Do I need a machine with hundreds of stitches?

No. Almost all sewing is done with about six stitches, and the number printed on the box is a marketing figure rather than a measure of what a machine can do.

The stitches actually used in garment construction. Straight stitch. Zigzag. A stretch stitch for knit seams. A three-step zigzag for edges and elastic. A buttonhole. A blind hem. Some people add an overlock imitation stitch. That is the working set, and it covers essentially everything.

What inflates the count. Decorative patterns nobody uses twice. The same stitch counted separately at several widths. Alphabets counted letter by letter on some machines. Mirror images of stitches already in the list.

What to compare instead. Whether the straight stitch is clean on the fabric you actually sew. Buttonhole quality. Presser foot lift. Whether stitch width and length adjust independently, and in fine increments rather than fixed steps. Whether the needle position can be moved. How the machine behaves climbing onto a thick seam. These are the things you meet every time you sit down.

When a long stitch list genuinely helps. Heirloom sewing, decorative topstitching, and quilting where decorative stitches are used deliberately as part of the design. If that is your work, look at the quality of the satin stitches specifically rather than the count.

And if decorative stitching is the point of the purchase, an embroidery machine does that job properly. A menu of built-in patterns is a poor substitute for one, and an expensive way to buy something you will use for a border or two.

A machine with fewer, better-executed stitches beats one with a long list.