That is no longer true. Registering for an account is free. you can get a signing key for testing (i.e. to build and run on your own device) for free also. You

That is no longer true. Registering for an account is free. you can get a signing key for testing (i.e. to build and run on your own device) for free also. You only need to pay if you want to publish to the App Store.