Cost Comparison: Self-Hosted AI vs Cloud APIs
Stop overpaying for cloud AI. Real-world cost analysis: rbee (€499 lifetime) vs cloud APIs ($1,500-3,000/month). Save $17K-35K/year. Detailed ROI breakdown for startups and enterprises.
Cloud APIs are convenient but expensive. OpenAI GPT-4: $0.03 per 1K input tokens + $0.06 per 1K output tokens. For 100K requests/month: $1,500-3,000/month = $18K-36K/year. rbee lifetime: €499 (~$550 one-time).That's orders of magnitude cheaper.
Why Self-Hosting Wins: The Real Numbers
Self-hosting has upfront hardware costs, but zero per-token fees. After 3-12 months, you save thousands per year. Here's the breakdown for different company sizes:
Scenario 1: Small Startup (10K Requests/Month)
Cloud API Costs
Cloud API Pricing Comparison
| Feature | Provider | Model | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI GPT-4 | OpenAI | GPT-4 Turbo | $150-300/mo |
| OpenAI GPT-3.5 | OpenAI | GPT-3.5 Turbo | $20-40/mo |
| Anthropic Claude | Anthropic | Claude 3 Opus | $150-300/mo |
| Google Gemini | Gemini Pro | $70-140/mo |
Self-Hosted Costs (rbee)
Option 1: Used GPU
Small startup with 10K requests/month
Cost Breakdown:
- • Used RTX 3090 (24GB VRAM)one-time$800
- • rbee License (lifetime)one-time€129
- • Power (~350W × 24h × 30 days)$30/mo
Option 2: Existing Hardware
Use your gaming PC
Cost Breakdown:
- • Gaming PC you already ownone-time$0
- • rbee License (lifetime)one-time€129
- • Marginal power increase$10-20/mo
Scenario 2: Growing Company (100K Requests/Month)
Cloud API Costs
Cloud API Annual Costs
| Feature | Provider | Model | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI GPT-4 | OpenAI | GPT-4 Turbo | $1,500-3,000 | $18,000-36,000 |
| OpenAI GPT-3.5 | OpenAI | GPT-3.5 Turbo | $200-400 | $2,400-4,800 |
Self-Hosted Costs (rbee)
Multi-Machine Setup
Growing company with 100K requests/month
Cost Breakdown:
- • 2× RTX 4090 (24GB each)one-time$3,200
- • rbee Pro License (lifetime)one-time€249
- • Power (~700W × 24h × 30 days)$60/mo
Scenario 3: Enterprise (1M Requests/Month)
Cloud API Costs
Self-Hosted Costs (rbee)
Multi-Machine Setup (8 machines)
Enterprise with 1M requests/month
Cost Breakdown:
- • 8× RTX 4090 machinesone-time$25,000
- • rbee Enterprise License (lifetime)one-time€499
- • Power (~2.8kW × 24h × 30 days)$240/mo
Hidden Benefits of Self-Hosting
Beyond direct cost savings, self-hosting provides:
When Cloud APIs Make Sense (Rarely)
Cloud APIs only make sense if you:
- Have very low usage (<1K requests/month)
- Need the absolute latest models (GPT-4o, Claude 3.5) immediately
- Don't have technical expertise to manage infrastructure
- Need instant scaling without any hardware investment
For everyone else: Self-hosting with rbee is orders of magnitude cheaper. Break-even is typically 3-12 months.
ROI Calculator
Break-even months = Hardware Cost / (Cloud Cost - Power Cost)
Example (100K req/month):Hardware: $3,200Cloud (GPT-3.5): $300/moPower: $60/moBreak-even = $3,200 / ($300 - $60) = 13.3 months
After 13 months, you save $240/month = $2,880/yearReal-World Case Studies
Case Study 1: SaaS Startup
Before: Spending $800/month on OpenAI GPT-3.5 for customer support chatbot
After: Deployed rbee with 1× RTX 3090 ($800 hardware + €129 license)
Monthly cost: $30 power
Savings: $770/month = $9,240/year
Break-even: 1.2 months
Case Study 2: Content Agency
Before: Spending $2,500/month on GPT-4 for content generation
After: Deployed rbee with 2× RTX 4090 ($3,200 hardware + €249 license)
Monthly cost: $60 power
Savings: $2,440/month = $29,280/year
Break-even: 1.4 months
The Bottom Line: Stop Overpaying for Cloud AI
Self-hosting with rbee makes financial sense for most use cases. The break-even point is typically 3-12 months, after which you save thousands per year. Compare:
- Cloud APIs: $1,500-3,000/month = $18K-36K/year (recurring)
- rbee: €499 lifetime (~$550 one-time) + ~$30-240/month power
- Year 1 savings: $17K-35K
- Year 2+ savings: $17K-35K per year, forever
Key takeaway: If you're spending >$100/month on cloud APIs, self-hosting will save you money within a year. If you're spending >$500/month, you'll break even in just 1-2 months.
Ready to stop overpaying for cloud AI?
rbee lifetime pricing (€499) is available now through Q2 2026. After launch, pricing moves to monthly subscription. Lock in lifetime access today and save thousands per year.