As far as I know ( someone correct me if I'm wrong ) but opening an account with "RidewithGPS" is free. They do however offer a paid subscription version that give you more mapping options. I use the free version with the "CueSheet" app and the "Locus Pro" app on my android based phone. You will likely want to upgrade to the paid versions of the apps. Basically it's just a one-time fee of perhaps $10 ( I bought mine yrs ago so I don't know current price ). CueSheet is probably the easier one to work with but does require that the app be online in order to navigate. For me not a problem. Locus Pro is a bit more technical but gives the user more options for both online and off-line navigation. As far as I know only the apps cost money ( one time fee ) but the mapping services from "RidewithGPS" and "Mapmyride" are free ( for entry level version )

(* Note, with Locus Pro you have to open a free account with Dropbox in order to get your planned routes off of RWGPS. Cuesheet doesn't require a dropbox account. )

Anyway, paying a small one time fee for an app is certainly worth the money for getting a feature that offers "voice" turn by turn navigation from your smart phone. The biggest downside is that using your phone for navigation will use up your phones battery. Not a big problem if your phone has a good size battery ( or you have a back up battery source ).