Provider Selection Wizard
Last Updated: January 1, 2026 NeuroLink Version: 8.29.0
Interactive guide to help you select the perfect AI provider for your specific needs. This wizard considers your requirements, constraints, and priorities to recommend the optimal provider configuration.
Quick Start: 5-Question Provider Selector
Answer these 5 questions to get an instant recommendation:
Question 1: What's your primary constraint?
A) Budget → Google AI Studio (FREE tier) B) Privacy → Ollama (100% local) C) Quality → OpenAI or Anthropic D) Compliance → Azure OpenAI or Bedrock
Question 2: Do you need extended thinking?
Yes → Anthropic (best) or Google AI Studio (free) No → Continue to Question 3
Question 3: Do you need PDF processing?
Yes → Anthropic or Google AI Studio or Vertex No → Continue to Question 4
Question 4: What's your existing cloud platform?
AWS → Amazon Bedrock Azure → Azure OpenAI GCP → Google Vertex None/Other → Continue to Question 5
Question 5: What's your experience level?
Beginner → Google AI Studio (easiest setup) Intermediate → OpenAI or Anthropic Advanced → Any provider (use decision tree below)
Detailed Provider Decision Tree
Step 1: Define Your Primary Goal
What's the MOST important factor for your project?
🎯 Cost Optimization → Go to Section A
🔒 Privacy & Security → Go to Section B
⚡ Performance & Quality → Go to Section C
📄 Document Processing → Go to Section D
🤖 Advanced Reasoning → Go to Section E
🏢 Enterprise Features → Go to Section F
🧪 Experimentation → Go to Section G
Section A: Cost Optimization
Scenario A1: Zero Budget (Completely Free)
Best Choice: Google AI Studio
- FREE tier: 1M tokens/day
- Professional quality (Gemini 2.5 Flash)
- Extended thinking support
- PDF processing included
Setup:
GOOGLE_AI_API_KEY=your_api_key
GOOGLE_AI_MODEL=gemini-2.5-flash
const result = await neurolink.generate({
provider: "google-ai",
prompt: "Your task",
});
Alternative: Ollama
- Completely FREE (local execution)
- No API key needed
- Privacy-first
- Requires local GPU
Scenario A2: Limited Budget ($50-$200/month)
Best Choice: Mistral
- Competitive pricing ($0.20/$0.60 per 1M tokens for Small)
- Good quality
- GDPR compliant
Cost Example:
- 10M input tokens/month: $2.00
- 10M output tokens/month: $6.00
- Total: $8/month
Setup:
MISTRAL_API_KEY=your_api_key
MISTRAL_MODEL=mistral-small-2506
Alternative: Google Vertex
- Gemini 2.5 Flash: $0.35/$1.05 per 1M tokens
- Extended thinking
- PDF support
Scenario A3: Cost Optimization with Multiple Models
Best Choice: OpenRouter
- Access to FREE models (Gemini 2.0 Flash, Llama 3.3 70B)
- Pay only when you need premium models
- Cost tracking built-in
Setup:
OPENROUTER_API_KEY=your_api_key
// Use free model for simple tasks
const simpleResult = await neurolink.generate({
provider: "openrouter",
model: "google/gemini-2.0-flash-exp:free",
prompt: "Simple task",
});
// Use premium model for complex tasks
const complexResult = await neurolink.generate({
provider: "openrouter",
model: "anthropic/claude-3-5-sonnet",
prompt: "Complex analysis",
});
Section B: Privacy & Security
Scenario B1: Maximum Privacy (No Cloud)
Best Choice: Ollama
- 100% local execution
- No data sent to any server
- Works offline
- HIPAA/GDPR compliant by design
Setup:
# Install Ollama
curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh
# Pull model
ollama pull llama3.1:8b
# Optional configuration
OLLAMA_BASE_URL=http://localhost:11434
OLLAMA_MODEL=llama3.1:8b
Recommended Models:
llama3.1:8b- Fast, general purposellama3.1:70b- Higher quality (needs more RAM)gemma3:9b- Google's lightweight model
Hardware Requirements:
- Minimum: 8GB RAM, CPU only (slower)
- Recommended: 16GB+ RAM, NVIDIA GPU
- Optimal: 32GB+ RAM, RTX 3090/4090
Scenario B2: Cloud with GDPR Compliance
