10 Best Monogramming Machines for Your Creative Needs

Monogramming is one of the most popular kinds of machine embroidery.  With a monogramming machine, you can embroider words, numbers, and monograms on almost any type of fabric project.

From a name on a child’s backpack to a phone number on a beach towel, the sky’s the limit when you’re monogramming.  

You might need a monogramming machine for your own personal use, or you may be looking for the best monogramming sewing machine if you’re thinking of starting a home-based monogramming and embroidery business.  

There are a ton of machines out there, and choosing can be confusing.  We’ve taken the guesswork out of choosing by taking a deep dive into the most popular monogramming machines on the market.  

We’re breaking down all the info you need to choose from the best monogramming machines for your needs based on the features you want and the price you’re willing to pay.  

Now let’s have a look…

10 Best Monogramming Machines for The Home Sewist or Creative Business

Here’s a quick summary of our favorite picks for the best monogramming machines. Some are great for the home sewist and some are perfect if you want to start a monogramming business. Our top choices at three price points are below.

Read on for all the details on our top 10 best monogramming sewing machines.

This post may contain affiliate links. My full disclosure policy is sort of boring, but you can find it here.

#1 Brother SE600 monogramming Machine

All the Details

• Embroidery Area: 4″ x 4″
• Built-in Designs: 103
• Built-in Fonts: 6
• Number of Needles: 1
• Screen Size: 3.7″
• Import Ability: USB Port,

What We Like

• Easy to use
• Needle threader
• USB port for design uploads
• Good machine for regular sewing as well as monogramming

What We Don’t Like

• Optional software is pricey
• Embroidery area is small but would work for home needs

Our Verdict

This is our pick of the best monogramming machines at the lowest price point. It does everything a home sewist would want – monogramming, embroidery and standard sewing. Easy to learn and use.

#2 Brother PE550D Disney Embroidery Machine

All the Details

• Embroidery Area: 4″ x 4″
• Built-in Designs: 125 including 45 Disney Designs
• Built-in Fonts: 9
• Number of Needles: 1
• Screen Size: 3.2″
• Import Ability: USB Port

What We Like

• This special model has built-in Disney designs for Mickey Mouse fans
• Auto needle threader

What We Don’t Like

• While the Disney designs are fun, it means it has fewer regular built-in designs
• 3 fonts are actually Japanese font styles
• Requires the purchase of software if you want to do more than the built-in designs

Our Verdict

This machine works great for smaller monogramming projects. It’s easy to use and lettering can be edited on the touch screen in several different ways. Good entry-level choice so it’s on our list of the best monogramming machines out there.

#3 Brother PE800 5″ x 7″ Embroidery Machine

All the Details

• Embroidery Area: 5″ x 7″
• Built-in Designs: 138
• Built-in Fonts: 11 (7 English, 3 Japanese, 1 Cyrillic)
• Number of Needles: 1
• Screen Size: 3.2″
• Import Ability: USB Port

What We Like

• 5″ x 7″ embroidery area seems huge compared to the 4″ x 4 size
• You can rotate, mirror, increase and decrease designs using the LCD screen
• Auto needle threader

What We Don’t Like

• Metal bobbins cause the machine to malfunction, so you must use plastic

Our Verdict

This is is our top pick of the best monogramming machines for machines with a larger embroidery area. The 5″ x 7″ hoop means you can make so many more designs than the smaller sizes. This machine is easy to use and creates beautiful monograms and embroidery.

#4 Brother SE1900 Embroidery Machine

All the Details

• Embroidery Area: 5″ x 7″
• Built-in Designs: 138
• Built-in Fonts: 11 (7 English, 3 Japanese, 1 Cyrillic)
• Number of Needles: 1
• Screen Size: 3.2″
• Import Ability: USB Port

What We Like

• You can design and save your own custom sewing stitches
• You can rotate, mirror, increase and decrease designs using the LCD screen
• 25-year limited warranty and free customer service

What We Don’t Like

• Needle threader can be finicky

Our Verdict

This combination sewing and monogramming machine does a good job at balancing the best of both worlds. It’s easy to learn and the manual is clearly written. It’s a good choice for the middle range price point.

