Max cut width
11.7 in (Smart Materials), 12 in on mat
Max cut length
12 ft (Smart Materials, no mat)
Force
About 4 kg
Tools
Rotary, knife, engraving, debossing, scoring, and more
Materials
300+
Controls
Design Space app on phone, tablet, or computer
Pros
- Rotary blade cuts unbacked fabric with no stabilizer
- Knife blade handles basswood, balsa, and chipboard
- 12 ft matless cuts with Smart Materials
- Biggest tutorial and project library of any brand
Cons
- No scanner
- Always needs a connected device
- Subscription nudges in Design Space
The Maker 3 is the more capable cutter; the ScanNCut is the more independent one. Cricut's Adaptive Tool System is the difference. The machine steers the blade and controls pressure, which lets the rotary blade roll through cotton and felt like a rotary cutter on a mat, and lets the knife blade work through basswood in repeated passes. Add Smart Materials for 12 ft vinyl runs without a mat and it covers more of a typical crafter's week than any Brother.
Timing note: Cricut released the Maker 5 in September 2026. Buy the Maker 3 while it sells for less; if the prices converge, take the Maker 5 below. Both appear in our best Cricut machines guide.
Our Pick
The Maker 3 wins for most people because it does more jobs well. Its Adaptive Tool System runs a rotary blade for fabric, a knife blade for basswood and chipboard, plus engraving, debossing, and scoring tips; it cuts Cricut Smart Materials up to 12 ft with no mat; and it costs about $87 less than the ScanNCut SDX125E at the time of writing.
Buy the Maker 3 if you want one machine for vinyl, iron-on, paper, fabric, and thin wood, and you are happy designing on a phone, tablet, or computer.
What we don't like
It cannot scan anything; artwork has to become a digital file first. It needs Design Space on a connected device for every cut, and that app pushes the Cricut Access subscription. Matless cutting only works with Cricut Smart Materials.
