Local AI Summarizer Guide

A local AI summarizer should be honest about what is local. Reduz is local-first: history, settings, exports, and your own AI provider keys stay on your device. AI generation still uses either your selected provider or the Reduz hosted relay.

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Local-first is not the same as offline-only

Reduz does not claim that every summary is generated by an offline local model. When you bring your own AI key, source text goes from your browser to the AI provider you choose. The local part is the product workflow around that request: settings, provider keys, summary history, exports, and optional encrypted backup.

Why click-only access matters

Reduz is built around current-tab summarization. The extension activates when you ask it to read the page, instead of requesting permission to read every page across every site by default.

Where Hosted Free fits

Hosted Free removes setup friction with 100 free credits a month. Hosted Free sends source text through the Reduz relay and a hosted model, so Reduz can count credits and operate the hosted tier.

Practical checklist

Use bring your own AI key when provider control matters.
Use Hosted Free when you want no-key setup and a bounded free allowance.
Review the privacy page before summarizing sensitive source material.
Export summaries when you want portable Markdown, PDF, DOCX, JSON, or ZIP output.

Frequently asked questions

Does Reduz run AI models offline?

No. Reduz is local-first, not offline-only. AI generation uses either your selected provider when you bring your own AI key or the Reduz hosted relay in Hosted Free mode.

What stays local in Reduz?

Provider keys for Bring your own AI key, settings, summary history, and exports are stored on your device by default.

Is Reduz free?

Yes. Reduz includes 100 free credits a month. Using your own AI key removes the credit limit.

Do I need an account?

Not when you use your own AI key. An account is only needed for free credits, paid plans, or cloud backup.

Where is my data stored?

Summary history is stored in your browser. Cloud backup is opt-in and encrypted on your device before upload.

Which AI providers does Reduz support?

Reduz supports OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, and xAI Grok. You can also use free credits without setting up an AI account.