To make an informed decision, it's crucial to understand how AMD licenses its Vivado Design Suite. Contrary to popular belief, many legal options are available at no cost.
Even though it's "free," you still need to generate a certificate-based license file from Xilinx to activate it: Downloads - AMD
Vivado 2019.1 is a sophisticated software tool developed by Xilinx, a leading company in the field of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), adaptive SoCs, and software defined solutions. Vivado is used for designing, debugging, and optimizing FPGA-based systems. Given its advanced features and capabilities, Vivado 2019.1 requires a valid license to operate, which can sometimes pose a challenge for individuals and organizations looking to use the software without incurring costs.
The is the foundational free tier of the Vivado Design Suite. It gives you full access to the design flow (synthesis, implementation, and bitstream generation) at zero cost.