The best laptops for Cricut makers: get the most out of Cricut Design Space

What's the best laptop for Cricut? Well, it's one with at least 8GB of RAM, a fast processor to handle the software's advanced features, and a good-quality display so you can clearly see your designs come to life. 

We’re big Cricut enthusiasts ourselves, with hands-on experience using most of the brand’s machines across a variety of laptops. So we've drawn up this guide to help you make the right choice. Right now, our top recommendation is the Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED.

If you need a cutting machine too, see our guides to the best Cricut machines and the best Cricut alternatives.

The top 3 laptops for Cricut

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The best laptops for Cricut in full

The best laptop for Cricut overall

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30-second review: Vivobooks occupy the mid-range of Asus's laptop lineup. They're aimed at users who want the specs for creative work without the power and price tag the brand's professional ProArt Studiobooks. The Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED delivers great value as a surprisingly powerful and adaptable laptop for its mid-range price point.

Pricing: We were very impressed with the specs and performance on offer for a laptop that starts at $1,300 / £1,200 in price. Admittedly, the specs are more than you need to run Cricut's software, but the laptop is such great value that we think it's a sensible buy to ensure you're futureproofed for other kinds of creative work that might need to do if you intending on making crafting a business, from design to photo and video editing.

Design and build: We loved the overall premium feel of this laptop. It feels strong and has a sleek metal lid and nice details like a webcam privacy shield and a fingerprint scanner on the power button. The OLED display boasts 2.8K resolution, a refresh rate of 129Hz, and 600nits of HDR peak brightness, which makes it possible to work on Cricut designs outdoors on a sunny day. It's also Pantone-validated to meet industry standard levels of colour fidelity, so you can rest assured that you designs should look like how they'll really come out.

Performance: We were impressed with the colour coverage, brightness and contrast of the OLED screen, which we found made our designs look very clear and vivid. The internals are impressive too. We tested the configuration with an AMD Ryzen processor and Nvidia Geforce RTX 4060. Suffice it to say that we had no problem at all creating Cricut projects in Adobe Illustrator and importing them to Design Space.

Read more: Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED review

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The best mid-price laptop for Cricut

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30-second review: The HP Pavilion line sits in the mid-range of HP's laptop portfolio, offering reliable performance without the premium price of their higher-end Spectre or Envy models. The Pavilion 16 is a good choice for Cricut users who want a large screen without sacrificing portability.

Price: Starting at $500 / £500, the HP Pavilion 16 offers good value for Cricut crafters. While you could find more raw power for the same price, the combination of comfortable ergonomics, large screen, and portability make it a compelling choice. I'd recommend considering the touchscreen configuration for the added convenience when working in Design Space.

Design: Despite its 16-inch screen, this laptop remains surprisingly portable at just 1.8kg. The chassis feels sturdy with minimal flex in the lid or keyboard deck. The 16-inch WUXGA display offers a resolution of 1920 x 1200 with a 144Hz refresh rate, providing smooth visuals when scrolling through complex Cricut designs. The touchscreen option (available on some configurations) adds valuable functionality for Design Space users who prefer direct manipulation of their designs.

Performance: In our testing, the Intel Core Ultra 7 processor handled Cricut Design Space with ease, even when working with complex multi-layer designs. The optional Nvidia GeForce MX570 A graphics card provides adequate power for design work, though it's not the most powerful in its class. Where this laptop truly shines is in its balance of performance and battery life—you can work on crafting projects for extended periods without needing to recharge.

Learn more in our full HP Pavilion 16 review.

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The best budget laptop for Cricut

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30-second review: The Swift line represents Acer's mainstream ultraportable offering, designed to deliver good everyday performance at accessible price points. The Swift 3 specifically balances performance needs with affordability, providing essential capabilities without unnecessary premium features.

Pricing: Available for around $500 / £450 (and often discounted), the Acer Swift 3 represents exceptional value for Cricut enthusiasts who need reliable performance without breaking the bank. While there are more powerful options available, few match this combination of portability, battery life and performance at this price.

