I can not comment on Quilt Pro, but I first purchased Jenny Haskins "Perfect Quilt Express" and "Perfect Quilt - Classic 1200". While it did what I thought I wanted it to do, it did not have the flexibility of many things I wanted to try and navigating through the block library and quilt library was cumbersome. I still browse through the blocks occasionally when I am looking for something specific, but then always go back to my EQ.
Everyone else has pretty much answered your other questions - I will just add I use my EQ much more than I ever expected. I also will play with EQ when I am answering a question on the board. I view this as great practice.
There is a learning curve if you are not used to running programs, but for me - ( I am a retired CompSci teacher) it was pretty straight forward. I think it will serve you well - and there is a lot of help around here if you have questions.