Cricut Joy 2 – the tiny cutting machine that finally makes full-color stickers

By Ricardo de Jong ·

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Blue Cricut Joy 2 cutting machine in front of a cutting mat, cardstock, vinyl sheets, a pen and a scoring tool

Every December I promise myself handmade gift tags. Every December I end up writing “To: Mom” on a sticky note at 11pm.

The Cricut Joy 2 is for people who actually want to follow through. It’s a compact cutting machine that cuts vinyl, cardstock and iron-on from designs on your phone. The big news versus the original Joy: it now reads printed sheets, so you can make full-color stickers with your home inkjet printer.

Cricut Joy 2 in blue with a mat, cardstock, vinyl, a ruler, a pen and tools from the bundle

What is the Cricut Joy 2?

It’s the second generation of Cricut’s smallest machine. Cricut announced the Joy 2 on February 26, 2026, together with the Explore 5, and started selling it in the US the next day at Cricut.com and Michaels.

On paper, according to Cricut:

  • 4.5-inch (11.4 cm) cutting width
  • works with 75+ materials, including vinyl, iron-on, printable vinyl and cardstock
  • cuts, writes, draws, foils and scores (scoring is new, for folding cards)
  • Print Then Cut: a sensor finds the marks on a sheet you printed, then cuts around your images
  • just over 2 lbs, and it connects to your phone, tablet or computer over Bluetooth
  • colors: Blue and Coral, plus Jade Green as a Michaels exclusive

If you saw our post on the Cricut Joy Xtra: that’s the wider model, with cuts up to about 8 by 11 inches on a mat. The Joy 2 is the smaller, cheaper one that now does the sticker trick too.

How does it work?

You design in Cricut Design Space, the free app, or pick a template. Load a mat or a roll of Smart material (the Joy 2 has autoload), hit go, and the blade cuts your design. For stickers, you print first, load the printed sheet, and the machine cuts around each image.

The Ultimate Bundle on Amazon also includes vinyl, iron-on, cardstock, insert cards, printable vinyl and a Cricut EasyPress Mini LT for heat transfers. Cricut says that’s enough for up to 75 projects.

What I like / What could be better

What I like:

  • Full-color stickers without buying a much bigger machine. That used to be the reason to upgrade.
  • Small enough to live on a desk and go back in a cupboard.
  • Ciara O’Brien at The Irish Times found the cutting quick and clean, and called it “the ideal entry point for would-be crafters.”
  • Tom’s Guide also named it its top pick for beginners.

What could be better:

  • 4.5 inches is narrow. Big wall decals and full-size card fronts need the Joy Xtra or an Explore.
  • The Irish Times notes the new blade housing gets replaced as a whole, which feels wasteful.
  • Some Design Space projects need a paid Cricut Access subscription.
  • It only ships with a fine-point blade, as Creative Bloq pointed out.
  • Cricut says it’s not meant for kids 12 and under.

Who is the Cricut Joy 2 for?

Beginners, label makers, card senders, sticker people, and anyone with a small desk. It’s also a sneaky good gift for the person who already has a Woobles crochet kit and is looking for the next hobby. Pair it with our reverse coloring book pick for a full crafty bundle.

Where can I buy the Cricut Joy 2?

Cricut sells it on Amazon in several bundles. The Ultimate Bundle in blue was about 159 bucks at the time of writing (October 2026), down from $209. The machine on its own is $99 at Cricut.com.

This year, the gift tags get made. Probably.