Bonfire Terminal vs @candoa/chatbot
@candoa/chatbot is a cloud-hosted chatbot platform with no offline mode. Bonfire Terminal is architecturally opposite: an on-device agent where nothing leaves your machine, provider keys are billed at cost with no markup, and one perpetual license replaces the hosted-plan model entirely.
Bonfire Terminal vs @candoa/chatbot: the 16-factor comparison
| Rating factor | @candoa/chatbot | Bonfire Terminal |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chatbot Platform | AI Terminal / Local Agent |
| Popularity | Not disclosed | Growing · indie |
| Hosting architecture | Cloud-Hosted | On-Device Local |
| Licensing model | Not disclosed | One-Time Perpetual |
| Data / training policy | Not disclosed | Fully local — nothing leaves device |
| Offline capability | No | Yes |
| Pricing tier range | Not disclosed | One-time license |
| Execution unit cost | Not disclosed | Unlimited Local Compute |
| API-key markup | Not disclosed | No — BYO key at cost |
| Supported LLM providers | Not disclosed | OpenAI; Anthropic; Google; Local; Any |
| Auth / permission types | Not disclosed | API Key; Local/None |
| Phone / messaging bridges | None | Telegram; WhatsApp |
| Speech recognition engine | None | Whisper (local) |
| Local media processing | Not disclosed | Yes |
| Sovereign score | 20 / 100 | 93 / 100 |
The sovereignty gap
Where @candoa/chatbot lands on each weighted pillar (its bar) — the red marker is Bonfire's score. Auto-derived from the 16 factors above.
Which should you choose?
Choose @candoa/chatbot if…
Choose @candoa/chatbot if you want a cloud-hosted chatbot platform and its server-based deployment suits you.
Choose Bonfire Terminal if…
Choose Bonfire Terminal if you want an on-device agent, provider keys at cost, and a one-time perpetual license.
Bonfire Terminal vs @candoa/chatbot: FAQ
Is @candoa/chatbot private?
@candoa/chatbot is cloud-hosted with no published training-data policy, so conversations are processed on remote servers. Bonfire Terminal is local-first, keeping prompts and data on your device rather than routing chat traffic through a vendor cloud.
Is Bonfire Terminal cheaper than @candoa/chatbot?
@candoa/chatbot does not publish pricing tiers. Bonfire Terminal is a one-time perpetual license plus your own LLM usage at cost with no markup, so you avoid the recurring fees a hosted chatbot platform usually charges.
Can Bonfire Terminal replace @candoa/chatbot?
Partly, since @candoa/chatbot is a hosted chatbot platform, often for customer-facing bots. Bonfire Terminal is a personal on-device agent, so it replaces the assistant experience but is not a drop-in hosted chatbot service.
What can Bonfire Terminal do that @candoa/chatbot can't?
Bonfire Terminal runs offline on-device, transcribes with local Whisper, processes media locally, and bridges to Telegram and WhatsApp. @candoa/chatbot is cloud-only with no offline mode, so it cannot keep conversations on your machine.
How do I switch from @candoa/chatbot to Bonfire Terminal?
For a personal agent rather than a hosted bot, install Bonfire Terminal and add your provider key. Because Bonfire is local-first, there is no cloud chatbot backend to migrate; your data stays on your device from the start.
Does Bonfire Terminal work offline vs @candoa/chatbot?
@candoa/chatbot has no offline capability and relies on its cloud. Bonfire Terminal runs on-device with local models and Whisper, so its features keep working without internet where the hosted chatbot cannot.