Open Source vs Commercial AI Models
Should you use open source models or commercial APIs?
Comparison
| Factor | Commercial | Open Source |
|--------|------------|-------------|
| Initial Cost | Pay per use | Free weights |
| Infrastructure | None | Significant |
| Quality | Highest | Very good |
| Control | Limited | Full |
| Scaling | Automatic | Manual |
Cost Analysis
Commercial
1K images: $30, 100K images: $3,000
Self-Hosted
1K images: ~$100 (including infra), 100K: ~$2,000
Note: Requires engineering time.
When Commercial
When Open Source
Hybrid Approach
Many successful companies use both—commercial for speed, self-hosted for volume.
Recommendation
Start commercial to ship fast and learn. Evaluate open source when you have consistent high volume and engineering capacity.
