Cricut is changing its recently announced plan to require a subscription to get the full use of its crafting machines for precisely cutting paper and other materials. Following backlash from crafters and fans who rely on its machines, Cricut CEO Ashish Arora apologized for the decision, and announced that the company will postpone the requirement for a subscription and give unlimited uploads to all users with a registered Cricut device purchased before December 31st, 2021 — for the lifetime of their machine.
Without an upload limit, crafters will be able to use Cricut and its required Design Space app as usual. They can create designs in the app or third-party software like Procreate, and then format it to be cut out of materials like paper, fabric, vinyl, and even wood using a Cricut machine.
Prior to this change, Cricut was planning on requiring a $9.99 per month / $95.88 per year Cricut Access Standard plan or a Premium plan for $118.88 per year to keep unlimited uploads. Owners who didn’t pay would be limited to 20 uploads per month, which many creators, who often favor starting Cricut projects in other apps and uploading them into Design Space, were worried would make the device unusable.
Arora says that people who buy a resold Cricut machine can also get unlimited lifetime uploads, provided the new owner creates a Cricut account and connects their machine before the end of 2021. Arora says the company is also considering options for educational or maker space settings that might burn through 20 uploads quickly, but had no specifics to share other than a general promise that nothing will change before the end of the year.
While in an ideal world a machine that can cost up to $399 wouldn’t ever need a subscription, Cricut has at least listened to the concerns of its current customers and offered them what seems like a pretty good compromise.