#5 Eversewn Sparrow Monogramming Machine

All the Details

• Embroidery Area: 4.75″ x 7″ and 2″ x 2.75″
• Built-in Designs: 100
• Number of Needles: 1
• No Screen – Controlled by a smartphone or tablet using the Eversewn App
• Formats read: .exp, .pex, .xxx, .dst and more

What We Like

• Comes with two different size hoops
• If you have a smart device you won’t need to buy extra software
• Well written manual and clear instructions

What We Don’t Like

• If you don’t have a smartphone or tablet, you’ll need one because this machine does not have an LCD screen

Our Verdict

This innovative design uses an app to stream your design over WiFi to the machine. This is a great machine if you don’t mind using an App to upload your designs. If you’re tech-savvy, this gives you much more freedom to create and import custom monograms and designs. But if you’re looking for one of the best monogramming machines for a beginner, this choice is probably too complicated.

#6 Singer Legacy SE300 Embroidery Machine

All the Details

• Embroidery Area: 6″ x 10.25 and 4″ x 4″
• Built-in Designs: 200
• Built-in Fonts: 6
• Number of Needles: 1
• Import Ability: USB Port
• 25-year limited warranty

What We Like

• Comes with two different hoops
• Extra-large embroidery area
• Ability to update software
• Bobbin can be wound while embroidering

What We Don’t Like

• Auto threader is difficult to use
• You can only really view the built-in designs on a PC as the LCD screen is pretty limited

Our Verdict

This Singer embroidery machine is another contender in our best monogramming machines mid-price point level. It does a lot of things well and comes with two different sized hoops. However, the LCD screen is a bit small and primitive. In our opinion, the Brother PE800 is a better value at this price point.

#7 Janome Memory Craft 400E

All the Details

• Embroidery Area: 7.9″ x 7.9″
• Built-in Designs: 160
• Built-in Fonts: 6
• Number of Needles: 1
• Import Ability: USB Port

What We Like

• Large embroidery area
• On-screen editing to rotate, flip, mirror, etc.
• Well built machine
• Optional additional accessories available

What We Don’t Like

• The instruction manual isn’t complete enough for a new user

Our Verdict

Janome makes quality sewing machines and this one is no exception. Once you figure out the manual, you’ll get great results with this one. The extra-large embroidery area is a rarity.

But this machine is still a single needle monogramming machine, so it’s pricy. If you love a Janome, this may be one of the best monogramming machines for you.

#8 Brother SE400 Combination Sewing & Embroidery Machine

All the Details

• Embroidery Area: 4″ x 4″
• Built-in Designs: 70
• Built-in Fonts: 5
• Number of Needles: 1
• 25-year limited warranty and unlimited support
• Import Ability: USB cable outlet

What We Like

• Good for beginners
• Easy to switch between sewing and embroidery

What We Don’t Like

• Machine must be connected via cable to a computer to download designs
• Primitive LCD screen

Our Verdict

This machine is expensive for a 4″ x 4″ hoop machine. While it’s easy to use and operate, for the money we’d recommend our #1 choice of best monogramming machines instead, the Brother SE600.

#9 Janome MB-4S Four Needle Embroidery Machine

All the Details

• Embroidery Area: 9.4″ x 7.9″
• Built-in Designs: 138
• Built-in Fonts: 50
• Number of Needles: 4
• Screen Size: 5.7″
• Import Ability: USB Port

What We Like

• Comes with multiple hoops
• Expanded built-in memory
• Extra-large bobbin
• On-screen editing
• Compatible with six industry-standard Tajima hoops

What We Don’t Like

• Hard to thread, but worth it for the versatility of a 4 needle machine

Our Verdict

If you’re looking for a versatile machine for your home-based monogramming and embroidery business, this is our pick of the best monogramming machines.

