need program to copy a disc.

I thought iMAC's came with some burning software? Do they? Or can you suggest?

You can burn data discs by creating Burn folders and music discs via iTunes. However, in order to copy a disc, you will need third party software.

The best is obviously Toast, but that can be a bit overkill for most people, especially considering its price tag.

Perhaps others can recommend a free or cheaper alternative (I personally use Toast and find it indispensable).

Yeah...free would be nice

Take a look at Burn. I used it before I got Toast and it worked rather well.

You can also copy using Disk Utility built into OS X

tried that but............