You've probably assumed you need an Apple Developer account before you can even open Xcode. So you either pay the $99 before writing a line of code, or you never try iOS at all because the fee feels like a wall between you and your first build. Neither is true.
Source: [Dev.to](https://dev.to/expo/how-far-you-can-get-with-expo-on-ios-before-apple-asks-for-99-dhb)