It has a small footprint, is lightweight and has the ability to stitch on just about anything with the available hoops. For a complicated machine, the touchscreen panel is easy to use and you’ll get the quality results you’d expect with a Janome.

It’s our top pick of the multi-needle best monogramming machines.

#10 Janome MB-7 7 Needle Embroidery Machine

All the Details

• Embroidery Area: 9.4″ x 7.9″
• Built-in Designs: 50
• Built-in Fonts: 10
• Number of Needles: 7
• Screen Size: 5.7″
• Import Ability: USB Port

What We Like

• Comes with multiple hoops
• Expanded built-in memory
• Extra-large bobbin
• On-screen editing
• Compatible with industry-standard Tajima hoops
• Fast and smooth operation

What We Don’t Like

• More complicated to thread, but that’s par for the course with a multi-needle machine. It still is a great machine that makes our list of the best monogramming machines.

Our Verdict

This is another quality Janome machine. It monograms and embroiders just like you’d expect it to. It’s a great business machine because you can expand the kinds of things you embroider with industry-standard Tajima hoops.

The 7 needles allow for a wide range of thread colors. If a 7 needle machine is something you feel your monogramming business needs, this Janome is one of the best monogramming machines for the price.

What is A Monogramming Machine?

More specialized than a traditional sewing machine, a monogramming sewing machine is designed to be able to embroider letters and numbers in different fonts onto almost anything made of fabric.

While a monogramming machine may look like a standard sewing machine, it doesn’t sew; it embroiders.

Modern monogramming machines are computerized.  They come with a set of built-in fonts and patterns that can be selected depending on the project.  

Some high end best monogramming sewing machines can be connected to a computer or have a USB slot for a flash drive, so you can upload even more designs.

If you’re looking for a heavy-duty machine for your home business, you may want to look into our recommendations for the best industrial sewing machine as well.

Why Would You Need a Monogramming Sewing Machine?

Since most standard sewing machines are unable to embroider, you might want a monogramming sewing machine if you want to monogram any of the following items:

• Wedding accessories
• Linens
• Handkerchiefs
• Baby clothes
• Backpacks, bags and other canvas items
• Sports uniforms
• Sashes
• Swim team towels
• Blankets
• Hats
• Clothing
• Personalized gifts
• Home decor items

That’s a lot, huh? With the best monogramming machine, your potential projects are only as big as your imagination!

What’s more, there are tons of embroidery and monogramming software out there to increase your range of designs.

A Monogramming Machine probably isn’t for you if…

If you’re looking for a machine that can do it all, a monogramming sewing machine probably isn’t going to cut it.  While some monogramming machines can be used for both embroidery and sewing, that usually isn’t the case. 

But if you’re looking to only do monogramming,  or if you want to start a business doing monogramming, a monogramming sewing machine is a good option that will be cheaper than a more expensive and complicated embroidery machine.

Are Monogramming and Embroidery the Same?

If you’re wondering if a monogramming sewing machine is the same thing as an embroidery machine you’re not alone.

Monogramming is a subset of embroidery.  Monogramming usually means the embroidery of letters, numbers, and fonts.  Whereas, embroidery covers the whole range of letters, numbers, fonts and artistic designs.  

Most standard sewing machines don’t do embroidery and most embroidery machines are unable to function as a regular sewing machine. 

Different Types of Monogramming Machines

Monogramming sewing machines are available at several different price points.  If you are looking for the best monogramming machine to use in a business, you will have a different set of criteria for choosing than a home sewist who only wants to embroider once in a while.

These are the features you can expect at each level.

