Stella, there are several embroidery software options available that are not nearly that expensive. I use Embrilliance myself, which cost less than $200 for the basic software (it's really not all that basic, but there are other modules you can add over time). I also recall seeing someone say that there is at least one option that is free, but I don't know what that might be. But honestly, if you aren't going to do any changes to your embroidery, you can just buy the Embrilliance thumbnail program to see what you have. You don't really NEED software just to download designs.