to deliver.

Lenovo’s new Ideapad 3 line is slimmer and lighter than before which makes it easier to not only use but carry as well. For those who need to work from home and then carry their laptops to other places as well, the Lenovo Ideapad is a great choice.

It features AMD Ryzen 5 3500U processor with Radeon graphics which, quite frankly, should be ample for everyday tasks. With its native OS being Windows, you can be sure that the Cricut Design Space software can easily be run on the Lenovo Ideapad 3.

With the base specs being 8GB of RAM and 256Gb of SSD on top of the earlier mentioned CPU and GPU, it should prove more than enough for Cricut and more.

The Ideapad 3 also offers Q-control, which lets you switch to intelligent cooling mode and switch back and forth between fast and great performance and silent power saving mode with ease.

It can also connect through Bluetooth 4.1, allowing you to use your Cricut wirelessly if desired.

HDMI, 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0, and an audio/microphone combination connector are among the laptop’s many ports. This is useful for connecting more devices than everyday folks might use.

Being a designer, you’ll probably use a tablet or a pen as well which can be great for this. The laptop also includes Bluetooth, a 720HD microphone, and a Wi-Fi connection for easy internet access.

Sadly, it has a smaller 14-inch screen and no USB-C ports available either. This is disappointing because other laptops in the same price range have these.

The screen with narrow bezels for improved viewing with much less clutter on the screen, but the screen size can be a downfall for some people.

All in all, the laptop includes an AMD Ryzen 5 3500U processor and Vega 8 graphics, which is good for the price. This laptop has plenty of storage for you to swiftly save data, and the performance is smooth with no delays.

RATING:

• Performance: 8/10
• Battery: 9/10
• Display: 8/10
• Value for Money: 8/10
• Overall Rating: 8.25/10

4. Asus ZenBook Duo 14 – Best Design

Size: 14-inches | CPU: Intel i7-10510U | GPU: GeForce MX250 | RAM: 16Gb | Storage: 1Tb SSD | Battery: 10 hours | Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Refresh Rate: 60Hz

Asus ZenBook Duo 14 has been a delight to use and see. This trend of laptops having dual-screen is slowly catching up and Asus’s DuoBook 14 has been riding the front wave. It features a great 14-inch full HD display and a 12.5 inches touch screen display just above the keyboard.

The overall superb quality and performance that this laptop boasts makes it difficult not to add to our list of the best laptops for Cricut Design Space.

That may appear to be a nuisance, but it allows you to do other things on your laptop, such as engage in a chat while having your Cricut designs visible on the main screen.

You could even utilize the second display to concentrate on additional Cricut projects at different stages,  providing a significant boost to productivity if used correctly.

The performance is comparable to the competition, and most importantly, the pricing does not reflect a significant second-screen premium. The ZenBook Duo 14 appears to be a high-end device from the outside like the HP Pavilion and MacBook Air.

Asus painted the laptop Celestial Blue, with a concentric circles pattern carved on the top and the Asus logo in glossy silver.

It contains a second screen underneath its 14-inch 1080p panel, which Asus refers to as the ScreenPad Plus. The ScreenPad Plus is just above the ZenBook Duo 14’s keyboard and, for design purposes has the same width as the keyboard as well. However, it is obviously much shorter.

The Asus Zenbook Duo 14’s technical specifications are equally excellent, with a choice of an 11th generation Intel Core i5 or i7 Intel processor, up to 32GB RAM, and 1TB of storage.

The battery will last you about 10 hours of screen-on time. Wi-Fi connectivity makes projects go smoothly as well!

The ZenBook Duo 14 has a unique design and certainly rocks extra style points based on that. However, that also adds in some limitations when using this laptop while placed on your lap.

Because the ScreenPad Plus eliminates the wrist-rest area, your palms fall off the front of the keyboard when typing. Having it on your work desk will remove that altogether, but it is still there and should be considered.

However, when placed on your lap, you have quite little room to work with as quite a lot of real estate is used up by the ScreenPad Plus.

