Hi Carolyn,
I purchased Embird just a few months ago, LOVE it and the basic costs is about $140.00 at Secrets of Embroidery, (and you collect points for future purchases).
Did not find it hard at all and their is so much support for the programs. I will be adding on the font engine
software shortly but really find it easy to use. Much cheaper than viking.
Hugs
Michelle

Sands computing also has programs and very cheaply without dongle. You can try for free for a month, they also have a support group, might be worth looking into as well

try the embird homepage, yes it is easy 8-)
test for 30 days or so

Everyone says Embird is very easy,I have PE.Design and no tuition.I will try Embird soon.

You have some good suggestions already. I've been thinking about this for a bit as I have a dongle (it would cost about $500 to replace it) and it would be nice not to have to be concerned about losing it. I used the Emird free trial and didn't do a lot with it (I was a newbie to embroidery and didn't know what I was doing anyway), but what I did use was real easy and the little bit of playing I did, I had no problem. I haven't tried the sew what pro and I believe there is also a free trial for buzz tools.
Good luck with what you decide.

Only problem with Embird Basic is that it does not have the over a hundred built-in pre-digitised fonts 3D and 5D have nor the embellishments which make monogramming such great fun. The fonts cost $15 per set if I remember well. So that accounts for a great deal of the price difference. Having seen so many of your projects with lettering on it I think you really need FontEngine too.

Have you checked out Floriani(not sure of the spelling) software. I went to a demo a while back on it and was impressed, it looked great. A bit expensive but I believe it had lifetime updates without paying for them! I already had 4D at the time and it was just too much to switch.

Hi Carolyn,
My limited knowledge is I have Embird and took up Meganne on her suggestion to get the tutorial for Studio (digitizing MOdule part of embird) for $50 over 10 weeks from flying needle. We download tons of video lessons weekly-great bargain.
Sorry to say I have not been able to actually get to it but I have it when I'm ready to learn.
I think Embird is a manual punch program and not to many bells and whistles like automated functions. However, they have added more fun features in latest version. Plus is you can buy what you need in modules and there is a lot of support. I don't know about 3D and 5d but they probably have more automated features like the one for fonts that Martine mentions below. A good idea is to make a list of pros and cons of each as you research and decide what is important for you. Is it worth the $$$ to get more features, do you want to digitize, fonts, etc.

Carolyn
What do you want this program to do for you?
Editing and combining designs, sizing etc?
Embird basic will do that for you and also Sew What Pro.

If you want to learn digitizing then you would have to buy the additional Embird Digitizing Module and the Basic Embird program.
Embird has several different modules that you can add to the Basic program.

EastWitch2