Open Source AI Companions: Are We There Yet Or Just Dreaming?

Everyone talks about open source AI companions like it is the holy grail. All the flexibility all the customization all the privacy. But honestly is it really that great for the average user? I tried setting up one of those local models and it was a nightmare. Hours spent on obscure forums trying to get dependencies to work and then the performance was just meh. My computer sounded like a jet engine for a conversation that felt less engaging than a basic chatbot. I just want something that works out of the box not a part time job as a system administrator. Maybe I am doing something wrong or maybe the hype is just way ahead of the actual user experience. Feels like a lot of gatekeeping for something that is supposed to be for everyone.