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Do cutting machines need a subscription? Design Space vs Silhouette Studio
Short answer: no. Neither Cricut nor Silhouette requires a subscription to design and cut your own files. The limits sit in different places, though, and they can decide which brand suits you.
Cricut Design Space
- Free: Design Space itself, on desktop and mobile. You can upload your own SVG, DXF, PNG, JPG, GIF, BMP and HEIC files. DXF upload isn't supported on iOS or Android. SVGs are capped at 5,000 paths.
- Paid (Cricut Access): Cricut says the full content library and certain features need a subscription. Its help center names the automatic background remover and Convert to Layers as subscriber-only. Cricut's Joy 2 page says free users get 3,000+ images, 100+ fonts and 1,000+ projects.
- Offline: Desktop (Windows and Mac) and iOS can cut saved projects offline. Android can't. Print Then Cut always needs internet, and you must be online to sign in.
- Venture exception: the Cricut Venture cuts only from Design Space for desktop.
Silhouette Studio
- Free (Basic Edition): a desktop program for Windows and macOS. It opens Studio files and DXF, and imports JPG and PNG for tracing.
- Paid (Designer Edition and higher): Silhouette's support site says the Designer Edition is needed to open SVG and PDF files. It's a one-time upgrade, not a subscription.
- Design Store: Silhouette sells designs and includes a one-month Design Store subscription with the CAMEO 5 Alpha when you register it. That's for content, not for running the machine.
Which matters more to you?
If you buy SVG files from design shops, Cricut lets you use them free and Silhouette needs a one-time upgrade. If you want a desktop program with no ongoing subscription pitch and no internet needed to sign in, Silhouette Studio fits better. If you want to cut from a phone, choose Cricut, but not the Venture.