The Asus Zenbook Duo 14 is a great solution that could meet your needs if you’re not limited by a budget.

There are some ergonomic design flaws that the ZenBook Duo 14 suffers from, but overall it’s a good concept that Asus hopefully can improve even more.

RATING:

• Performance: 8/10
• Battery: 8/10
• Display: 8/10
• Value for Money: 7/10
• Overall Rating: 8/10

5. Dell XPS 15 – Best Performance

Size: 15-inches | CPU: Intel Core i7 10th Gen  | GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti | RAM: 16 Gb | Storage: 512 Gb SSD | Battery: 7 hours | Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Refresh Rate: 60Hz

Dell’s laptops have always managed to cover a very wide variety of spectrum where they are able to offer a lot of uses for many different customers.

The Dell XPS series has managed to stay at the top of an all-rounded best laptop for quite a long time now. And that legacy is carried on with the Dell XPS 15 as well.

The newer model of the Dell XPS is lighter, thinner, and with smaller bezels as well. Moreover, a much-needed improvement is that the speakers are now placed at the top, which means that placing them down won’t reduce the overall volume.

It boasts a 15.6-inch screen which shows quite a vibrant display and vivid colors. The resolution of the 15.6-inch screen is 3840×2400 with quite a good brightness ratio.

We noticed very accurate color reproduction, which can assist in using Cricut maker for better designs.

The Dell XPS 15 has an i7 10th Gen with a GPU of Nvidia GTX 1650Ti. It also has a RAM of 16 Gb and 512Gb SSD storage drive.

All of these are quite good specs and show that the Dell XPS 15 can handle just about any kind of workload.

Speaking of performance, there was a nuisance that we encountered. During higher load and when the Dell XPS 15 was put under stress, the fans became quite noisy.

The XPS 15 also gets quite hot under stress. It doesn’t have additional security features like a fingerprint sensor either.

It has a very high battery time with an 86-watt hour battery. If you opt to go with the 56-watt hour battery, the battery life will be about 12 hours. The 86-watt hour battery will get you around 18 hours of work.

The Dell XPS 15 is an expensive laptop. If you are, however, willing to cough up the big bucks the XPS 15 is a laptop with all the features one could wish for and an impeccable display to match.

RATING:

• Performance: 7.75/10
• Battery: 7.5/10
• Display: 7.75/10
• Value for Money: 7/10
• Overall Rating: 7.85/10

6. Acer Aspire 5 – Most Reliable Laptop For Cricut Maker

Size: 15.6-inches | CPU: Intel Core i7 10510U  | GPU: Nvidia GeForce MX350 | RAM: 16 Gb | Storage: 512 Gb SSD | Battery: 9  hours | Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Refresh Rate: 60Hz

The Acer Aspire is a mid to low-price range laptop. These laptops which tend to fall in the middle of the price range are often overlooked as people go for either the high price premium options or the extremely budget-friendly options.

As a result, you often do not get to see good devices like the Acer Aspire 5 get the traction they deserve.

Acer Aspire 5 has a relatively large screen size of 15 and a half inches. The Intel Core i7 processor coupled with the Nvidia GeForce MX350 combines to give a good performance, especially for the price range.

One of the Aspire 5’s big plus points is its solid build quality. This might not be a premium-priced laptop but there is no compromise in the build quality.

The durability of this laptop will not disappoint users, especially with the HD display and the screen size.

Battery life is always a key factor of laptops, and the people at Acer have made sure to give this laptop enough battery life to last for the day with ease. Around 9 hours of battery life under a decent level of stress is the benchmark for the Aspire 5.

There are a lot of connectivity options. You have USB Type-C Gen 1 USB port, and two USB ports 3.1 Gen 1, one HDMI with HDCP support and USB port 2.0 and 1. There is M.2 SSD storage options and connectivity through Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connection.

The Aspire 5 has somewhat thick bezels around the screen and a lot of space is left for the keyboard. The hinge allows good movement of the screen, so you can adjust it to your preference.

