I've outlined the differences in a few dA posts here (albeit I'm still in the dark about that exclamation point XD)
http://ocarinalink24.deviantart.com/art/Shareware-Features-1-514841332
http://ocarinalink24.deviantart.com/art/Shareware-Features-2-514841358
http://ocarinalink24.deviantart.com/art/Shareware-Features-3-514841380
The plug-ins for conversion don't automatically set the right pitches though (as in ↑ symbols, etc.), at least I haven't found one that does. The shareware version does however, and is definitely worth looking into, but not necessary. I find it
extremely helpful for Meiji specifically.
You could also do it this way, but it's kind of a pain in the butt XD
http://utau.wikia.com/wiki/UTAU_User_Manual_-_13
There's a bit more to the shareware version than that, like being able to use UTAU (plural) saved as a .uar file and it also shows a bit of volume functions to aid with tuning.
(Copy-pasted from above in case you don't see it) The plug-ins for conversion don't automatically set the right pitches though (as in ↑ symbols, etc.), at least I haven't found one that does. Definitely worth looking into, but not necessary. I find it
extremely helpful for Meiji specifically. If there is a plug-in that sets the right pitches then I'd be really interested in what it is owo The shareware version is only about 75% accurate for that.