A model on your computer or a subscription?

What you'll see in this lesson

1. Local or subscription: four things to weigh

   Looking at the subscription fee isn't enough: you have to add up hardware, electricity and time, and also compare privacy and quality.

2. Hardware: the biggest cost comes upfront

   The graphics card's memory decides which model fits, and in 2026 high-memory cards have shot up in price.

3. Electricity: what it really adds up to

   Multiply watts by hours of use and by the price per kWh: in Spain, roughly €0.20 including taxes on average.

4. Your time costs money too

   Installing, picking versions, updating and fixing problems takes hours that a subscription saves you.

5. The full monthly math

   With the hardware spread over 3 years, a local AI PC costs between 2 and 11 times as much as a subscription of about €22.

6. Privacy: the big advantage of local

   Locally, contracts, records or client data never leave your computer: no third parties store or use them.

7. Quality: open models get close, but not at home

   The best open models get close to paid ones, but they need servers; the ones that fit on a PC lag well behind.

8. When it already pays off and when it doesn't yet

   Local wins with sensitive data, high volumes of simple tasks or hardware you already own; the subscription, at anything hard.

9. Summary

   Add up hardware, electricity and time before comparing with the subscription, and split tasks by privacy and difficulty.