Sadly, the color contrasts and reproduction of the screen is not as good as we would have liked.

The keyboard and touchpad area is made of plastic, not aluminum as in the higher-priced products. The plastic has a good finish overall that makes it look pleasant to the eye, but it does catch fingerprints significantly faster than aluminum.

Moving on to the touchpad of the Acer Aspire 5, it is perhaps the biggest giveaway in the entire laptop that this is in the lower price range, even with things like the backlit keyboard and USB type C connections.

While almost all of the laptop gives a good feel to the touch, the touchpad feels rougher and cheaper as compared to the other laptops in this list.

Overall, the Acer Aspire 5 is a very good product for any mid-range Cricut maker laptop. However, due to some parts lacking in quality such as the touchpad or the fingerprint-catching plastic rather than the aluminum, the difference in quality between premium options and the Aspire 5 becomes apparent.

RATING:

• Performance: 7/10
• Battery: 7.5/10
• Display: 7/10
• Value for Money: 7/10
• Overall Rating: 7.5/10

7. Microsoft Surface Book 3 – Best Portable Laptop For Cricut Maker

Size: 13.5-inches | CPU: Intel Core i7 10510U  | GPU: Intel Iris Plus | RAM: 8 Gb  | Storage: 256 Gb SSD | Battery: 12 hours | Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Refresh Rate: 60Hz

Coming in at the end, we have the Microsoft Surface Book 3 to recommend for the best laptops for Cricut Maker.

Microsoft’s Surface laptops have long remained at the more premium lineup of laptops, often making attempts to rival Apple’s MacBooks.

With the Surface Book 3 sporting a lot of reworks over its predecessors, how well does this laptop fare for the Cricut Maker and overall usability?

The Surface Book 3 is a detachable, 2-in-1 laptop. There’s no denying that Microsoft has done a phenomenal job with the design and the build quality.

Just by looking, you can sense the premium price and components oozing out of this laptop. It has a silver-colored design all over.

It has a 13.5-inches detachable touch screen. The screen quality is quite good and we didn’t notice a lot of glare on it either, which is good for when you want to use it in tablet form. The display is 3:2 and showed really good color reproduction as well.

Surface Laptop 3 models come with the same three levels of the backlit keyboard. You can change the backlit keyboard levels by simply pressing F1.

The base model features an Intel Core i5 10th Gen CPU with 8 Gigs of RAM and a 256Gb SSD for storage. The Surface Book 3 is available in different variants as well.

One more thing to note is that you can get a free upgrade to Windows 11 with the purchase of Surface Book 3. In terms of battery, the Surface Book 3 knocks it out of the park with up to 12 hours of use.

The tablet mode compatibility of Windows 11 and the apps being run in it are still not quite up to par. However, Microsoft is in it for the long game and we’re positive we will see more ease of use and better-handled apps being run natively on Windows 11. For that, this laptop will be a great investment.

Even though this is quite a premium laptop, you still don’t get quite the full experience. In order to get that, especially for a designer, you are expected to use the Surface Pen, Surface Precision Mouse, and the Dock. However, you will have to pay extra for them which adds on to the price.

The Microsoft Surface Book 3 is a well-designed, premium laptop with HD display, and almost all the bells and whistles you would expect from this range.

However, in order to really enjoy it, you have to go the extra mile and purchase more peripherals that are not included in this laptop. Not to mention the screen size is a little small for this price.

Although this laptop certainly does offer a lot, there may be better options for you unless you’re heavily invested in the Microsoft and Windows ecosystem.

RATING:

• Performance: 7/10
• Battery: 7/10
• Display: 7/10
• Value for Money: 6/10
• Overall Rating: 7/10

Buyer’s Guide for the Best Laptops for Cricut Maker Machines

The modern laptops covered here offer a wide variety of specs and features which are great for Cricut’s Design Space software. However, you need to know what you want from these laptops before you buy one.

