Comment by mark_l_watson

+1

> It's really just a performance tradeoff, and where your acceptable performance level is.

I am old enough to remember developers respecting the economics of running the software they create.

Ollama running locally paired occasionally with using Ollama Cloud when required is a nice option if you use it enough. I have twice signed up and paid $20/month for Ollama Cloud, love the service, but use it so rarely (because local models so often are sufficient) that I cancelled both times.

If Ollama ever implements a pay as you go API for Ollama Cloud, then I will be a long term customer. I like the business model of OpenRouter but I enjoy using Ollama Cloud more.

I am probably in the minority, but I wish subscription plans would go away and Claude Code, gemini-cli, codex, etc. would all be only available pay as you go, with ‘anti dumping’ laws applied to running unsustainable businesses.

I don’t mean to pick on OpenAI, but I think the way they fund their operations actually helps threaten the long term viability of our economy. Our government making the big all-in bet on AI dominance seems crazy to me.