This is absolutely true. I learned to model and animate using Maya. I liked Maya but I like Blender’s price. I forced myself to learn Blender, with some minor changes to key commands, and now I love it.
Blender is as powerful as Maya. Unless you are actually looking to work in the industry, and not as an indie person, I highly recommend learning Blender. All the 3D programs are very similar, what you are actually learning is the UI and the viewport navigation.