RUNLOCALAIv38
->Will it run?Best GPUCompareTroubleshootStartLearnPulseModelsHardwareToolsBench
Run check
RUNLOCALAI

Independently operated catalog for local-AI hardware and software. Hand-written verdicts. Source-cited claims. Reproducible commands when we have them.

OP·Fredoline Eruo
DIR
  • Models
  • Hardware
  • Tools
  • Benchmarks
TOOLS
  • Will it run?
  • Compare hardware
  • Cost vs cloud
  • Choose my GPU
  • Prompting kits
  • Quick answers
REF
  • All buyer guides
  • Learn local AI
  • Methodology
  • Glossary
  • Errors KB
  • Trust
EDITOR
  • About
  • Author
  • How we make money
  • Editorial policy
  • Contact
LEGAL
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Sitemap
MAIL · MONTHLY DIGEST
Get monthly local AI changes
Monthly recap. No spam.
DISCLOSURE

Some links on this site are affiliate links (Amazon Associates and other first-class retailers). When you buy through them, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate links do not influence our verdicts — there are cards we rate highly that we don't have affiliate relationships with, and cards that sell well that we refuse to recommend. Read more →

© 2026 runlocalai.coIndependently operated
RUNLOCALAI · v38
← Home

>Cost across cloud + local

Paste anything — a prompt, source file, transcript, email draft. We count tokens, then show you the cost across 11 cloud providers and your local rig, side by side. Same data for the same input. Decide where each workload belongs.

11 providers across 3 tiers. Prices verified May 2026. Token counts are content-aware approximations (±15%) — provider price differences dwarf tokenizer accuracy, so this is enough to make a decision. URL updates as you change — share by copy.

§ Editorial stance
Cloud APIs from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, DeepSeek and the open-weight hosters are world-class — modern local AI exists downstream of their research. They're the right call for frontier-quality work, day-one access to new models, and workloads where you don't want to own hardware. Local is the right call for high-volume routine work, privacy-sensitive content, and offline capability. This page is a calculator, not advocacy — it shows you where each option lands for your specific workload so you can pick deliberately, not by default.

Calculator

Start with the sample text or paste your own. Pick a local rig + model from your catalog and the cloud providers you want to compare against. Everything is reactive.

§ Paste a prompt, code, or transcript
457 chars·detected: Code (TS / JS / Python)·~3.2 chars/token
Estimated tokens: 143 in · 72 out
§ Compare against (optional)
§ Cloud providers to compare
4 selected · prices verified 2026-05
Frontier
Mid-tier
Open-weight (hosted)
At 1,500 runs per month
$3.23on GPT-5 (most expensive)
Cheapest cloud: $0.177 on DeepSeek V3 (API).
§ Cost spectrum — per month
longer bar = more expensive · color = provider tier
GPT-5$3.2GPT-5: $3.2 per month · $0.0022 per runLlama 3.3 70B (Together)$0.28Llama 3.3 70B (Together): $0.28 per month · $0.0002 per runDeepSeek V3 (API)$0.18DeepSeek V3 (API): $0.18 per month · $0.0001 per runCost over 1,500 runs (per month)
Frontier (premium)
Mid-tier
Open-weight (hosted)
§ Receipt — 1,500 runs at 143 in / 72 out tokens each
ProviderModel$/M in$/M outPer runper monthvs cheapest
DeepSeek
DeepSeek V3 (API)
Mid-tier
$0.27$1.10$0.00012$0.177
cheapest
Together AI
Llama 3.3 70B (Together)
Open-weight
$0.88$0.88$0.00019$0.2841.6×
OpenAI
GPT-5
Frontier
$5.00$20.00$0.00216$3.2318.3×
Range: $0.177 → $3.23 (18.3× spread). Prices verified May 2026. Token counts approximate ±15%.
IF CLOUD STILL WINS · THIRD-PARTY RESELLER · REF LINK
$500 of Claude API credits for $49
per ClaudeStore’s current bundle

If the calculator above says cloud is the right call for your workload — frontier-quality one-shot tasks, low-volume agentic loops, day-one access to new models — ClaudeStore is a third-party reseller that bundles Claude API credits at a discount vs Anthropic-direct top-ups. Bundle terms set by ClaudeStore (not us, not Anthropic) and can change — verify the current bundle on their checkout before you pay. We get a small referral commission if you sign up via the link; it doesn’t change what you pay.

Claim the bundle↗or go to Anthropic direct (no kickback to us) →

Affiliate disclosure: ClaudeStore is an unofficial third-party Claude API reseller — not Anthropic. The $500-for-$49 figure is ClaudeStore’s currently-advertised bundle; pricing can change without notice on their side, so confirm at checkout before paying. We receive a referral commission on sign-ups via the link above. How we make money. The recommendation isn’t influenced by the kickback — the calculator above tells you whether cloud is the right answer for your specific workload.

Where to go from here

Stack Builder →

Once you know it's worth going local: pick the whole rig + runtime + model + install script in one wizard.

Quant Advisor →

The local cost above assumes Q4_K_M. Drill into which quant fits your specific hardware × model × context.

TCO calculator →

The break-even number above is volume-driven. Switch view to tune utilization / electricity / amortization assumptions.

Stream Visualizer →

Cost is one side of the trade — speed is the other. Watch tokens stream at the rate your rig would produce them, side-by-side with the cloud provider.

Claude Code → local →

Step-by-step guide to swap Claude Sonnet for a local model in your Claude Code workflow. Real commands.