If I had it to do over again I would buy EQ5 instead of EQ6, only because of the restrictions on how many times you can activate it before you are charged more money. I love being able to play with quilt designs, blocks, and can print out my own templates and foundaton pieces. I don't know anything about the other programs, so I can't help you there. I do know that EQ has a simplified version that is much cheaper, but does not have as many of the options the full version has. You can check them both out at http://www.electricquilt.com