I purchased my first PCS on Ebay for $9.99 that was 4. I played with it for a week and tried the free upgrade for a month. That I purchase as soon as my month was up, however I could not open my 4 programs with it. So I had to keep 4 also. After a year I decided to try the free Pro version for a month. Big surprise! At the end of the month I bought it too! AND I could now get rid of my two older versions because I can open all my patterns with the Pro. I would tell everyone just go fro the Pro. IT IS THE BEST! mY FRIENDS AND I LOVE IT! they love it because I can do picts of theur babies in cross stitch and I LOVE IT because it has saved me so much money in wasted projeces.