As a beginning fractalist, it's up to you to sample the wares, and make a software decision on what seems best and most fun for YOU. Don't fall into the trap of locking yourself into a single program based on what a few people might think is "BEST". Artists are by tradition open-minded experiment junkies. I hope you are too.

With that in mind, here is a link to a page that lists a whole lot of freeware/shareware/commercial fractal software. I hope you check at least a few of them out before deciding which style or technique you personally prefer.

http://home.att.net/~Paul.N.Lee/Fractal_Software.html

Have fun!