Every developer has two nightmares: Cloud Bills and Data Privacy.
In my previous analysis of the AI War, I talked about how DeepSeek shook the world with its low cost. Today, I am going to show you how to take that "Low Cost" to "Zero Cost".
Yes, you can run DeepSeek-V3 (and the coding model) directly on your laptop. No internet required. No API fees. Total privacy.
Why Run Locally?
- Privacy: Your code never leaves your machine. Perfect for client projects.
- Cost: Free forever. You only pay for electricity.
- Offline Mode: Code on a flight or in a remote village without Wi-Fi.
Step 1: Install Ollama
The easiest way to run local models in 2026 is a tool called Ollama. It wraps complex LLMs into a simple executable.
Go to ollama.com and download the installer for Windows/Mac.
Step 2: Pull the DeepSeek Model
Open your Terminal (or PowerShell) and type this magic command:
Depending on your internet speed, it will download the model (approx 4GB to 8GB). Once done, you will see a chat prompt right in your terminal.
Step 3: Connect to VS Code (The Fun Part)
Running in a terminal is cool, but we want it in our editor.
- Install the "Continue" extension in VS Code.
- In settings, change the "Provider" to
Ollama. - Select
DeepSeek-Coderas your model.
Boom! You now have a free AI pair programmer inside VS Code.
⚠️ System Requirements
Don't try this on a potato. You need at least:
- RAM: 16GB is recommended (8GB works but might be slow).
- GPU: NVIDIA RTX helps, but modern CPUs can handle the smaller models.
Verdict
Is it better than ChatGPT-4o? For general knowledge, maybe not. But for Coding? It is surprisingly close, and infinitely cheaper.
Are you Team Cloud ☁️ or Team Local? Drop a comment below!
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