Spend under $500 on an embroidery machine and you’re stuck with a small hoop and a short design list. Spend over $1,500 and you’re paying for small-business features you might not need yet.
The under-$1,000 tier is where embroidery machines start to feel like real tools instead of toys. You get bigger hoops, wireless design transfer, and in some cases the option to sew and embroider on the same machine.
This guide covers the best embroidery machines under $1,000 for hobbyists who’ve outgrown their starter machine and side-hustlers who aren’t ready to spend small-business money yet. Every pick here is currently for sale, so you can go straight from reading this to ordering one.
Our Top Picks at a Glance
| Machine | Type | Hoop Size | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brother PE900 | Dedicated embroidery | 5″ x 7″ | Best overall |
| Brother SE700 | Sew + embroider combo | 4″ x 4″ | Best combo machine |
| Brother PE800 | Dedicated embroidery | 5″ x 7″ | Best for beginners |
| Singer Legacy SE300 | Sew + embroider combo | 10.25″ x 6″ | Best large hoop |
| EverSewn Sparrow X2 | Sew + embroider combo | Varies by bundle | Best Brother alternative |
What Do You Actually Get for Under $1,000?
At this price, you get a bigger hoop (usually 5×7 inches instead of 4×4), more built-in designs, and wireless or USB design transfer. You’ll also start seeing touchscreens that are actually large enough to preview your design before you stitch it.
The jump from a $500 machine to a $1,000 machine isn’t about raw power. It’s about not fighting your machine. A bigger hoop means fewer re-hoops on a single project. More onboard memory means you’re not constantly swapping a USB stick. Wireless transfer means you can send a design from your phone without walking across the room.
What you still won’t get at this price: multiple needles, embroidery-only speed machines built for volume, or hoops much larger than 5×7 inches. For that, you’re looking at our small business picks, which start well above $1,000.
Should You Buy a Dedicated Embroidery Machine or a Combo?
Buy a dedicated embroidery machine if embroidery is your main craft and you already own a sewing machine. Buy a sew-and-embroider combo if you want both functions on one machine, or you’re just starting out and don’t want to own two machines yet.
Dedicated machines (Brother’s PE line, for example) tend to have a slightly larger hoop or more embroidery-specific features for the same money, because the manufacturer isn’t splitting the budget between two functions. Combo machines (Brother’s SE line) save you counter space and let you switch between sewing a garment and embroidering it without moving to a second machine.
Neither is objectively better. It comes down to what you already own and how much desk space you have. If you want the full comparison, we’ve written a whole dedicated combo machine roundup that goes deeper on this exact decision.
The Best Embroidery Machines Under $1,000
1. Brother PE900: Best Overall
The Brother PE900 is a dedicated embroidery machine with a 5×7 inch hoop, wireless LAN connectivity, and one of the largest built-in design libraries at this price point. You can send designs straight from Brother’s Artspira app instead of loading everything through a USB stick.
It’s embroidery-only, so if you also need to sew, pair it with a separate sewing machine or look at the SE700 below instead. The touchscreen is large enough to preview color changes before you commit thread to fabric, which saves a lot of guesswork on more detailed designs.
This is the machine most hobbyists graduate to once they’ve outgrown a $500 starter machine and want a real hoop size upgrade.
2. Brother SE700: Best Combo Machine
The Brother SE700 combines sewing and embroidery in one machine with wireless connectivity and a touchscreen interface. It’s a smaller hoop than the PE900 at 4×4 inches, but you’re getting a full sewing machine bundled in.
If you don’t already own a sewing machine, this is the more efficient purchase. You’ll have everything you need to hem a garment and embroider a logo on it without buying two separate machines.
The trade-off is hoop size. If large designs matter more to you than sewing capability, the PE900 or PE800 will serve you better.
3. Brother PE800: Best for Beginners
The Brother PE800 is a dedicated embroidery machine with the same 5×7 inch hoop as the PE900, but a simpler feature set and a lower price. It’s a solid entry point if you’re new to machine embroidery and don’t need wireless transfer yet.
It supports USB design transfer and comes with the hoop sizes most beginners actually use: the standard 5×7 plus smaller hoops for cuffs, collars, and monogram-sized projects.
Think of this as the machine to buy if you want the PE900’s hoop size without paying for features you’re not ready to use.
