# Self-Hosted AI vs Glean for Financial Services

> Source: https://ibl.ai/resources/comparisons/self-hosted-ai-vs-glean-for-financial-services
> Last updated: 2026-05-27


*Own the models, data, and code behind your financial services AI on your own infrastructure — vs. a per-seat assistant running in Glean's cloud*

**On ibl.ai you own all the code and the data, run it model-agnostic across any LLM, and pay with no per-seat pricing — so you can deploy anywhere, from your own cloud to a fully air-gapped network.**

## What's the difference between Self-Hosted AI and Glean?

Financial Services organizations adopting AI face one hard constraint before any feature: client financial data and trading records must stay protected under SEC, FINRA, SOX, and PCI DSS rules. Where the AI runs — and who controls it — matters as much as what it does.

Glean is a managed assistant from Glean, billed at about $40 per user per month and running in Glean's cloud on Glean's hosted model selection. Its strength is strong enterprise search across connected SaaS applications with little setup, but it is tied to Glean's hosted index and models and your data is processed in the vendor's cloud.

Self-hosted AI runs on infrastructure you control — on-premise, in your private cloud, or fully air-gapped. You own the code, the data, and the models, run any LLM, and keep client financial data and trading records inside your perimeter, integrated with Bloomberg, Refinitiv, FIS, and Salesforce Financial Cloud. This comparison covers compliance monitoring, risk assessment, client advisory, KYC/AML, and research for financial services — and when each option is the right call.

## Feature Comparison

### Capabilities

| Criteria | Self-Hosted AI | Glean |
|----------|--------------------|--------------------|
| Out-of-the-Box Productivity | Strong agent capability once deployed; you configure the workflows your teams need. | Polished assistance from day one with strong enterprise search across connected SaaS applications. |
| Financial Services System Integration | Deep integration with Bloomberg, Refinitiv, FIS, and Salesforce Financial Cloud via APIs and MCP, built around your data. | Connects to common tools, but integration with sector systems is limited. |
| Custom Agents & Workflows | Build and own production agents for compliance monitoring, risk assessment, client advisory, KYC/AML, and research. | A few prebuilt agents; customization is bounded by the platform. |
| Any-LLM & Model Control | Run any open or commercial model, route by cost/latency/capability, and switch anytime. | Runs on Glean's hosted model selection; tied to Glean's hosted index and models. |

### Ownership & Data Control

| Criteria | Self-Hosted AI | Glean |
|----------|--------------------|--------------------|
| Self-Hosting / On-Prem / Air-Gapped | Run on your servers, private cloud, or fully air-gapped with zero external calls. | Runs in Glean's cloud; cannot be self-hosted or air-gapped. |
| Data Stays in Your Perimeter | client financial data and trading records never leaves your environment; every interaction is logged for audit. | Vendor controls help, but data is processed in the provider's cloud. |
| Model Choice | Any LLM — open-source or commercial — under your control. | Locked to Glean's hosted model selection. |
| Source Code & Platform Ownership | Own the full platform code; no lock-in to a vendor's roadmap. | You rent access; the platform and roadmap belong to the vendor. |

### Cost & Compliance

| Criteria | Self-Hosted AI | Glean |
|----------|--------------------|--------------------|
| Cost at Scale | Flat, usage-based cost on owned compute — no per-seat fees. | about $40 per user per month; cost rises with every seat. |
| Compliance & Audit Fit | Data stays in your perimeter, supporting SEC, FINRA, SOX, and PCI DSS rules with full audit logging. | Vendor compliance coverage under shared-responsibility cloud terms. |
| Time-to-Value | Requires infrastructure and setup, or a partner to deploy it for you. | Turn it on for your users with minimal setup. |
| Support & Maintenance | Self-managed, or fully supported with forward-deployed engineers. | Fully managed by Glean with enterprise support. |

## Detailed Analysis

### Financial Services Data Sovereignty vs Cloud Convenience

**Self-Hosted AI:** Self-hosted AI keeps client financial data and trading records inside your perimeter and can run fully air-gapped — the strongest posture for SEC, FINRA, SOX, and PCI DSS rules.

**Glean:** Glean adds capable assistance quickly, but processes data in Glean's cloud under shared-responsibility terms.

**Verdict:** For financial services workloads bound by SEC, FINRA, SOX, and PCI DSS rules, owning the stack is the safer default; Glean fits lower-sensitivity productivity.

