Everything you need to know to run AI models on your own computer. From zero to generating text in 5 minutes.
Cloud AI services like ChatGPT and Claude are convenient, but they come with trade-offs: your data is sent to external servers, you pay recurring fees, and you depend on someone else's infrastructure.
Local AI means running AI models directly on your own computer. Your conversations stay private, it works offline, and it's free after the initial hardware investment.
| Local AI | Cloud AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy | Data stays on your machine | Data sent to servers |
| Cost | Free after hardware | $20-200+/month |
| Internet | Works offline | Required |
| Speed | Depends on your GPU | Usually fast |
| Quality | Good to excellent | Excellent |
| Customization | Full control | Limited |
| Rate limits | None | Often limited |