Your windows/Linux analogy is also not very relevant here. Both are popular in different areas.
Getting some random laptop and figuring out what kernel mods to enable and hope that the specific chipset revision was supported, or maybe a patch available that might work was, in fact, a lot of bullshit to put up with to get, say, sound.
sympy will do a lot. but you're probably going to have to reach for a big book of integrals, or find a friendly mathematician to identify the equation and possible approaches. Mathematica as a paid product has a lot of time and effort spent avoiding resorting to asking for help. Much much more built in.
As an undergrad or a hobbyist you probably want to stay "lower" and slog through the calculations when you're stuck. This is part of the process of understanding. But as a professional, or a more advanced user, screwing around for a week looking for a solution is a waste of time and expertise. Spring the cash, and move forward immediately.
I'm not trying to put words in your mouth, but I think there is some nuance that this maybe helps people understand your point.
"Better" really really depends on where you are and what you're trying to do.
I will say a really nice thing about Mathematica is consistency.