With an Alby account you get a bunch of features like a lightning address, fiat topups, encrypted backups, etc. and it will get more that we can offer with that.

But you have the choice in the onboarding to choose. 
Some data is loaded remotely, like the blockchain data, LSP info, rates, ...
You have full control and can also configure those on your own. 

 I didn't know you could use the hub without an alby account.  I'll check it out. 

 Why do you consider using an Alby account an issue? 

 Having an account carries risk.  My node key & my npub are my sovereign accounts that I control.  Alby hub on the other hand requires albys website to authenticate their accounts, which for some reason aren't just our npubs. 

 Right. For people that don't want an Alby lightning address and payment notifications, they can use Alby Hub without an Alby account. 👍