Play the free version. This one has some more stuff, but ye olde MnB has about the same QOL or better and that's comparing to a damn flash game.
I'm a bit of a fan of old MnB, grinded and learned for Victoria Cross and most of the other ribbons too. That wasn't easy, it was barely fun, and it was barely rewarding. I then grew up and started playing better RTS games. Zero-K, in particular, absolutely spoiled me with wonderful game balance and quality of life. That's free too. Play it.
Mud and Blood has not grown up. It's still a silly little game, about on par with Men of War but without the workshop, 3D battlespace, fine-tuned control over your units, ability to see what the ♥♥♥♥ is going on, settings, ease of use, multiplayer, and so on and so forth. Men of War isn't particularly good either, but annoyingly, it's both more realistic and a better game despite... being what it is.
And yes, with this game, you can tell that after an hour and a half. It plays exactly the same as it used to, with only a few new bits and bobs attached.
I considered keeping this to effectively pay the dev back for the old games - one generally doesn't Victoria Cross without hundreds of hours played - but I don't think Mud and Blood was ever something I'd want to have paid for.

If you want to feel like you can actually progress in a campaign, this game is not for you. They have gone a more realistic route which is cool, but it is impossible to progress in the campaign without your troops dying every couple of rounds. There is way too much RNG with very little ability to actually control your troops. It is incredibly frustrating when the map has no cover for half of it with ambushes that pop out right next to your squad and one tap a guy that is super experienced. Play the free versions if you actually want to have a fun experience.