Design and build: The Swift 3 sports a sturdy aluminium chassis that feels more premium than its price suggests. At just 1.19kg, it's exceptionally portable for crafters on the move. The 14-inch Full HD display offers impressive brightness (320 nits) and colour accuracy (100% sRGB coverage), ensuring your Cricut designs look true to life. While the 16:9 aspect ratio might feel slightly outdated compared to newer 16:10 displays, it provides plenty of workspace.

Performance: The AMD Ryzen 7 processor combined with 16GB of RAM provides smooth performance for Cricut Design Space and basic design tasks. In our testing, the laptop handled standard Cricut projects with ease, including basic SVG imports and editing. Where it does show limitations is with complex, multi-layered designs or when running multiple creative applications simultaneously. The integrated Radeon graphics, while adequate for Cricut work, won't support intensive 3D modelling or video editing alongside your crafting projects.

Read more: Acer Swift 3 review.

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The best laptop for Cricut for portability

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30-second review: Zenbooks are Asus's premium range of laptops. They're not specifically aimed at designers, but I think this sleek compact device is an excellent option for those who want a more portable laptop for Cricut.

Pricing: Starting at $1,300 / £1,200, the ZenBooks S 13 is a little on the expensive side for the specs it offers. However it makes up for that with a premium look and feel and the best screen we've used on such a compact laptop. It's a good option for Cricut users who want a portable but highly capable laptop for using on the move.

Design and build: We were impressed with how much the ASUS Zenbook S 13 Flip OLED packs into its sleek, compact magnesium frame. It only weighs 1kg, which makes it a great choice if you're working on the move, for example at craft fairs and other locations. We found the chiclet keyboard and trackpad to be comfortable to use despite the compact size. Note that there are now legacy USB-A and HDMI ports, so you'll need adapters if those connectivity types are critical for you. However, we appreciated the two Thunderbolt 4 ports for super speedy connectivity.

Performance: With integrated graphics, this laptop doesn't match our first choice for power, but, as we said, you really don't need that much power to run Cricut's software. That said, while the lack of a dedicated graphics card doesn't matter at all for Cricut alone, it may dissuade those who also do more complex video editing work to promote their craft business.

We found the 13.3-inch OLED touch display to be bright and vivid, with great Pantone-certified colour coverage (we got 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut and 113% of sRGB). We tested 14 hours of battery life, further backing up the case for the portability of this device.

Read more: Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED review

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The best touchscreen laptop for Cricut

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30-second review: The Surface Laptop represents Microsoft's vision for premium laptops, competing directly with Apple's MacBook line. In practice, it excels as a touchscreen option for Cricut enthusiasts who value precision and a premium experience. Its bright, colour-accurate display in the productivity-friendly 3:2 aspect ratio provides ample space for design work.

Pricing: Starting at $999 / £1,049, the Surface Laptop 7 is a big investment. However, for crafters who value touchscreen precision and plan to use their laptop for design work beyond Cricut, the extra cost delivers tangible benefits in screen quality, performance, and battery life. The comprehensive warranty and Microsoft's reputation for build quality also add value to the package.

Design and build: At 1.66kg, it's not the lightest option on our list, but it remains highly portable for a 15-inch device. The standout feature is undoubtedly the gorgeous 3:2 touchscreen display, which provides more vertical space than traditional 16:9 screens—a significant advantage when working in Cricut Design Space's interface. With a measured brightness of 573 nits and excellent colour reproduction (98% sRGB), your designs will appear vibrant and accurate.

Performance: The Snapdragon X Elite processor delivers impressive performance for creative tasks, with our testing showing it handles Cricut Design Space with remarkable smoothness. Complex SVG imports and multi-layered designs posed no challenge, with the system remaining responsive even when working with intricate projects. The 32GB RAM configuration provides ample headroom for multitasking, allowing you to run Cricut Design Space alongside design applications without slowdown. While the integrated Adreno GPU isn't designed for intensive 3D work, it's more than capable for the 2D design tasks common in Cricut crafting.

