Davida,
Unfortunately I don't know of any other program that comes even close to Fireworks - depending on what it is you are working with, and what it is you need to do to it you could always try downloading the free Photoshop trial and working in there with your file (but I've always preferred Fireworks to Photoshop for just about anything having to do with design).

There is also Inkscape - an open source (free) scalable vector graphics editor

And GIMP - a free software download that allows you to edit your images in raster (pixels)

[All Adobe programs will understand a Fireworks source file - so if you do download the Photoshop trial it should import and open just fine]

If you do a lot of work on your website template and think you might create business cards, logos, etc. for yourself or your clients I would highly recommend investing in Fireworks. I know it's a big investment but it is well worth it over the long haul - we ultimately ended up buying Adobe CS3 WP and I almost had a nose bleed when we did but it helps support the quality of our work and means we can handle our own and our clients' projects with the utmost in professional design and coding tools.

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