Most manufacturers releases evaluation versions at the same time as their full-version compilers. So they are up-to-date.

Next - I would not want to try to evaluate a product (i.e. compare with other manufacturers tools) by trying to break through the evaluation tool limitations. Besides taking much too much time, it would not be relevant for a real comparison. The only reason for doing this kind of work, would be to cheat the manufacturer of the money for a commercial version of the tool.

If a serious evaluation requires unlimited tools, then it would be much better to contact the manufacturer and request a special demo build. Maybe a time-limited version with a hardware lock. Or maybe contact a company close-by that have the commercial version, and have them build a full-size project.

Next thing is that most people do not go through life wondering about past decisions. When a decision is made, it is made. Only when there is a reason for a new decision would it be meaningful to spend time reevaluating known facts. Living life in past tense don't build any future. You either use the tools you have, or you get new ones. Thinking about what tools you _could_ have used will not improve the code quality or speed up the delivery times.