Private AI: set up Ollama yourself or have it done for you?
Short answer: Ollama is a free, excellent way to run a model on your own machine, and a good weekend project. It is not a finished, secured, always-available assistant. Freeborn Labs builds and runs that for you at $10,000 setup plus $48,000 a year, or $4,800 a month.
What Ollama is good at
Ollama is free software that runs open models on a computer you own. For a curious technical person it is the quickest way to try local AI, and nothing leaves the machine. If you enjoy tinkering and your questions fit a model that runs on a laptop or a gaming PC, it may be all you need.
Where the weekend project stops
A model on a laptop is small. The strong models need a data-center-class graphics card with tens of gigabytes of memory, which means renting one, securing it, and keeping it updated. Add a login, a chat that works from your phone, email and calendar connections, image and video generation, backups and an alert when something breaks. Each piece is learnable. Together they are a part-time job, and the hour something fails is the hour you were counting on it.
The risk people forget
A home-built server exposed to the internet is a common way to leak private data. Tools like Ollama have no login by default. Securing access, keeping software patched and keeping your keys safe are the unglamorous parts that decide whether your files stay private.
Cheap setup gigs
You can pay a few hundred dollars for someone to install Ollama on your computer. That buys an installation, not a service. Nobody patches it next month, answers when it stops, or connects your email safely. It can be fine for a hobby. It is a poor match for anything you would be upset to lose.
What done-for-you means here
Freeborn Labs builds the whole thing in a cloud account you own, connects your tools, tests it, and then keeps it running. The graphics card is rented by the hour and sleeps when you are not using it, so you are not paying for idle time. You get a login and start. If you ever want to leave, the setup is yours to take.
Choosing honestly
If you have the time and the skills, build it yourself and enjoy it. If your time is the expensive part, a managed setup is cheaper than it looks. Freeborn Labs charges $10,000 setup plus $48,000 a year, or $4,800 a month, with compute billed to you at cost, for adults 18 and over, by application.
Questions
Is Ollama private?
The model itself runs locally and does not send your text to a vendor. Privacy then depends on how you set up and secure the machine, which is where most home setups fall short.
Can Ollama run the best open models?
Small ones, yes. The largest need a high-memory server graphics card, so most people rent one rather than buy it.
Is a cheap Ollama setup service worth it?
It can be, for a hobby. It usually covers installation only, with no ongoing updates, security or support.
What does Freeborn Labs cost?
$10,000 setup plus $48,000 a year, or $4,800 a month, with compute billed to you at cost. Applications are reviewed individually.
Related guides
- Private uncensored AI: what it is, how to get one, and what it costs
- DIY or done-for-you AI agent: how to choose
- Ollama vs vLLM for running an AI agent
- A self-hosted AI agent: what it is and what it takes
- The best private AI assistant in 2026: how to choose one
- Private uncensored AI: the full guide
- All guides to getting your own private AI agent
Apply for a place
Takes thirty seconds. No payment now.
Adults only (18+). Private uncensored AI · Terms · Privacy · All guides