Just to confirm, you don't need the cloud account for entering management page right? The reviews I read on Amazon could be from people who are not technical enough so they fell for the cloud acc trap.
I have a R7800 and they used to have an app for Android and iOS they didn't need account. They later removed that app and made the router refuse connections to it in favor of the new app that does require an account.
That being said, if you don't want the app you don't need an account.
Also using net gear. I suspect the vast majority of users here are savvy enough to get around the cloud requirement but non-technical users likely would not have figured it out.