I have EQ5, spent around 70.00 for it and feel that it satisfies all my needs. I sew a quilt I think I might like to sew, reproduce it in EQ, change some fabrics to approximate ones in my stash (I simply change the background color and possibly one or two of the other colors) and then decide if I like it. Or I tweak it some. Some I don't like at all and then I feel like I have saved myself time and money. It has helped me define my own taste in quilts. It is so helpful in determining finished size to something I have put together, especially if I want it on point. The custom set is very hard to work with, but I have done it and plan to make a fall wallhanging this year from my own design. I do not bother downloading palettes from EQ either. It takes a lot of time to search for a match to a stash item and I would rather spend time tweaking the design.