Cricut Joy vs Silhouette Portrait 3: Which is Better?
By Linus Tan
Updated June 2023
The Cricut Joy and Silhouette Portrait 3 are two smart cutting machines designed to make crafting easier and more accessible. They're perfect for people who enjoy DIY projects, as they can cut a variety of materials, including paper, vinyl, and even fabric.
In this review, we compare the Cricut Joy vs Silhouette Portrait 3 on price, design & specs, and crafting capabilities.
On our list
#1 Price
#2 Design & Specs
#3 Software
#4 Crafting Capabilities
Cricut Joy
✓ Cuts over 50+ materials
✓ Great for vinyls & iron-ons
✓ Works with Cricut Smart Materials
✓ Compact & portable
Silhouette Portrait 3
✓ Great for vinyl or heat transfer
✓ Cuts up to 9-inches wide
✓ Matless cutting capability
✓ Portable design
#1 Price
Cricut Joy vs Silhouette Portrait 3
The Cricut Joy and Cricut Silhouette Portrait 3 are both beginner-friendly cutting machines that can bring your crafting ideas to life and also at a budget-friendly price. The Cricut Joy is listed for US$179 while the Silhouette Portrait 3 goes for US$169.
Between the two models, the price difference isn’t really much for it to be a deal-breaker. Moreover, during promotions, you might even find the Cricut Joy to be more affordable than the Silhouette Portrait 3.
#2 Design & Specs
Cricut Joy vs Silhouette Portrait 3
The Cricut Joy and Silhouette Portrait 3 are two popular machines that boast a curvish exterior. While both machines may appear quite similar at first glance, they each have their own unique features that cater to different types of users.
For example, the Cricut Joy is known for its portability due to its compact size, making it a great option for crafters who like to create on the go. On the other hand, the Silhouette Portrait 3 is slightly bigger and offers a larger cutting area almost twice as long as the Joy, making it ideal for those who need to work with larger materials.
Another difference between the two machines is that the Cricut Joy has practically no physical buttons, while the Silhouette Portrait 3 features a row of button controls on the right side of the device. These buttons control basic features like power, Bluetooth, and even a "Pause" button to assist you in the middle of cutting.
Despite their differences, both machines share a playful and friendly aesthetic that is sure to appeal to creative individuals of all levels.
Cricut Joy
✓ Cuts over 50+ materials
✓ Great for vinyls & iron-ons
✓ Works with Cricut Smart Materials
✓ Compact & portable
#3 Software
Cricut Joy vs Silhouette Portrait 3
As we discussed in our previous article comparing Cricut Maker 3 and Silhouette Cameo 4, both companies offer excellent software to be used in conjunction with their machines. Cricut provides the Cricut Design Space, which is compatible across all devices, from desktop to mobile. Silhouette offers the Silhouette Studio app for desktop and Silhouette Go for mobile. Both apps can be used offline with their respective machines, making them a great feature for users.
Cricut Design Space and Silhouette Studio offer free downloads for you to test them out. The software is important for your crafting journey and both have a library of design, but some content requires a subscription. For beginners, the basic software is enough. However, if you want to explore more features, consider subscribing.
The Cricut Design Space is beginner-friendly with simple tools to import or choose designs, adjust parameters, and cut materials. However, it lacks the advanced design options and customisability of Silhouette Studio. Silhouette Studio offers more features like tracing, warping, welding, free-hand drawing, and vector tools. With Silhouette Connect, users can sync with Adobe Illustrator® or CorelDRAW® to send projects directly to Silhouette Studio.
If you're a beginner, Cricut Design Space provides an excellent interface that makes it easy for you to complete your project. If you need more advanced tools to design and experiment with, Silhouette Studio may be better suited to your skill level.
Silhouette Portrait 3
✓ Great for vinyl or heat transfer
✓ Cuts up to 9-inches wide
✓ Matless cutting capability
✓ Portable design
#4 Crafting Capabilities
Cricut Joy vs Silhouette Portrait 3
Both the Cricut Joy & Silhouette Portrait 3 posses a similar cutting force. Though Cricut does not state the cutting force for the Joy while the Silhouette Portrait 3 has a cutting force of 210g, they are capable of cutting a similar range of materials. These materials range from vinyls to iron-ons and other materials like paper and cards.
Besides cutting width, the Silhouette Portrait 3 also offers the ability to make longer cuts of up to 5ft without a mat, such as for materials with liners or backing, such as vinyl and heat transfer. In contrast, the Cricut Joy requires a cutting mat to support the material being cut and is limited to the size of the mat. However, Cricut does offer their proprietary Smart Materials for iron-ons and vinyls that allow for mat-less cutting on the Cricut Joy as well. Toe-to-toe, the Silhouette Portrait 3 wins in its ability to do mat-less cutting for a variety of materials from different brands.
Compare Cricut Joy vs Silhouette Portrait 3
Final Thoughts
Cricut Joy vs Silhouette Portrait 3
Like the Cricut Maker 3 vs Silhouette Cameo 4, the decision between the Cricut Joy & Silhouette Portrait 3 comes to a similar outcome.
If you’re looking for more functionality, your go-to option will be the Silhouette Portrait 3 for its hardware and software. If you’re looking for something more intuitive and easy-to-use, the Cricut Joy is there for you.
If you like to read more on Cricut cutting machines, check out our other relevant guides here:
Cricut Maker 3 vs Silhouette Cameo 4
Cricut Maker 3 vs Cricut Explore 3
Cricut Maker 3 vs Cricut Maker
Best Cricut Accessories
Explore the full collection for Cricut on Amazon.com or visit the Official Cricut Singapore Store.
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