Best Choice: Mistral
- European data centers
- GDPR compliant
- No training on user data
- Open-source models available
Compliance Features:
- Data stored in EU
- GDPR data processing agreement
- Right to deletion
- Data portability
Scenario B3: Enterprise Security (HIPAA + SOC2)
Best Choices:
Option 1: Azure OpenAI
- Microsoft enterprise security
- HIPAA BAA available
- SOC2 certified
- Enterprise SLAs
Option 2: Amazon Bedrock
- AWS security features
- HIPAA BAA available
- SOC2 certified
- Audit logging
Option 3: Google Vertex
- GCP security
- HIPAA BAA available
- SOC2 certified
- Data residency controls
Section C: Performance & Quality
Scenario C1: Highest Quality (No Compromises)
Best Choice: Anthropic Claude 4.5 Sonnet
- Best reasoning capabilities
- Extended thinking
- 200K context window
- Native PDF support
Setup:
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_api_key
ANTHROPIC_MODEL=claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929
const result = await neurolink.generate({
provider: "anthropic",
model: "claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929",
prompt: "Complex reasoning task",
thinkingLevel: "high",
});
When to Use:
- Critical customer-facing features
- Complex analysis requiring deep reasoning
- Document-heavy workflows (PDF support)
- Agentic workflows with multi-step tool use
Scenario C2: Best Vision Quality
Best Choice: Anthropic
- 20 images per request (highest)
- Excellent vision understanding
- Combined with text reasoning
- PDF processing included
Code Example:
const result = await neurolink.generate({
provider: "anthropic",
input: {
text: "Analyze these medical images",
images: ["/path/to/scan1.jpg", "/path/to/scan2.jpg", "/path/to/scan3.jpg"],
},
});
Alternative: OpenAI GPT-4o
- Industry-leading vision
- 10 images per request
- Fast inference
- Good for general vision tasks
Scenario C3: Fastest Response Time
Best Choice: Ollama (Local)
- 50-200ms time to first token
- No network latency
- Streaming immediately available
Alternative: Google AI Studio
- 300-700ms TTFT
- FREE tier
- Professional quality
Section D: Document Processing
Scenario D1: PDF-Heavy Workflows
Best Choice: Anthropic
- Native PDF understanding
- No preprocessing required
- Extracts text, tables, structure
- Visual analysis of PDF pages
Setup:
const result = await neurolink.generate({
provider: "anthropic",
input: {
text: "Analyze this contract",
pdfFiles: ["/path/to/contract.pdf"],
},
thinkingLevel: "high",
});
Alternative: Google AI Studio
- PDF support (Gemini models)
- FREE tier
- Extended thinking
- Good for budget-conscious teams
Scenario D2: Mixed Documents (PDF + Images + Text)
Best Choice: Anthropic
- Handles all formats natively
- Up to 20 images + PDFs
- Unified analysis
Code Example:
const result = await neurolink.generate({
provider: "anthropic",
input: {
text: "Compare these documents",
images: ["/path/to/diagram1.png", "/path/to/chart.jpg"],
pdfFiles: ["/path/to/report.pdf", "/path/to/analysis.pdf"],
},
});
Section E: Advanced Reasoning
Scenario E1: Extended Thinking Required
Best Choice: Anthropic
- Native extended thinking (best)
- Transparent reasoning process
- Configurable thinking levels
- Deep analysis capabilities
Setup:
const result = await neurolink.generate({
provider: "anthropic",
model: "claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929",
prompt: "Solve this complex problem: ...",
thinkingLevel: "high", // minimal | low | medium | high
});
Cost Impact:
- Extended thinking increases token usage
- High level: 2-3x more tokens
- Medium level: 1.5-2x more tokens
- Worth it for complex tasks
Alternative: Google AI Studio
- Gemini 2.5+, Gemini 3 thinking
- FREE tier available
- Good for budget teams
