There is a monthly fee, though you can pay with in game currency, if you can afford the market rate (around 400,000,000 ISK, last I checked). In this case, someone else paid real money for the time, and you're buying the token from them. You can get the first 20 days free with a guest pass, or 14 without, IIRC.

EvE is a simulation. The economy is not broken. Actions have consequences. The best way to outfit a ship depends not only on its role, but on your skills which effect the usefulness of different modules (rather than just whether you can use them) and also how much you can afford to lose. You don't fly what you can't afford to lose; you always eventually lose it if you fly it.

Of course, all the money in the world won't help you if you don't know what you're doing. Sooooo many lol noobs get pwned doing stupid things in ships they bought by selling game time for ISK. There is no "I win" button in this game (though admitedly, super capital ships come close), nor some magic formula for success chiseled in stone. It's a game that you succeed in based on the experience and knowledge of you and those you are with.