Good question. Cloud AI works today and costs little per person.
Here is the whole table, including where the cloud wins.
| Perimeter | Cloud AI | DIY open-source | Enterprise suite | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| where your data lives | your server room | provider's regions | yours, once built | vendor cloud or heavy on-prem |
| who can reach your documents | your staff | the provider too, under its terms | whoever runs the stack | vendor admins |
| time to working | 30 days | instant, the cloud wins | months | six to twelve months |
| money at the start | box and setup | none, the cloud wins | salaries from day one | a procurement project |
| who you need to hire | no one | no one | about three engineers | a project team |
| cost shape | one box, one licence a year | $30 to 90 per person a month, forever | salaries, forever | from $100k+/year |
| verifiable in person | yes, pull the cable | no | if you built it right | rarely |
| works without the internet | yes | no | yes, if fully self-hosted | usually no |
| getting newer AI | included in support | when the vendor says | your engineers, every time | vendor roadmap |
| when you leave | the box is yours, it keeps working | access stops with payment | you keep it, and the upkeep | a migration project |
The cloud wins two rows: it starts today and costs nothing up front. If your documents could be public, use it. If they are the business, keep them in your building.
Per person, per month, for cloud AI.
List pricing, mid-2026That is $3,000 to 9,000 a month. $36,000 to 108,000 a year, and none of it becomes yours.
Plain arithmeticOne licence a year. Hire ten more people, the bill is the same.
No per-seat meterBuilding it yourself is real work: a server, testing, updates, someone on call at night.
Our rule of thumb: about three engineers of your own, and building makes sense. Below that it turns into a second job for whoever owns it. Perimeter runs the same public AI models. We carry the project.
Cloud AI is a clever stranger. Building it yourself is a second job. An enterprise suite is a mortgage. Perimeter is a box in your building.
Bring the one-page matrix to your IT. Or bring one price list and watch it answer in front of you.
Live in 30 days · box, setup, training
No per-seat meter · one box, one licence a year
Never talks to the internet · pull the cable and check
Honest about it · the cloud starts today, we win after that