Scenario E2: Multi-Step Tool Use (Agentic Workflows)
Best Choice: Anthropic
- Advanced tool use
- Parallel tool execution
- Tool result caching
- Best for agentic patterns
Code Example:
const neurolink = new NeuroLink({
provider: "anthropic",
model: "claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929",
});
// Register tools
neurolink.registerTool({
name: "search_database",
description: "Search customer database",
parameters: z.object({
query: z.string(),
}),
execute: async ({ query }) => {
// Implementation
return results;
},
});
neurolink.registerTool({
name: "send_email",
description: "Send email to customer",
parameters: z.object({
to: z.string(),
subject: z.string(),
body: z.string(),
}),
execute: async ({ to, subject, body }) => {
// Implementation
return { sent: true };
},
});
// Claude will automatically use tools in sequence
const result = await neurolink.generate({
prompt: "Find customer John Doe and send him a follow-up email",
maxSteps: 10, // Allow multi-step tool use
});
Section F: Enterprise Features
Scenario F1: AWS-Based Enterprise
Best Choice: Amazon Bedrock
- Seamless AWS integration
- IAM-based authentication
- VPC endpoints available
- CloudWatch logging
- Multiple model providers
Setup:
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your_key
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your_secret
AWS_REGION=us-east-1
BEDROCK_MODEL=anthropic.claude-3-sonnet-20240229-v1:0
Benefits:
- Use existing AWS account
- Consolidated billing
- Infrastructure as Code (Terraform/CDK)
- Compliance certifications
Scenario F2: Azure-Based Enterprise
Best Choice: Azure OpenAI
- Microsoft ecosystem integration
- Azure AD authentication
- Virtual network integration
- Enterprise support
Setup:
AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY=your_key
AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT=https://your-resource.openai.azure.com
AZURE_OPENAI_DEPLOYMENT=gpt-4o
AZURE_API_VERSION=2024-05-01-preview
Benefits:
- Same models as OpenAI
- Microsoft SLAs
- Azure compliance
- Integrated monitoring
Scenario F3: GCP-Based Enterprise
Best Choice: Google Vertex AI
- Dual provider (Gemini + Claude)
- GCP integration
- Service account authentication
- Stackdriver logging
Setup:
GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS=/path/to/service-account.json
VERTEX_PROJECT_ID=your-project
VERTEX_LOCATION=us-central1
VERTEX_MODEL=gemini-2.5-flash
Benefits:
- Use both Gemini and Claude
- GCP billing
- Regional deployments
- Vertex AI pipelines
Section G: Experimentation
Scenario G1: Testing Multiple Models
Best Choice: LiteLLM
- Unified proxy for 100+ models
- Cost tracking
- A/B testing support
- Load balancing
Setup:
# Start LiteLLM proxy
litellm --config config.yaml
# Configure NeuroLink
LITELLM_BASE_URL=http://localhost:4000
LITELLM_API_KEY=sk-anything
Config Example:
model_list:
- model_name: gpt-4
litellm_params:
model: openai/gpt-4o
api_key: sk-openai-key
- model_name: claude
litellm_params:
model: anthropic/claude-3-5-sonnet
api_key: sk-ant-key
- model_name: gemini
litellm_params:
model: vertex_ai/gemini-2.5-flash
vertex_project: my-project
Usage:
// Test different models easily
const models = [
"openai/gpt-4o",
"anthropic/claude-3-5-sonnet",
"google/gemini-2.5-flash",
];
for (const model of models) {
const result = await neurolink.generate({
provider: "litellm",
model,
prompt: "Same test prompt",
});
console.log(`${model}: ${result.content}`);
}
Scenario G2: Research & Open Source Models
Best Choice: HuggingFace
- 100,000+ models
- Cutting-edge research models
- Community support
- Free tier available
Setup:
HUGGINGFACE_API_KEY=hf_your_key
HUGGINGFACE_MODEL=meta-llama/Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct
Recommended Research Models:
