Many low cost programs are shipped with a manual that covers only the bare essentials needed to run the program. These manuals usually have little or no graphic material, and they rarely explain how the program calculates it's results. However, due to the simplicity of most low cost programs, an extensive user manual is nice to have, but not absolutely essential. Advanced features almost always means extra complexity. Power and flexibility in a program are always provided at a trade-off with simplicity.
More options means more thought no matter how nicely the options are implemented in the software.
This being the case, expensive software almost always takes a little longer to learn than a simple, low cost program. Another downside of expensive software is that it usually requires a more powerful computer than does low cost software. Many times expensive software can run on entry level computers with only an inexpensive memory upgrade, but it may not perform with satisfactory speed. In general, expensive software really needs a high end computer to perform at it's best. Whereas price is actually one of the best benefits of low cost software, excessive price is definitely a downside to some of the more expensive programs.