A home embroidery machine stitches built-in or imported designs into fabric inside a hoop. The main choices are the embroidery area, how many designs are built in, how you load your own files and whether you also want a machine that sews.
The six machines below include embroidery-only models and one sewing and embroidery combo. Areas, design counts and weights come from each product’s listing page. We have not used these machines ourselves. Feature claims are the makers’ own.
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What to Look For
| Feature | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Embroidery area | Sets the largest single design you can stitch in one hoop |
| Built-in designs and fonts | Lets you start without importing files |
| Screen | A touchscreen helps edit and check designs |
| Connectivity | USB, wireless or an app moves designs to the machine |
| Embroidery only or combo | Combos sew too but cost bench space |
Specs at a Glance
| Machine | Embroidery area | Designs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brother PE900 | 5 x 7 in | 193; 13 fonts | 21 lb; 3.7 in touchscreen; wireless LAN; embroidery only |
| Brother PE545 | 4 x 4 in | 135; 10 fonts | 14.1 lb; 3.7 in touchscreen; wireless LAN; embroidery only |
| Brother Skitch | Up to 4 x 4 in | Imports PES, PHC, PHX and DST files | 16.6 lb; Artspira app; up to 400 stitches per minute |
| Janome Memory Craft 100e | Up to 5.5 x 5.5 in | 274; 11+ fonts | 20.1 lb; 3.5 in touchscreen; optional free arm hoops |
| SINGER SE9180 | 170 x 100 mm hoop | 150; 10 fonts | 15.5 lb; 7 in touchscreen; 250 sewing stitches; Wi-Fi |
| Poolin EOC05 | 4 x 9.25 in | Free design software | 22 lb; 7 in touchscreen; Wi-Fi and USB; 2 hoops; embroidery only |
The 6 Best Embroidery Machines for Home
1. Brother PE900 Wireless Embroidery Machine
An embroidery-only machine with a 5 by 7 inch field, 193 built-in designs, 13 lettering fonts, a 3.7 inch touchscreen and wireless LAN. It supports the Artspira app and a USB port, and adds color sort and jump stitch trimming.
Suits: larger designs than a 4 by 4 hoop. Strengths: 193 designs and a big field. Weaknesses: it does not sew. Skip it if you need one machine for sewing and embroidery.
View Brother PE900 Wireless Embroidery Machine with WLAN on Amazon
2. Brother PE545 Wireless Embroidery Machine
An embroidery-only model with a 4 by 4 inch field and hoop, 135 built-in designs, 10 fonts and a 3.7 inch color touchscreen. It transfers files by wireless LAN or USB, works with Artspira and weighs 14.1 pounds.
Suits: small designs and monograms. Strengths: a screen and a lighter body. Weaknesses: a 4 by 4 inch field. Skip it if you want larger designs.
View Brother PE545 Wireless Embroidery Machine 4×4 Hoop LCD on Amazon
3. Brother Skitch Single-Needle Embroidery Machine
A compact embroidery-only machine that works with the Artspira app by Bluetooth, stitches designs up to 4 by 4 inches at up to 400 stitches per minute and imports PES, PHC, PHX or DST files. The free version of the app stores up to 20 designs.
Suits: app-led, simple embroidery. Strengths: a small footprint and file import. Weaknesses: it needs the app and has no built-in screen mentioned. Skip it if you prefer an on-machine touchscreen.
View Brother Skitch Single-Needle Embroidery Machine Bluetooth on Amazon
4. Janome Memory Craft 100e Embroidery Machine
A 20.1 pound machine with a field up to 5.5 by 5.5 inches, 274 designs, 11 or more fonts and a 3.5 inch touchscreen with on-screen editing. Optional free arm hoops are sold for finished garments, and optical bobbin monitoring alerts you before thread runs out.
Suits: a large design library. Strengths: 274 designs and editing tools. Weaknesses: free arm hoops are optional. Skip it if you want wireless transfer.
View Janome Memory Craft 100e Embroidery Machine 5.5×5.5in, 274 Designs on Amazon
5. SINGER SE9180 Sewing and Embroidery Machine
The only combo here, at 15.5 pounds, with 250 sewing stitches, 150 embroidery designs, 10 fonts, a 170 by 100 mm hoop, a 7 inch color touchscreen, an automatic needle threader, a thread cutter and Wi-Fi through the maker’s MySewNet service.
Suits: one machine for both jobs. Strengths: a big screen and lots of sewing stitches. Weaknesses: a smaller embroidery area. Skip it if you only embroider.
View SINGER SE9180 Sewing and Embroidery Machine with Accessory Kit on Amazon
6. Poolin EOC05 Embroidery Machine
An embroidery-only machine with a 4 by 9.25 inch area, a 7 inch color touchscreen, Wi-Fi and USB design transfer, two hoops and a starter kit. The listing says it uses free design software and is meant for personal projects, not mass production.
Suits: long, narrow designs. Strengths: a wide area and two hoops. Weaknesses: a less familiar brand. Skip it if you want a name brand.
View Poolin EOC05 Embroidery Machine for Beginners, 4″ x 9.25″ Embroidery Area on Amazon
Care and Setup
- Use stabilizer that suits your fabric.
- Keep the bobbin area free of lint.
- Test a design on scrap fabric before the real item.
- Use the thread and needle types the manual names.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Buying embroidery-only when you wanted to sew too.
- Choosing a design larger than the hoop.
- Skipping stabilizer.
- Forgetting to check which file types the machine reads.
Embroidery Machine FAQ
Can these sew as well?
Only the SINGER SE9180 here. The others are embroidery only.
Which has the largest area?
The Poolin EOC05 lists 4 by 9.25 inches; the Brother PE900 lists 5 by 7 inches.
The Short Version
For a big Brother field, the PE900. For a compact 4 by 4, the PE545. For app-based embroidery, the Skitch. For a large design library, the Janome 100e. For sewing and embroidery together, the SINGER SE9180. For a wide area, the Poolin EOC05.
