There is a Siemens starter kit for the S7-1200 Series that is fairly affordable (~$500 USD when I bought it). It includes TIA Portal Basic, and there is virtually no difference between Basic and the Advanced version that controls the S7-1500 series.
I personally hate TIA portal compared to Rockwell software, but it is less expensive and has become fairly popular in the Automotive world.
I personally hate TIA portal compared to Rockwell software, but it is less expensive and has become fairly popular in the Automotive world.