Bonfire Terminal vs Decagon
Decagon is a cloud-hosted conversational-AI support agent (~$1.5B valuation) with per-task, custom enterprise pricing, SMS support, and proprietary voice AI on OpenAI and Anthropic, though its data policy is undisclosed. Bonfire Terminal is a sovereign personal agent: on-device, BYO-key at cost, one perpetual license.
Bonfire Terminal vs Decagon: the 16-factor comparison
| Rating factor | Decagon | Bonfire Terminal |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Conversational AI | AI Terminal / Local Agent |
| Popularity | Series C $131M (2025, ~$1.5B val) | Growing · indie |
| Hosting architecture | Cloud-Hosted | On-Device Local |
| Licensing model | Per-Task | One-Time Perpetual |
| Data / training policy | Not disclosed | Fully local — nothing leaves device |
| Offline capability | No | Yes |
| Pricing tier range | Enterprise (custom) | One-time license |
| Execution unit cost | Pay-Per-Task | Unlimited Local Compute |
| API-key markup | N/A | No — BYO key at cost |
| Supported LLM providers | OpenAI;Anthropic | OpenAI; Anthropic; Google; Local; Any |
| Auth / permission types | SSO | API Key; Local/None |
| Phone / messaging bridges | SMS | Telegram; WhatsApp |
| Speech recognition engine | Proprietary (voice AI) | Whisper (local) |
| Local media processing | No | Yes |
| Sovereign score | 40 / 100 | 93 / 100 |
The sovereignty gap
Where Decagon 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 Decagon if…
Choose Decagon if you need an enterprise customer-support agent handling high-volume tickets with per-task billing and voice AI.
Choose Bonfire Terminal if…
Choose Bonfire Terminal if you want a private on-device agent with a clear privacy model rather than an enterprise support bot.
Bonfire Terminal vs Decagon: FAQ
Is Decagon private?
Decagon's data policy is undisclosed, and it is cloud-hosted, so support conversations run on its servers. Bonfire Terminal runs on-device, so your data never leaves your machine regardless of any vendor policy.
Is Bonfire Terminal cheaper than Decagon?
Decagon uses custom, per-task enterprise pricing that recurs with volume. Bonfire Terminal is a one-time perpetual license with at-cost BYO-key usage, avoiding open-ended per-task charges. You also pay your chosen provider directly at cost, with no per-token markup layered on top.
Can Bonfire Terminal replace Decagon?
Not as an enterprise support platform. Decagon's high-volume ticket handling is its core, which Bonfire Terminal does not target. Bonfire replaces it only for personal assistant use, not customer-support operations.
What can Bonfire Terminal do that Decagon can't?
Bonfire Terminal runs on-device with Telegram and WhatsApp bridges, local Whisper speech, and local media processing under a clear privacy model. Decagon is cloud-only with an undisclosed policy and no offline mode.
How do I switch from Decagon to Bonfire Terminal?
For personal AI work, install Bonfire Terminal and add your key. Enterprises needing support-ticket automation should keep Decagon, since Bonfire targets sovereign individual use. There is no lock-in either: your data stays local and you own the license outright.
Does Bonfire Terminal work offline vs Decagon?
Decagon has no offline capability and depends on its cloud. Bonfire Terminal runs on-device, so local speech and media features keep working without a connection. Local Whisper transcription and media processing keep running with no network connection at all.