On-premise vs. cloud
The difference isn't the features. It's where your data lives.
Cloud usability platforms are fast and convenient — and they run because your sessions live on their servers. Ovo Logger takes the opposite bet: everything stays on your hardware. Here's an honest look at which trade-off fits which team.
01 / Side by side
| Capability | Cloud UX-research tools | Ovo Logger |
|---|---|---|
| Where recordings live | The vendor's servers | Hardware you own |
| Custody of participant data | Delegated to the vendor via a DPA / BAA | Stays with you — never handed off |
| Runs offline / air-gapped | ✕ Requires the internet | ✓ Fully, cable unplugged |
| AI analysis | Typically processed in their cloud | ✓ On-device, nothing uploaded |
| Synchronized multi-source capture | Usually screen + one webcam | ✓ Up to 4, one clock |
| Moderated lab & A/V hardware | — Not their domain | ✓ Switchers · PTZ · PIP · audio |
| Participant panel / recruitment | ★ Large built-in panels | — Bring your own participants |
| Remote unmoderated at scale | ★ Core strength | Supported, but lab-first |
| Commercial model | Per-seat subscription to a hosted service | On-premise license + annual maintenance |
| Your project data | Lives on their servers; access can end with the contract | ✓ Lives on your disk — and exports to HTML + CSV anyone can open, no viewer, no account |
★ = where a cloud platform is genuinely stronger. We compare the category, not any one product — the contrast that matters here is architectural (cloud vs. on-premise), and it doesn't change when a vendor ships a new feature.
02 / Let's be fair
Cloud tools are great — for a different job.
If we pretended otherwise you shouldn't trust the rest of this page. Here's the honest split.
CHOOSE CLOUD WHEN
You need reach and speed more than control.
- You want to recruit strangers from a large panel in minutes
- You're running quick, unmoderated remote tests at scale
- You have no lab, no hardware, and want zero setup
- Your data isn't sensitive enough to rule out a third-party processor
CHOOSE OVO WHEN
Control, rigor, or hardware are non-negotiable.
- Your data can't leave your environment — policy, IRB, HIPAA, ITAR, or classified
- You run a real lab: multiple synchronized sources, cameras, A/V control
- You want on-device AI findings with no session ever uploaded
- You need the software to run on hardware you control, not rented access to someone's servers
03 / The cases cloud can't take
Sometimes it isn't a preference — it's the only option.
There are studies a cloud platform simply cannot run, because the data is not allowed to leave the building or the capture needs real hardware. That's the ground Ovo Logger was built for.
Can't touch the cloud
Regulated, air-gapped, export-controlled, or classified programs where no external processor is permitted.
Needs a real rig
Multiple synchronized feeds, PTZ cameras, capture cards, and A/V routing — beyond a screen and a webcam.
Panels & instant reach
Recruiting unknown participants at volume for fast remote tests — a cloud panel is the right tool.
On-premise vs. cloud
Not sure which side you're on?
Tell us about your data rules, your hardware, and how you recruit — we'll tell you honestly whether Ovo Logger is the right fit, or where a cloud tool would serve you better.