meta-llama/Llama-3.1-70B-Instruct- Meta's flagshipmistralai/Mistral-7B-Instruct-v0.3- Mistral open modelnvidia/Llama-3.1-Nemotron-Ultra-253B-v1- NVIDIA enhanced
Real-World Use Case Examples
Use Case 1: Startup MVP (Budget: $0-100/month)
Recommendation: Google AI Studio
Why:
- FREE tier (1M tokens/day)
- Professional quality
- Extended thinking
- PDF support
- Easy setup
Configuration:
GOOGLE_AI_API_KEY=your_key
GOOGLE_AI_MODEL=gemini-2.5-flash
Expected Costs:
- Development: $0/month (free tier)
- Production (low traffic): $0-$50/month
- Scaling strategy: Move to Vertex AI when you outgrow free tier
Use Case 2: Healthcare Application (HIPAA Required)
Recommendation: Azure OpenAI
Why:
- HIPAA BAA available
- Enterprise security
- Microsoft compliance
- Audit logging
Setup Checklist:
- ✅ Sign Azure HIPAA BAA
- ✅ Configure Virtual Network
- ✅ Enable audit logging
- ✅ Set up Azure AD authentication
- ✅ Configure data residency
Configuration:
AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY=your_key
AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT=https://your-resource.openai.azure.com
AZURE_OPENAI_DEPLOYMENT=gpt-4o
Use Case 3: Legal Document Analysis
Recommendation: Anthropic Claude 4.5 Sonnet
Why:
- Extended thinking (deep analysis)
- Native PDF support
- 200K context window (handle long documents)
- Best reasoning quality
Configuration:
const neurolink = new NeuroLink({
provider: "anthropic",
model: "claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929",
});
const analysis = await neurolink.generate({
input: {
text: "Analyze this contract for risks and obligations",
pdfFiles: ["/path/to/contract.pdf"],
},
thinkingLevel: "high",
maxTokens: 150000, // Use large context
});
Use Case 4: Customer Support Chatbot (High Volume)
Recommendation: OpenRouter with Free Models
Why:
- FREE models for common queries
- Fallback to premium for complex cases
- Cost tracking
- Auto-failover
Configuration:
async function handleSupportQuery(query: string, complexity: string) {
if (complexity === "simple") {
// Use free model
return await neurolink.generate({
provider: "openrouter",
model: "google/gemini-2.0-flash-exp:free",
prompt: query,
});
} else {
// Use premium model
return await neurolink.generate({
provider: "openrouter",
model: "anthropic/claude-3-5-sonnet",
prompt: query,
});
}
}
Expected Costs:
- 80% simple queries: $0 (free model)
- 20% complex queries: ~$50/month (premium)
- Total: $50/month vs $250/month with all-premium
Use Case 5: Internal Tools (Privacy Sensitive)
Recommendation: Ollama (Local)
Why:
- 100% private (no cloud)
- No ongoing costs
- Works offline
- Fast response
Setup:
# Install Ollama
curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh
# Pull model
ollama pull llama3.1:70b
# Configure NeuroLink
OLLAMA_BASE_URL=http://localhost:11434
OLLAMA_MODEL=llama3.1:70b
Deployment Options:
- Development: Run on developer machines
- Staging: Shared server with GPU
- Production: Kubernetes cluster with GPU nodes
Provider Comparison Decision Matrix
Budget vs Quality Trade-off
High Quality
│
│ Anthropic Claude 4.5
│ OpenAI GPT-4o
│ ↑
│ │
│ │ Azure OpenAI
│ │ Bedrock (Claude)
│ │ ↑
│ │ │
│ │ │ Mistral Large
│ │ │ Vertex (Gemini Pro)
│ │ │ ↑
│ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ Google AI (Gemini Flash) ← FREE
│ │ │ │ OpenRouter (free models) ← FREE
│ │ │ │ ↑
│ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ Ollama ← FREE + Private
│ │ │ │ │
└──┴──┴──┴──┴──┴──────> Cost
Free $ $$ $$$
Features vs Complexity
Many Features
│
│ Amazon Bedrock (multi-provider)
│ OpenRouter (300+ models)
│ ↑
│ │
│ │ Google Vertex (Gemini + Claude)
│ │ LiteLLM (100+ models)
│ │ ↑
│ │ │
│ │ │ Anthropic (extended thinking + PDF)
│ │ │ Google AI Studio (thinking + PDF + free)
