Why this lab exists
The cloud AI race is accelerating — and so is the surveillance that comes with it.
Every prompt you send to a hosted model is a data point. Every API call is logged.
Every subscription is a dependency you don’t control.
Self-Hosted AI Lab exists to show that you don’t have to play that game.
Open-source models like Llama 3, Mistral, Phi-4, and Gemma 3 are genuinely excellent.
Tools like Ollama, llama.cpp, Open WebUI, and ComfyUI make them accessible on consumer hardware.
The only thing missing is a clear, honest guide to getting started — without the hype.
That’s what this site is.
What you’ll find here
- Guides — step-by-step walkthroughs for running local LLMs, image gen, transcription, and more
- Hardware picks — curated GPU, mini-PC, and storage recommendations for every budget
- Real builds — actual configurations with real performance numbers
Affiliate disclosure
Some hardware links use Amazon and Newegg affiliate tags (selfhostailab-20).
They cost you nothing extra and help keep this site running. Recommendations are never influenced by commission — only by what’s actually worth buying.