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Ask HN: Is there a market for LLM-powered local programs instead of SaaS?
1 point by amunozo on Oct 23, 2024 | hide | past | favorite | 6 comments
I'm developing several LLM-powered tools for a friend who manages a social media account to streamline his workflow. Initially, I used the OpenAI API, but I believe some tasks could be handled by local models. Since these tools could be useful to others, I'm considering creating a SaaS offering. However, as I also plan to develop a local version, I’m unsure whether to commercialize it as a SaaS product or as a traditional software program that runs locally.


It is in demand by military installations and public organizations that value closed networks and security. In fact, I'm running a company that will be installing a local LLM on-premise in 2024, and we're currently working on a B2G contract.


What about consumer applications where privacy is not that much needed? What I mean is if there is any demmand for a traditional, pay-once software.


I don't think it's worth it for personal use, and the reason is simple. There are already a lot of tools that can write local LLMs, so I don't think I'd be able to get users to pay for just using the model, I'd have to provide functionality, like automating certain behaviors.


The only way I'd consider using any AI-involved system is if it's all local. SaaS is a dealbreaker for me on this.

I don't think that helps you, though, since (like most of the people on HN) I am not representative of the general public.


> I’m unsure whether to commercialize it as a SaaS product or as a traditional software program that runs locally.

Why not both?


I thought about that too! In the end, I'll probably do them both anyway.




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