anelo vs. Cloud Depth Estimation APIs
Cloud depth estimation APIs offer pay-per-image depth inference without local GPU requirements. anelo runs locally on your hardware for free, adds stereo conversion and a full processing pipeline beyond depth maps, and never requires uploading your footage to a third-party server.
Feature comparison
| Feature | anelo | Cloud APIs |
|---|---|---|
| Depth estimation | Multiple model architectures. Runs locally at native resolution. Temporal smoothing for video. | Single model, per-image API call. Optimized for still photos. Limited video support. |
| Stereo conversion | Full stereo pipeline: depth → warp → composite → encode. Multiple output formats. | Depth maps only. Stereo conversion requires separate tools or custom code. |
| Upscaling & interpolation | Integrated pipeline stages. Upscale before depth for better results. | Not available. Separate services required for upscaling or frame interpolation. |
| Batch processing | Queue entire folders. Process overnight. No API rate limits. | Rate-limited API calls. Queue management required. Per-image billing. |
| Video support | Native video input with scene-cut detection, temporal smoothing, and frame-rate-aware processing. | Frame-by-frame API calls. No temporal consistency. User manages frame extraction and reassembly. |
| No GPU required | Requires a local GPU (GTX 1060 6GB minimum). Free tier includes unlimited processing. | No local GPU needed. Processing runs on cloud infrastructure. Pay per API call. |
| Scalability | Limited by local GPU throughput. Pro tier offers cloud processing for burst capacity. | Scales horizontally. Thousands of images in parallel with sufficient API quota. |
| Privacy | Desktop processing — footage stays on your machine. No upload, no third-party access. | Images uploaded to cloud servers. Subject to provider data retention policies. |
Depth estimation
anelo
Multiple model architectures. Runs locally at native resolution. Temporal smoothing for video.
Cloud APIs
Single model, per-image API call. Optimized for still photos. Limited video support.
Stereo conversion
anelo
Full stereo pipeline: depth → warp → composite → encode. Multiple output formats.
Cloud APIs
Depth maps only. Stereo conversion requires separate tools or custom code.
Upscaling & interpolation
anelo
Integrated pipeline stages. Upscale before depth for better results.
Cloud APIs
Not available. Separate services required for upscaling or frame interpolation.
Batch processing
anelo
Queue entire folders. Process overnight. No API rate limits.
Cloud APIs
Rate-limited API calls. Queue management required. Per-image billing.
Video support
anelo
Native video input with scene-cut detection, temporal smoothing, and frame-rate-aware processing.
Cloud APIs
Frame-by-frame API calls. No temporal consistency. User manages frame extraction and reassembly.
No GPU required
anelo
Requires a local GPU (GTX 1060 6GB minimum). Free tier includes unlimited processing.
Cloud APIs
No local GPU needed. Processing runs on cloud infrastructure. Pay per API call.
Scalability
anelo
Limited by local GPU throughput. Pro tier offers cloud processing for burst capacity.
Cloud APIs
Scales horizontally. Thousands of images in parallel with sufficient API quota.
Privacy
anelo
Desktop processing — footage stays on your machine. No upload, no third-party access.
Cloud APIs
Images uploaded to cloud servers. Subject to provider data retention policies.
Cost
anelo
Free (desktop) / $10/mo (Pro for cloud)
Unlimited local processing. No per-image billing.
Cloud APIs
$0.01–0.10 per image (varies by provider)
Costs scale linearly with volume. Video at 24fps = 86,400 API calls per hour of content.
Time
anelo
~0.7s per frame (1080p depth, local GPU)
Plus pipeline overhead for full stereo output. Batch processing is unattended.
Cloud APIs
0.5–2s per frame (API latency)
Plus network upload/download time. Parallel calls possible but rate-limited.
Quality & control
anelo
Multiple model choices. Temporal smoothing for video. Native-resolution inference.
Cloud APIs
Single model, often optimized for speed over quality. No temporal smoothing.
The honest take: Cloud APIs win when you have no local GPU, need occasional depth maps for still images, or need to process thousands of images in parallel without investing in hardware. anelo wins for video workflows, stereo conversion, privacy-sensitive content, and any volume where per-image billing becomes prohibitive.
Privacy & security
anelo
All processing runs on your hardware by default. Cloud tier (Pro) uploads are job-scoped and deleted after processing.
Cloud APIs
Images must be uploaded to the provider. Data handling depends on the provider privacy policy and retention terms.
Try it yourself.
Desktop processing is free. See how the output compares on your own footage.