Local vs cloud
| Aspect | Local AI | BotConnector Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Compute | Your device | Remote cloud infrastructure |
| Internet | Not required for inference after local setup | Required |
| Model source | Your local runtime, currently Ollama for the public CLI/TUI | BotConnector cloud catalog |
| Usage | Does not consume BotConnector Cloud inference usage | Free Starter or PAYG account access |
| Best for | Privacy, offline work, hardware you control | Larger or specialized models, convenience, cross-device access |
Use Local when your device can handle the workload and you want on-device execution. Use Cloud when you want a hosted model or your device is not the right fit.
BotConnector lets you choose either mode; one is not a silent fallback for the other.