4. Singer Legacy SE300: Best Large Hoop
The Singer Legacy SE300 is a sew-and-embroider combo machine with a genuinely large 10.25×6 inch hoop, which is bigger than anything else on this list. That extra hoop space means fewer re-hoops on wide designs like jacket backs or tote bags.
It also includes a smaller 4×4 hoop for detail work, so you’re not locked into one size. With 250 built-in sewing stitches and 200 embroidery designs, it’s a genuinely capable all-in-one machine.
If hoop size is your main frustration with your current machine, this is the pick to look at first.
5. EverSewn Sparrow X2: Best Brother Alternative
The EverSewn Sparrow X2 is a sew-and-embroider combo machine worth considering if you’d rather not buy another Brother. It comes with multiple hoops, a solid built-in design library, and a color touchscreen for previewing your work.
EverSewn machines don’t have the brand recognition of Brother or Singer, but they’re built for the same hobbyist-to-side-hustle audience and priced competitively in this tier.
If you’ve already got Brother or Singer machines and want a second opinion before committing more money to the same brand, this is worth a look.
Do You Need a 5×7 Hoop or Is 4×4 Enough?
A 4×4 hoop is enough for monograms, small logos, and most left-chest designs. A 5×7 hoop is worth the upgrade if you regularly embroider jacket backs, tote bags, or larger multi-part designs.
Most everyday embroidery, think shirt pockets, hats, and baby items, fits comfortably in a 4×4 hoop. Where a bigger hoop earns its keep is on projects where re-hooping would break up the design or leave visible seams between sections.
If you’re not sure which you need, look at what you’ve actually been embroidering for the past few months. If you’ve hit the edge of a 4×4 hoop more than once, size up. If you haven’t, save the money.
Can You Start a Side Business on a Machine This Price?
Yes, for light volume. A single-needle machine under $1,000 can handle personalized gifts, small custom orders, and craft fair inventory. It won’t keep up with bulk apparel orders the way a multi-needle machine will.
The limiting factor isn’t quality, it’s speed. A single-needle home machine stops after every color change so you can rethread by hand. That’s fine for one-off orders. It becomes a bottleneck once you’re filling orders for a dozen shirts with the same five-color logo.
If your side hustle grows past what a single-needle machine can handle, our small business embroidery machine pickscover the multi-needle step up.
What Else to Check Before You Buy
Check what hoops are actually included versus sold separately. Some listings show the machine’s maximum hoop capability in the title, but only include a smaller hoop in the box.
Also check whether the machine transfers designs by USB, WiFi, or both. If you plan to buy or create a lot of custom designs, wireless transfer saves real time over swapping a USB stick for every file.
Finally, confirm the machine is a current, actively sold model before you buy. Embroidery machines get replaced by newer versions fairly often, and older discontinued models can be harder to get parts and support for down the line.
Conclusion
Any of these five machines will get you a real hoop-size upgrade over a starter machine, without the price tag of a small-business setup.
If you sew as much as you embroider, start with the Brother SE700 or Singer Legacy SE300.
If embroidery is the whole point, the Brother PE900 is the strongest all-around pick in this price range.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best embroidery machine under $1,000 for beginners? The Brother PE800 is the easiest entry point. It has the same 5×7 inch hoop as pricier Brother models but a simpler control set, so you’re not paying for wireless features you may not use right away.
Is $1,000 enough to start an embroidery side business? Yes, for light volume like personalized gifts and small custom orders. A single-needle machine at this price handles one-off work well, but it will slow down on bulk orders because you have to rethread for every color change.
Should I get a combo sewing and embroidery machine or a dedicated embroidery machine? Get a combo machine if you don’t already own a sewing machine and want both functions in one purchase. Get a dedicated embroidery machine if you already sew separately and want the largest hoop or best embroidery-specific features for your budget.
What hoop size do I actually need? A 4×4 hoop covers most everyday embroidery like monograms and small logos. Go with a 5×7 or larger hoop if you regularly work on jacket backs, tote bags, or designs that would otherwise need to be split across multiple hoopings.
Does WiFi design transfer matter, or is USB fine? USB is fine if you only load a handful of designs a month. WiFi transfer is worth having if you regularly buy or create new designs, since it skips the step of moving files to a USB stick every time.
