When I am evaluating software for work, I absolutely want full-featured, for a limited time. Usually vendors are willing to give you extra time if you need it, especially if there is something in there that displays "trial version" when you use it in your application so they aren't worried you're going to deploy the trial without paying. We spent several months constantly renewing trial license keys while attempting to integrate a brand-new product that we weren't fully sure would meet our needs -- and we did eventually buy it and spend a lot on licensing, so their cooperation paid off.

At home, where my personal software budget is more limited, I prefer free versions with limited features. I still buy software that I need, but free versions are greatly appreciated 🙂