The behavioral issues you mentioned are exactly why I made the switch last year. Cloud services optimize for user retention rather than accuracy, which creates that echo chamber effect you noticed. Local deployment eliminates that commercial bias entirely since there’s no engagement metrics to manipulate. Performance-wise, you’ll definitely notice slower response times depending on your hardware, but the trade-off is worth it for critical thinking tasks. I’ve found that local models tend to challenge assumptions more readily and provide more balanced perspectives, probably because they haven’t been fine-tuned to avoid potentially uncomfortable truths. The setup complexity varies by platform, but once configured properly, maintenance is minimal. Storage requirements can be substantial though - larger models need 50GB+ of disk space, so factor that into your planning.