So you can buy the 8 track version very cheap, see if it is enough, if not, upgrade to the 16 track version and pay the difference as if you had bought the 16 track version in the first place, and if you want even more, do the same for the full version. There's even a cheaper version for even less money with only 8 tracks and even less internal tools and sounds, made for students that will really help you to determine if this is software you would want to use, and you can buy an upgrade license in case you want more. I seldomly go over 10 tracks, and that version has 16 I think. The 100E version is more limited, but I would be able to make the music I do with it anyway as the advanced things it adds are (although really really nice) not mandatory for production, unless you need more than the tracks (channels) that version brings. As I own a company and produce music for it, I bought the license there as investment, which is something I also do for good plugins that I need to work more efficiently or get better quality. LMMS is not meant to be a 'competing' DAW.
It may not offer many out-of-the-box plugins and functionalities compared to Bitwig Studio, but it should be good enough for most of the usual needs like modulation, automation, using VST plugins, and more. It offers a simple user interface with all the essential features.
#Reaper vs lmms update
Reaper has more bells and whistles than LMMS but my impression is that LMMS is improving with each update - so the two DAWs might even compete in the future. Reaper is an affordable DAW available for Linux.
I did buy the full version, but I waited for summer to get it for a discounted price. Reaper is another feature-rich DAW that is popular partly due to its low price tag (for non-professional use).