Read more: Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 review

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The best 2-in-1 laptop for Cricut

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30-second review: The Surface Pro 9 is a hybrid device designed to offer the best of both a laptop and tablet. On it's own, it's basically a high-end tablet that runs windows and has it's own kickstand, but you can buy an optional Type Cover to dock it and effectively turn it into a compact laptop. Since it has Windows OS, you can run Cricut Design Space and all the usual software, with the convenient portability of touchscreen handheld use when needed.

Pricing: The basic model of the Surface Pro 9 is pretty affordable, starting from $500 / £600, but gets relatively expensive if you want to raise the specs, especially when you consider that you'll probably want to buy the Type Cover and the Surface Slim Pen too. However, I've seen quite frequent discounts, so it's worth keeping an eye out for bargains.

Design and build: I found that the Surface Pro 9 works well in both its guises. As a tablet, it's about the size of an iPad Pro in depth (not the new 2024 models) and the perfect size to fit into the tablet slot on top of the Cricut Maker 3 and Cricut Explore 3. The touchscreen means that you can use the Surface Slim Pen 2 (not included) to draw by hand in vector design software like or to navigate the interface. That said, we highly recommend getting the Type Cover, since Windows isn't great for navigating entirely by touch all of the time. Note that there are only two USB-C ports, no audio jack and no card reader, so you'll need to use a dock or Bluetooth if you require more connectivity.

Performance: The Intel i5 and i7 models have enough power to run design software such as Adobe Illustrator or CorelDRAW. Photoshop also runs well and despite the lack of dedicated graphics, and I was even able to do video editing relatively smoothly in our tests. The less powered ARM SQ3 version of the device is more problematic. It runs Design Space just fine, but struggles with more demanding software. The advantage of the SQ3 is extra battery life and 5G connectivity, but if you're working from home on Cricut projects, I'd suggest the Intel i5 model, or the i7 if you also want to use heavier software.

Read more: Surface Pro 9 review

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The best premium laptop for Cricut

30-second review: The Surface Laptop Studio 2 represents Microsoft's vision for creative professionals who need flexibility without compromise. Building on the original Surface Laptop Studio released in 2021, this updated model retains the innovative three-position display while upgrading internals to include 13th Gen Intel processors and more powerful graphics options.

Pricing: Starting at $2,000 / £1,400, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 represents a significant investment. Whilst this places it firmly in premium territory, the combination of versatility, build quality, and performance makes it a justifiable expense for professional creators who will leverage its unique capabilities. However, casual Cricut users may find better value in less expensive alternatives that still meet the technical requirements for Design Space.

Design and build: The Studio 2 features an impressively engineered design with smooth chamfered corners and a premium aluminium chassis that feels robust in daily use. Its standout feature is the innovative hinge mechanism that allows the screen to be positioned in three distinct modes: laptop, stage (angled at 45 degrees), and studio (flat tablet-like position). At 1.8kg it's slightly heavier than comparable laptops, but this weight contributes to its solid, premium feel. The keyboard is comfortable with good key travel, and the large, responsive trackpad adds to the overall quality experience.

Performance: For Cricut Design Space users, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 delivers excellent performance that makes designing projects a breeze. Even the base model with an Intel Core i5 and integrated graphics handles the software smoothly, whilst the higher-spec versions with dedicated NVIDIA GPUs provide headroom for more demanding creative applications if you're working across multiple platforms. The 120Hz refresh rate makes scrolling through designs incredibly smooth, and the touchscreen paired with the Surface Pen (sold separately) provides a natural way to interact with your designs.

Read more: Surface Laptop Studio 2 review

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Also tested

The above laptops are our top picks for use with Cricut machines, but there are plenty of other contenders that have passed across our testing bench. Below are some other laptops that almost made this list, which you may also want to consider for use with Cricut makers.

