I have done both and their both fun games, but they are very different. One is lighthearted in the spirit of the movies and the other is geared around a blend of roleplay and war game.
I haven't played it in awhile, but its still on my computer and I think the one time pay to download was an interesting idea. You don't want to pay to support the game, my opinion is you don't need to be there playing it.
I have never paid to play beta and it would have to be a very special game before I would pay to play it in a beta state.
What happens in everything is you get a great idea that works and makes money then for the next 20 years everyone copies it…