│ │ │ ↑
│ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ OpenAI (vision + tools)
│ │ │ │ Azure OpenAI
│ │ │ │ ↑
│ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ Mistral
│ │ │ │ │ Ollama
│ │ │ │ │
└──┴──┴──┴──┴──┴──────> Setup Complexity
Easy Moderate Complex
Common Migration Paths
Path 1: Prototype → Production
Phase 1 (Prototype): Google AI Studio (FREE)
↓
Phase 2 (Beta): Mistral (low cost)
↓
Phase 3 (Production): Anthropic (high quality)
Path 2: Cloud → Local
Phase 1: Cloud Provider (OpenAI, Anthropic)
↓
Phase 2: Test Ollama locally
↓
Phase 3: Full migration to Ollama (privacy + cost savings)
Path 3: Single → Multi-Provider
Phase 1: Single provider (e.g., OpenAI)
↓
Phase 2: Add LiteLLM proxy
↓
Phase 3: Route to optimal provider per task
Quick Reference Cards
Card 1: "I Need Something Fast"
Fastest Setup (2 minutes):
- Google AI Studio - Just need API key
- OpenAI - Industry standard
- Mistral - European option
Get Started:
# Google AI Studio
export GOOGLE_AI_API_KEY=your_key
const result = await neurolink.generate({
provider: "google-ai",
prompt: "Your task",
});
Card 2: "I Have No Budget"
Free Options Ranked:
-
Google AI Studio - Best free option
- 1M tokens/day FREE
- Professional quality
- Extended thinking + PDF
-
Ollama - Completely free
- Local execution
- Privacy-first
- Requires GPU
-
OpenRouter - Free models available
- Gemini 2.0 Flash
- Llama 3.3 70B
- Many others
Card 3: "I Need Maximum Privacy"
Privacy-First Options:
- Ollama (Best) - 100% local
- Mistral - GDPR, EU data centers
- Self-hosted OpenAI Compatible - Full control
Ollama Setup:
curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh
ollama pull llama3.1:8b
Card 4: "I Need Extended Thinking"
Only 3 Providers:
- Anthropic (Best) - Native extended thinking
- Google AI Studio - Gemini 2.5+, 3 (FREE)
- Google Vertex - Same as AI Studio (paid)
No other providers support extended thinking
Final Recommendation Algorithm
Answer YES/NO to each question:
-
Do you have ZERO budget?
- YES → Google AI Studio or Ollama
- NO → Continue
-
Do you need HIPAA/enterprise compliance?
- YES → Azure OpenAI or Bedrock
- NO → Continue
-
Do you need extended thinking?
- YES → Anthropic (best) or Google AI Studio (free)
- NO → Continue
-
Do you need PDF processing?
- YES → Anthropic or Google AI Studio
- NO → Continue
-
Are you on AWS/Azure/GCP?
- AWS → Bedrock
- Azure → Azure OpenAI
- GCP → Vertex
- None → Continue
-
Do you need maximum privacy?
- YES → Ollama (local)
- NO → Continue
-
Do you want the absolute best quality?
- YES → OpenAI or Anthropic
- NO → Mistral or Google AI Studio
Still Unsure? Default Recommendations
For Most Teams
Start with Google AI Studio
- FREE tier
- Easy setup
- Professional quality
- Upgrade path to Vertex
For Enterprises
Start with your cloud provider's offering
- AWS → Bedrock
- Azure → Azure OpenAI
- GCP → Vertex
For Developers
Start with NeuroLink + LiteLLM
- Test multiple providers
- Compare results
- Optimize costs
- Make informed decision
Next Steps
- Read: Provider Comparison Guide
- Audit: Provider Capabilities
- Setup: Follow provider-specific setup guide
- Test: Run sample requests with your use case
- Monitor: Track costs and performance
- Optimize: Adjust based on real-world usage
Need Help?
Contact Options:
- Documentation: docs/
- GitHub Issues: Report bugs or ask questions
- Community: Join discussions
Professional Support:
- Enterprise consulting available
- Custom provider integration
- Performance optimization
- Migration assistance
Remember: With NeuroLink, you're never locked into a single provider. You can easily switch or use multiple providers simultaneously. Start with the recommendation above, monitor your usage, and adjust as needed.