Entry-level Monogramming Machines

• Embroidery Area:   4” x 4” 
• Built-in Patterns: 20 – 50 different choices
• 2 – 5 fonts
• Starting Price: $250

Mid-Range Monogramming Sewing Machines

• Embroidery Area: 5” x 7”
• Built-in Patterns:  50 – 100 different choices
• 5 – 8 fonts
• Starting Price: $400

High-End Monogram Sewing Machines

• Embroidery Area:  8” x 12”
• Built-in Patterns:  100 – 300 individual designs
• 8 – 12 fonts
• Most allow you to design your own patterns and import from a computer
• Starting Price:  $600

Top of the Line Monogram Machines

• Embroidery Area:  8” x 12”
• Number of Needles:  4 – 8 
• Built-in Patterns:  200+ designs
• 12+ built-in fonts and ability to upload your own from a computer
• Ability to design your own patterns and import from a computer
• Starting Price:  $2000

Important Features In a Monogramming Machine

Just like a regular mechanical sewing machine has important features, monogramming and embroidery sewing machines have their own special set of features specific to monogramming or embroidery.

Take a look at the features below and decide which are important to you.  Then you won’t be paying for features you don’t need or missing features you could really use.

Number of Designs

Entry-level machines offer a limited set of designs and fonts, while commercial monogramming sewing machines offer hundreds of built-in designs, multiple fonts and the ability to download an almost unlimited variety of fonts and designs from your computer.

Built-in Memory

With built-in memory, you can save custom edited or imported designs to your machine to easily use again. This comes in super handy if you’re doing repetitive designs, like swim team bags, or school sweatshirts.

Design Editing

Some machines are able to do simple editing tasks like increasing the size of a design, mirroring an image or rotating without having to connect to your computer to do so. 

Number of Needles

As the number of needles increases, the price increases for the best monogramming sewing machines. 

Entry-level machines usually come with a single needle.  Every time you need to change thread color, you must stop the process, remove the last color and rethread with the new color.  

This isn’t an issue for single-color, more simple monogramming designs, but it could be extremely frustrating and cumbersome if you plan on doing complicated multi-colored designs.

High end monogramming and embroidery machines have four to ten needles which can be threaded with different colors before you start stitching.  

Embroidery Area

The size you’ll need depends on the type of projects you want to monogram.  If you just want to embroider initials on handkerchiefs, an entry-level machine will be adequate.

But if you can foresee yourself wanting to do elaborate, large designs, you may need a higher-end monogramming sewing machine.  

Entry-level machines have smaller embroidery areas:  4” x 4”, while the more expensive models usually have a large embroidery area:  8” x 12”.

Tips for Using a Monogramming Machine

Each monogramming sewing machine is different so we recommend always reading your user manual, but these are the basic steps to using the best monogramming sewing machine.

• Set your machine up in a well-lit area with room for your project to move around freely.
• Plugin your machine and follow the directions that came with the machine to program your desired monogram.
• Thread your machine with the color thread you want for your monogram.
• Decide on the placement of your monogram on your project, making sure to take the size of your hoop into consideration. Mark the center point of your design with a fabric marking tool. 
• If recommended by your machine’s manufacturer, place a piece of embroidery stabilizer under your fabric.
• Once you’ve decided on placement and added the stabilizer,  put your project into your embroidery hoop, making sure your center mark is lined up with the center marks on the hoop.  
• Attach the hoop to your machine and start your machine.
• Let the monogramming machine work its magic.
• Detach the hoop, and carefully remove your project.
• Trim any threads and carefully remove the stabilizer.
• Pat yourself on the back because you just completed your first monogram!!
• It’s always a good idea to do a test run when working on a new project.
• Make sure your needles are sharp.  They should be replaced after about 8 hours of use, or earlier if they start to seem dull. 

Summary: Our top Picks for the Best monogramming Machine at Each Pricepoint

Once again, here are our top picks at three different price points for the best monogramming machine.

The Takeaway: Which is the best Monogram Machine for Me?

Before you choose a machine, take a good look at your needs and requirements. Are you looking for a machine you’ll mostly use on home projects? Or are you thinking about starting a creative business monogramming?

Once you have the key features you’re looking for, take a good look at the specs of all the machines we’ve listed above.

By doing your research, you’re bound to find the best monogramming machine for your needs!

Happy creating!