A lot is going to come down to budget and to what print quality you need. I personally started with an Ender 3 Pro, which I still use and enjoy, however I now also have an Artillery Sidewinder X1, which gives me faster print speeds and better print quality. I will, one day, when it is more affordable to me, look at some $1000 + printers, but my budget kept me in the $300 to $600 CAD range. As far as software, there are many you can get for free as a hobbyist. For CAD design, look at something like Autodesk Fusion 360, for printing, Cura Slicer is very popular, although there are many others. I like Cura for my Sidewinder, and I use Creality Slicer for my Ender. Will try Repetier Host and maybe MeshMixer when I have time to look at them more, but there are many options available.