I started out with EQ3. EQ4 and I am currently on EQ5. You might want to check out their site to see what they recommend for what kind of operating system you are currently running on your computer. I am still running Windows XP and I have absolutely NO PROBLEM with designing blocks or quilts. These are hard times financially for some people and I can't afford to upgrade. I was disappointed that I am limited in the number of rows when I designed this Bargello quilt but I still was able to make it work. I have seen post here that Eleanor Burns occasionally has the software on sale much lower prices then anywhere else. Good Luck !!