Cricut Access is a monthly or yearly subscription that gives you a library of designs, fonts, and materials to use with your Cricut cutting machine

When you buy a Cricut machine, you can use it with free designs and basic features. Cricut Access adds a paid layer on top: thousands of pre-made designs you can cut when ready, hundreds of fonts for personalizing projects, and discounts on materials like vinyl and cardstock. You pay a monthly or yearly fee, and the designs and fonts stay available as long as your subscription is active.

The subscription works through the Cricut Design Space app, which is the software you use to create and send projects to your machine. When you open Design Space, you see both free and Access-only designs. If you have an active subscription, you can use the Access designs. If your subscription ends, those designs become locked again, though any projects you already made stay saved in your account.

Key Takeaways

  • Cricut Access gives you thousands of designs, hundreds of fonts, and material discounts through a monthly or yearly subscription fee.
  • The subscription works inside Cricut Design Space, the app where you create projects for your machine.
  • You can pause or cancel your subscription at any time, and designs you already used in saved projects remain usable.
  • Cricut also offers Cricut Access Premium, which adds unlimited cloud storage and priority customer support for a higher monthly cost.

What's included in the standard Cricut Access plan

The standard Cricut Access subscription includes access to the Cricut Design Library, which contains thousands of designs organized by category: home décor, apparel, cards, seasonal projects, and more. Each design is ready to cut — you open it, adjust the size if you want, and send it to your machine. You do not have to draw or trace anything yourself.

The subscription also unlocks hundreds of fonts in Design Space. These are typefaces you can use to add text to any project, whether you are personalizing a mug, making a vinyl decal, or cutting letters for a banner. Without the subscription, you have access to a smaller set of free fonts.

Cricut Access members also receive discounts on materials sold through Cricut's website, including vinyl, cardstock, iron-on, and specialty papers. The discount percentage varies by product but typically ranges from 10 to 20 percent off the regular price. These discounts explore only to purchases through Cricut's official store, not third-party retailers.

Cricut Access Standard versus Premium

Cricut offers two tiers of paid subscription. The Standard plan includes the design library, fonts, and material discounts described above. The Premium plan includes everything in Standard, plus unlimited cloud storage for your projects and priority customer support.

Standard Cricut Access users have 100 GB of cloud storage included, which is enough for most hobbyists and small business users. If you create dozens of projects per month or store high-resolution images, you may hit that limit. Premium removes the storage cap. Premium also gives you a dedicated support line and faster response times if you contact Cricut with a problem.

Both plans renew automatically each month or year, depending on which billing cycle you chose when you signed up. You can change your plan, pause, or cancel at any time through your Cricut account settings.

How to start a Cricut Access subscription

To begin a subscription, you need a Cricut account and the Cricut Design Space app installed on your computer or mobile device. Open Design Space and look for the Cricut Access section, usually visible in the left sidebar or main menu. Select the plan you want — Standard or Premium — and choose your billing cycle: monthly or yearly.

You will be asked to enter a payment method, typically a credit or debit card. Cricut will charge your card when ready for the first billing period and then automatically on the same date each month or year. After you complete the purchase, your subscription becomes active, and you can start using Access designs and fonts right away.

If you are not sure whether you want to commit, Cricut sometimes offers a trial period — usually 7 or 30 days — at no cost. Check the subscription page in Design Space to see if a trial is currently available. During the trial, you have full access to all subscription features. If you do not cancel before the trial ends, your payment method will be charged for the first full billing period.

What happens to your projects when your subscription ends

If you cancel your Cricut Access subscription, designs that came from the Access library become locked in Design Space. However, any projects you created using those designs remain saved and usable. You can still open them, edit them, and send them to your machine — the designs do not disappear from your saved projects.

The fonts you used in projects also remain available in those specific projects. If you try to create a new project and use a font that was only available through Access, that font will be locked until you renew your subscription. The same applies to new designs: you can no longer browse or use designs from the Access library, but you can still use all free designs.

If you pause your subscription instead of canceling, your subscription remains on hold and you are not charged. When you resume, you regain when ready access to all designs and fonts. Pausing is useful if you want to take a break from cutting projects but plan to return to the subscription later.

Cricut Access discounts and bundled offers

Cricut sometimes bundles a subscription with a new machine purchase. When you buy a Cricut Explore, Cricut Maker, or other model, you may see an option to add a year of Cricut Access at a reduced price or even included free. These bundled offers vary by retailer and by season, so check the product page when you are shopping to see what is included.

Cricut also runs periodic promotions on subscription renewals, offering discounts on yearly plans or reduced rates for the first month. These deals are usually announced through email to existing account holders or displayed in Design Space when you log in. If you are considering a subscription, it may be worth waiting for a promotion, though they are not may provide to occur on any specific schedule.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Cricut Access designs on multiple machines?

Yes. Your Cricut account is tied to your subscription, not to a specific machine. If you own more than one Cricut machine and they are all linked to your account, you can use Access designs on any of them. Each machine must be registered to your account through Design Space.

Do I lose my designs if I cancel my subscription?

Designs you already used in saved projects stay in your account and remain usable. Designs from the Access library become locked and unavailable for new projects. You can still use all free designs anytime, whether your subscription is active or not.

What payment methods does Cricut accept for subscriptions?

Cricut accepts major credit cards, debit cards, and PayPal. When you set up your subscription, you choose which payment method to use for automatic renewals. You can update your payment information anytime in your account settings.

Can I change from monthly to yearly billing?

Yes. Log into your Cricut account, go to your subscription settings, and select the option to change your billing cycle. If you switch from monthly to yearly, Cricut will typically credit any remaining balance from your current month toward the yearly plan.

Is there a difference between Cricut Access and the free Design Space features?

Yes. Free Design Space users can upload their own images, use basic shapes and text, and access a limited library of free designs and fonts. Cricut Access adds thousands of pre-made designs, hundreds of additional fonts, and material discounts. Both free and paid users can create and cut projects — the subscription mainly expands your design options.