Short answer: Choose per use case. Use managed (big vendor) when speed and convenience matter; consider open source when control, privacy, or cost predictability matters.
How to decide
- What’s the job? Writing short emails ≠ analyzing confidential contracts.
- What are the rules? If data must never leave your system, open source (hosted by you) may fit.
- What’s the budget and timeline? Managed services get you moving fast; open source can reduce run costs if you have the team to run it.
Practical play
- Start with a managed model to learn fast.
- In parallel, test an open-source model for sensitive or high-volume tasks.
- Keep your options open with a simple “adapter layer” so you can swap models later.
Example
Marketing drafts blog outlines with a managed model. Legal reviews contracts with an open-source model running in your private cloud.
