> 1) Spend $100 a year for the privilege of being allowed to access their app store
Doesn't it require $100 a year to compile an app and install it on your own phone (because even hobby apps require signing)? I can't fathom why so-called "hackers" put up with this. I suspect because $
No, you can build and install for yourself. Self-signed apps last 7 days before they need to be re-signed. If you have a Developer Account your signed app lasts 1 year before re-signing.
People have even made it (generally) easy to re-sign IPAs; see tooling like https://sideloadly.io/.