MacBook Pro M3 14-inch
The entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro is cheaper than in the past, still with the benefits of a sleek chassis and a fabulous screen. It's still more than you need for Cricut, but it's a solid long term investment. The starting point is $1,599 / £1,699, but I've seen discounts of up to $150.
Read our 4.5-star review

Asus Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED
This is a niche machine and way more than you need for Cricut software, but the second display can be handy for things like displaying customer orders and design progress. The price is surprisingly reasonable, starting at $1,599 / £1,999 with the ASUS Pen 2.0 included.
Read our 5-star review

View Deal

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How to choose the best laptop for Cricut

What's the best laptop for Cricut Explore Air 2, Cricut Maker 3, Cricut Explore 3, and other Cricut machines? The good news is that the minimum requirements are met by a wide range of Windows laptops and MacBooks, including many budget models. If you're really short of cash, be aware that you don't actually need a laptop to run Cricut's Design Space. You can use a smartphone or tablet instead.

However, there are two reasons why you might want to go for one of the more expensive laptops on the market. Firstly, because it’s going to provide a better computing experience in general. And secondly, because some of the more advanced Cricut features, such as Offset, are not supported with the minimum system requirements but require higher system specs, such as Windows 10 64-bit. Higher specs may also be needed if you do design work in other software, such as Illustrator, or if you make videos to promote your craft business.

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How we test

Laptops are complex and extremely varied, so numerous capabilities need to be tested, prodded and assessed. Cricut isn't the most demanding application, but a good screen is still important, with brightness, contrast, colour coverage and pixel density all on the list.

Touch responsiveness including support for input pens is also key, with the number of pressure levels supported always an important factor. Next up we assess overall form factor, portability and build quality, which in this context means everything from conventional clamshell laptops to 2-in-1s and tablet convertibles with detachable keyboards and even foldable laptops.

You absolutely don't need an epic 16-core CPU or powerful graphics chip for Cricut, but we test laptops to ensure a decent baseline of both GPU and processor performance.

Connectivity is another key element for any laptop, which means looking out for features like Thunderbolt tom ensure plnty of bandwidth, USB-C for univrsal connectivity and the specification of wireless interfaces. Good battery life is of course always desirable for any portable drawing device.

We also assess ergonomics, build and usability, including keyboard quality, chassis rigidity, trackpad response and more to build up a practical picture of how well a laptop performs in the real world rather than merely benchmarks. That said, we do run a series of benchmark tests on all laptops we get in for review, which will be different based on the intended use for them. All the laptops in this guide have been run through the following tests (provided the OS is compatible for each one):

• Cinebench R23/2024 - this assesses the performance of a computer's CPU and GPU using real-world 3D rendering tasks

• Geekbench 5/6 - this tests the CPU's processing power, both by using a single core for a single task at a time as well as all the CPU's core to see its ability to multitask

• PCMark 10 - this test assesses a computer’s ability to run all everyday tasks from web browsing to digital content creation, testing app launch speeds, 3D rendering and even battery life

FAQs

What kind of laptop do you need for a Cricut?

All of the devices in our pick of the best laptops for Cricut meet the system requirements for the devices' software and then some. However, if you choose a different laptop, make sure it meets the basic Cricut system requirements below. Note that if it’s a Windows laptop, it must be running a full version of Windows, as opposed to Windows S mode.

For Windows:

• Operating system: Windows 8 or later
• CPU: Intel Dual-Core or equivalent AMD processor
• RAM: 4GB
• Free disk space: 2 GB free disk space
• Connectivity: USB port or Bluetooth connection
• Display: 1024px x 768px screen resolution

For Mac:

• Operating system: macOS 10.15 or later
• CPU: 1.83 GHz
• RAM: 4GB
• Free disk space: 2GB
• Connectivity: USB port or Bluetooth connection
• Display: 1,024px x 768px screen resolution

Do I need to use Cricut Design Space?

Technically yes, the Cricut Design Space program is required in order to operate your Cricut machine. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that you need to do all your designing work on it – it's perfectly possible to create your designs in Photoshop, Canva or whichever program suits you best, and then import them into Cricut Design Space as a final step.

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