You'll need to register an activation code from a Premium Pack you buy on the Brother site, as well as your machine number. These collections are actually very hard to buy though. These are enjoyable, and while there are some paid expansions in the form of pattern collections, they're not shoved in your face in a way that makes you feel like you've been cheated of a fully functional software package. This includes cake toppers, lamp shades, felt coasters, and even stickers to decorate your own die Brother ScanNCut SDX125E (opens in new tab). It doesn't have a smartphone app - for this you'll need Brother My Design Snap - but this does mean you can connect your laptop (opens in new tab) directly to your cutter via USB to create your designs instantly and without any Bluetooth required.ĬanvasWorkspace offers a far superior range of free projects (or 'recipes') when compared to Cricut or Silhouette.

There's also an online version that offers similar features. Brother CanvasWorkspaceĬanvasWorkspace is a PC-based die cutting software that's free to download. You need to download it and save your work, and if your computer isn't connected to your Silhouette, you need to then get out your phone to print or cut via the app. One thing we would note is that this is very much a computer software. It has an auto-trace function for PNG images and it's fairly easy to trace. We do think that the Silhouette Studio offers better features for free compared to Cricut's offering. Designer Edition costs $49.99, Designer + costs $74.99, and the Business edition is $99.99, and they offer progressively more features such as Font Management, Puzzle Generators, or even Digital Font Creation. Upgrades to the software can be bought outright, instead of on a subscription basis. Some of these are made and uploaded by fellow DIY-ers, and can be sent straight to your machine for instant results without any hiccups. Like the Cricut, you can buy one-off extras for a set price in Silhouette Studio. What you can do with Silhouette Go is send some pre-made designs or patterns straight to your Silhouette Portrait 3 (opens in new tab) or Silhouette Cameo 4 (opens in new tab). However, it doesn't let you add or alter text, so it's limited in functions. Unlike Studio, the app is available on smartphones (opens in new tab) and can be used as a way of sending designs to your die cutting machine remotely. When testing Silhouette Studio, we also had a go at using the Silhouette Go app.

Cricut design studio activation code