SkipTheSub / Methodology
Methodology
Every claim on this site carries a link to its source. Anything without one stays TBD and is never invented. This page lists the rubric, cost formulas and inputs behind the numbers.
Setup difficulty rubric (1–5)
A rough measure of how much work it takes to go from zero to a working install of the alternative. Shown on tool pages as “N/5” with the matching rubric text.
- 1/5 — Desktop installer or editor extension
- 2/5 — Single documented command (docker run / pip / npm / brew install)
- 3/5 — Docker Compose multi-service stack
- 4/5 — Clone + manual Python env/requirements and model download, GPU expected
- 5/5 — Multi-node or heavy manual configuration
Running cost: VPS
monthly USD = cheapest DigitalOcean Basic Droplet whose RAM >= the alternative's minimum RAM (TBD if minimum RAM unknown or GPU required)
Plan prices: https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/droplets
| Plan RAM | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 GB | $6/mo |
| 2 GB | $12/mo |
| 4 GB | $24/mo |
| 8 GB | $48/mo |
| 16 GB | $96/mo |
Running cost: local electricity
monthly USD = watts / 1000 x hoursPerDay x 30 x electricityUsdPerKwh (watts and hoursPerDay are user inputs)
Rate: 0.1831 $/kWh ( EIA source — US average residential price, latest month in EIA Table 5.6.A ).
The calculator on each alternative's page is client-side only: enter watts and hours/day, and it applies this formula in your browser. Fields start empty.
“Runs on my machine” profiles
The index filter matches each alternative's sourced minimum hardware against one of these profiles. An alternative with no verified hardware data never counts as fitting — it shows as “unverified” instead.
- CPU only — no GPU
- Mac 16GB — Apple Mac with 16GB RAM or less
- GPU 8GB — GPU with up to 8GB VRAM
- GPU 12GB — GPU with up to 12GB VRAM
- GPU 24GB — GPU with up to 24GB VRAM
- cpu:
runsOnincludes “cpu” and (RAM TBD or ≤ 16 GB) - mac16:
runsOnincludes “mac” or “cpu”, and (RAM TBD or ≤ 16 GB) - gpuN (N = 8/12/24):
runsOnincludes “cpu”, or (runsOnincludes “gpu” and VRAM is a number ≤ N GB)
Where the data lives
src/data/tools.json— the tool/alternative catalogue (content values are not edited by hand here).src/data/sources.json— every sourced fact: prices, can/can't-do, minimum hardware, setup difficulty, rubric, cost inputs. Merged over the catalogue at build time.src/data/freshness.json— GitHub stars/pushes/releases, refreshed weekly by a scheduled job.