Tried local for daily use, went back to cheap cloud subscriptions

After trying to use a local model for everyday tasks, this person concluded it wasn't worth it for them: it was fast enough and the output was acceptable, but running it pins the machine at full load, uses meaningful electricity, and makes the computer unusable for anything else while it's working. They point to cheap cloud options — a plan a few euros a month that they say is miles better, with an even cheaper competing API besides — as making the trade-off hard to justify unless you specifically need what only local can offer.