### Per-Seat Cost vs Flat Ownership

**Self-Hosted AI:** Self-hosting replaces per-seat licensing with flat cost on compute you own, so broad rollouts don't scale with headcount.

**Glean:** Glean is about $40 per user per month, predictable per user but growing with every license.

**Verdict:** For organization-wide deployment, owned infrastructure is often far cheaper at scale.

### Model Freedom vs a Single Vendor

**Self-Hosted AI:** A model-agnostic platform runs any model — including the vendor's own — and switches as the frontier moves.

**Glean:** Glean is tied to Glean's hosted index and models.

**Verdict:** If avoiding model lock-in matters, the owned, model-agnostic platform wins.

## FAQ

**Q: Is there a self-hosted, SEC/FINRA-ready alternative to Glean for financial services?**

Yes. A self-hosted, model-agnostic platform runs on infrastructure you control, keeping client financial data and trading records in your perimeter under SEC, FINRA, SOX, and PCI DSS rules — while delivering AI agents for compliance monitoring, risk assessment, client advisory, KYC/AML, and research without per-seat fees.

**Q: Can it run air-gapped, unlike Glean?**

Yes. It can run on-premise or fully air-gapped with local models and zero external calls. Glean is a cloud service in Glean's cloud and cannot be self-hosted or air-gapped.

**Q: Where does client financial data and trading records go with Glean vs self-hosting?**

Glean processes data in Glean's cloud under shared-responsibility terms. With a self-hosted platform, client financial data and trading records stays entirely within your environment and every interaction is logged for audit.

**Q: Is self-hosted AI cheaper than Glean at scale?**

Usually, for large rollouts. Glean is about $40 per user per month, so cost grows with every seat. Self-hosting replaces that with flat, usage-based cost on compute you own.

**Q: Can I still use Glean's hosted model selection?**

Yes. A model-agnostic platform can route to Glean's hosted model selection alongside open and other commercial models — and switch anytime — rather than being tied to Glean's hosted index and models.

**Q: How does ibl.ai fit in?**

ibl.ai is a model-agnostic, self-hosted AI platform you own and run on your own servers — on-premise or air-gapped — for compliance monitoring, risk assessment, client advisory, KYC/AML, and research, while supporting SEC, FINRA, SOX, and PCI DSS rules by design.


## Where does ibl.ai fit alongside Self-Hosted AI and Glean?

**ibl.ai is the agentic AI platform where you own all the code and the data. You self-host the entire stack inside your own perimeter, run it model-agnostic across any LLM and switch anytime, and pay by usage with no per-seat pricing — so you can deploy anywhere: your cloud, on-premise, GovCloud, or fully air-gapped.**

ibl.ai is a self-hosted, model-agnostic AI Operating System you own and run on your own infrastructure — on-premise, in your private cloud, or fully air-gapped — so client financial data and trading records stays in your perimeter under SEC, FINRA, SOX, and PCI DSS rules.

Agentic OS orchestrates agents and workflows across any LLM for compliance monitoring, risk assessment, client advisory, KYC/AML, and research, integrated with Bloomberg, Refinitiv, FIS, and Salesforce Financial Cloud via APIs and MCP; Agentic LMS delivers training; Agentic Course generates materials. You own the code, data, and models — SOC 2, HIPAA, and FERPA compliant by design, with no per-seat fees.

- **You own all the code and the data.** Full source code under a perpetual license, running on your infrastructure. Not API access to someone else's platform — the stack itself is yours.
- **Model-agnostic.** Run any LLM — Claude, GPT, Gemini, Llama, Command, or your own fine-tune — and switch providers without rewriting the platform.
- **No per-seat pricing.** Usage-based billing against a budget cap you set. Cost tracks what your organization actually uses, not how many people you employ.
- **Deploy anywhere.** Your cloud, your VPC, on-premise, GovCloud, or a fully air-gapped network with no outbound connectivity.

1.6M+ users across 400+ organizations run the platform this way, including NVIDIA, MIT, and Syracuse University.

ibl.ai is family-owned and operated from New York, NY — a U.S.-headquartered, domestically-owned long-term partner, not a vendor that sells licenses and moves on.