Same with Inkscape vs Affinity Designer.
I really wanted Inkscape to work for me, though I was constantly fighting the UI and some weird artifacting Inkscape produced exporting SVG files.
Affinity Designer was, and still is, especially since their licenses are perpetual/non-subscription, well worth the price and is a dream to use.
Don't feel bad. When he fucked off to the U.S he renounced his Australian citizenship.
Clearly being a megalomaniac was more important to him.