Operating System Requirements

From Windows and macOS, to Chromebooks and Linux, there are many operating systems out there. For selecting the right laptop for your Cricut machine, you need to be wary of whether the Cricut Design Space software is supported on your OS or not.

In this case, the Cricut Space Design Software is only available for Windows and MacOS. Therefore, make sure that your laptop is Cricut compatible and has either of these in them to cover Cricut system requirements.

Performance

The laptop of your choice needs to be able to run the Cricut Design Space Software seamlessly and without hiccups.

Designing software is notorious for its RAM usage and constant general instability, so we need to pay attention to the specifications a little.

Any modern Intel mobile processor above 8th generation or AMD Ryzen mobile processor above 3000 series should be able to run the software without any hitches, provided the processor in question is at least dual-core.

You may need a stronger processor if you plan to make your Cricut designs using Adobe Illustrator and similar applications.

Choosing Core i5 or Core i7 offerings from Intel’s 10th Gen and 11th Gen processor lineup, or the Ryzen 7 mobile lineup from AMD can help with that.

GPU performance takes a back seat in Cricut design but can become significantly more important if you plan to make your own designs via the Adobe software suite.

GPU acceleration helps with those particular applications, so you should look for a dedicated iGPU such as the Nvidia GeForce MX150 at least.

For memory, the rule of thumb states a minimum of 8GB for the Cricut design suite. However, opting for 16GB should give you the extra headroom and prevent overload crashes which are common with design software.

You will also need to store all your designs and project materials locally on your laptop. At least 128GB of space should be considered, although a sweet spot of 256GB is often agreed upon due to the space taken up by the operating system files.

Battery Life

It comes as no surprise that battery life is an important factor for a laptop used for Cricut design. You may need to spend hours perfecting your ideal designs and giving them a trial run on your Cricut machine.

Moreover, working away from a wall charger is a real possibility in this space, as you may use the daily commute to work as an opportunity to fine-tune your Cricut designs. A laptop with at least 8 hours of battery life should be considered for this purpose.

Some laptops such as the MacBook Pro M1 use specialized efficiency techniques to boost their battery up to 20 hours on a single charge.

Their internal components and the software work together to maximize the battery life when the laptop is relatively idle, or under light load.

If monetarily possible, these laptops should be on your watch list as they can provide the perfect mix of performance and efficiency which is what you want in a Cricut design laptop.

Connectivity Options

Cricut Maker machines connect to the laptops via a standard USB cable, so you don’t need a ton of connectivity for that.

Be sure to prioritize laptops with more USB-A and USB-C ports, since one of your ports might be claimed by the Cricut Maker for long periods.

Moreover, you should definitely be on the lookout for laptops with Thunderbolt functionalities. Those laptops can carry high-bandwidth signals to several devices such as displays and external GPUs, which may come in handy down the line.

Laptops capable of charging via USB-C should be prioritized as well, as that’s one less proprietary port and one less proprietary accessory to worry about.

Similarly, WiFi and Bluetooth functionality is an absolute must for a productivity-focused machine in 2022.

FAQ

What Laptop is Best to Use with a Cricut Machine?

The best all-rounded laptop to use with a Cricut Machine is the ASUS Vivobook 15. It comes at an affordable price, and it’s a great option for your Cricut cutting machine.

What Kind of Computer Do I Need for a Cricut Design Space Software?

A minimum of 8Gb of RAM with decent storage space is what you need to be able to run Cricut Design Space. You don’t want a low RAM bottlenecking the performance and working efficiency. Similarly, the CPU should be a powerful one with massive storage space so you don’t run into any problems with your Cricut Maker Machine.

Is a Tablet or a Laptop Better for a Cricut Maker Machine?

A laptop is better than a tablet for Cricut makers because the laptop version has more features available compared to the Cricut Design Space App on the PlayStore.

What Computers are Not Compatible with Cricut Machines?

Any computer that does not run either Windows or MacOS will not be compatible with the Cricut Design Space software. Therefore, you should be careful not to choose a linux or any laptop with an operating system that is not supported by the Cricut software.