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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 purpose
  • llama3.1:70b - 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 flagship
  • mistralai/Mistral-7B-Instruct-v0.3 - Mistral open model
  • nvidia/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:

  1. ✅ Sign Azure HIPAA BAA
  2. ✅ Configure Virtual Network
  3. ✅ Enable audit logging
  4. ✅ Set up Azure AD authentication
  5. ✅ Configure data residency

Configuration:

AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY=your_key
AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT=https://your-resource.openai.azure.com
AZURE_OPENAI_DEPLOYMENT=gpt-4o

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):

  1. Google AI Studio - Just need API key
  2. OpenAI - Industry standard
  3. 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:

  1. Google AI Studio - Best free option

    • 1M tokens/day FREE
    • Professional quality
    • Extended thinking + PDF
  2. Ollama - Completely free

    • Local execution
    • Privacy-first
    • Requires GPU
  3. OpenRouter - Free models available

    • Gemini 2.0 Flash
    • Llama 3.3 70B
    • Many others

Card 3: "I Need Maximum Privacy"

Privacy-First Options:

  1. Ollama (Best) - 100% local
  2. Mistral - GDPR, EU data centers
  3. 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:

  1. Anthropic (Best) - Native extended thinking
  2. Google AI Studio - Gemini 2.5+, 3 (FREE)
  3. Google Vertex - Same as AI Studio (paid)

No other providers support extended thinking


Final Recommendation Algorithm

Answer YES/NO to each question:

  1. Do you have ZERO budget?

    • YES → Google AI Studio or Ollama
    • NO → Continue
  2. Do you need HIPAA/enterprise compliance?

    • YES → Azure OpenAI or Bedrock
    • NO → Continue
  3. Do you need extended thinking?

    • YES → Anthropic (best) or Google AI Studio (free)
    • NO → Continue
  4. Do you need PDF processing?

    • YES → Anthropic or Google AI Studio
    • NO → Continue
  5. Are you on AWS/Azure/GCP?

    • AWS → Bedrock
    • Azure → Azure OpenAI
    • GCP → Vertex
    • None → Continue
  6. Do you need maximum privacy?

    • YES → Ollama (local)
    • NO → Continue
  7. 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

  1. Read: Provider Comparison Guide
  2. Audit: Provider Capabilities
  3. Setup: Follow provider-specific setup guide
  4. Test: Run sample requests with your use case
  5. Monitor: Track costs and performance
  6. 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.