? I have never been signed out of this board unless I click log out.

I also recommend EQ. I only have 6...but obviously if I were buying "new" today, I'd get 7. I'm kind of waiting til 8 comes out to get it.

Thanks everyone! I will definitely take all of your advice and really appreciate your input!

I looked on Amazon because I have been contemplating EQ also and have some questions: 1) What is EQ Design Wizard? An add on or baby version? Also when is EQ 8 expected? Do you get updates but must repurchase if a new version comes out, or can you get a full update at a lower cost? Sorry for the list of questions, but I know all of us looking at purchasing for the first time want to make as informed a decision as possible so thanks for the info from all of us potential buyers!

I have Design Wizard and had fun with it for awhile. It was cheap and worth it. Dont use it anymore. It comes with its own designs so you dont create your own.
Not interested in creating my own designs, there are so many available why bother.

You are not the first to ask these questions.

The most recent answers have been that there is no EQ8 on the horizon. Historically, if you purchased EQ6, you were able to upgrade to EQ7 for about half the cost. However, there is no guarantee that they will repeat that practice.

Quiltpro has a free trial, so you can give it a try to see how it is and see a little if quilting software is right for you. I don't have EQ7 but found my EQ4 (yayyyy) and watched EQ7 and Quiltpro videos and I think both programs are useful . Go in, knowing that you will be frustrated at times. But with expectations reigned in, the tools are valuable IMHO. You probably can't make quilt designs that look exactly like the finished products (fabric and all), but you can come pretty close.

I have background with Adobe products, and found the learning curve not nearly as steep as expected. If you have experience with graphical tools of any kind, you may find the quilt programs fairly intuitive.

Design Wizard is now own by EQ and is not connected at all with EQ program, just a less expensive simpler version but I can only assume you get what you pay for.

Nothing has been officially announced for EQ8.

If you do currently own the version of EQ7, you can just buy the update for EQ8 when it comes out instead of the whole program. You are under NO obligation to update your program, just know eventually support will be discontinued.

I don't think they lower the selling price on previous versions. Usually when quilter's buy the newer version, they sell their older version on eBay or maybe pass it onto a friend.

You might keep an eye on QIAD. I think she occasional has EQ7 for sale around $149.

Hope this helps. :)

I have had QuiltPro for years and it meets my needs
Assists perfectly in resizing blocks when I design, previewing fabrics on quilt blocks
And estimating yardage of fabric needed.

EQ sounds like a dream software to have - if today I was in the market for one, that's probably what I would choose..

Thanks to this discussion thread, I am now the new owner of Electric Quilt 7. I bought it on Amazon. You are all enablers, and I'm proud to know you!