Does my client need to create an account or pay to see the report?
No. The report is a public link that opens in any browser, with no login, no sign-up and no cost for the person viewing it. If you set a password, they only need to enter the password you send them. Your client can still interact with the report: change the period, filter campaigns and status, turn metrics on and off in the chips, and change the Top 3 criterion. Nothing the visitor changes alters the report's saved setup, and they have no access to any other part of your Ads Editor account.