I just did a quick search for Quilt Assistant, not sure if it is the same one that is mentioned, but it does state that it is NOT designed to be a cheap alternative to commercial software like EQ. What it is designed for is to turn photos into quilts and quickly draft quilt blocks or paper piecing patterns.
http://www.cosman.nl/software_en.html
When I design a quilt, I use EQ. I started with version 5 and have 6 and 7 now. Once you learn how to use the program it is fast and fun to change blocks, colors, borders, sashing etc. You can even put your quilting designs on the blocks and change the color of the thread you want to use for that, to see what it would look like when youu are done.
I used EQ to help me plan out a quilt from blocks that I had started early in my quilting life and never finished. I wanted to see what different settings would look like, and what I would need to "add" to the quilt to get it to the size I wanted, with out adding more blocks since I didn't have any more of that fabric left, and couldn't get any more. I probably would have never finished that quilt if I had to try and do it all with out the aid of the computer.