Bonfire Terminal vs @hazeljs/rag
@hazeljs/rag is a free, open-source, on-device RAG and knowledge library that is local-first and private with partial offline support, scoring a strong 71 for sovereignty. Bonfire Terminal shares that local-first ethos but delivers a finished agent, with local Whisper, messaging bridges, and BYO-key models at cost, under a single perpetual license.
Bonfire Terminal vs @hazeljs/rag: the 16-factor comparison
| Rating factor | @hazeljs/rag | Bonfire Terminal |
|---|---|---|
| Category | RAG/Knowledge | AI Terminal / Local Agent |
| Popularity | Not disclosed | Growing · indie |
| Hosting architecture | On-Device Local | On-Device Local |
| Licensing model | Open Source | One-Time Perpetual |
| Data / training policy | Local-first private | Fully local — nothing leaves device |
| Offline capability | Partial | Yes |
| Pricing tier range | Free (OSS) | One-time license |
| Execution unit cost | Pay-Per-Token | Unlimited Local Compute |
| API-key markup | No | No — BYO key at cost |
| Supported LLM providers | Not disclosed | OpenAI; Anthropic; Google; Local; Any |
| Auth / permission types | API Key | API Key; Local/None |
| Phone / messaging bridges | None | Telegram; WhatsApp |
| Speech recognition engine | None | Whisper (local) |
| Local media processing | No | Yes |
| Sovereign score | 71 / 100 | 93 / 100 |
The sovereignty gap
Where @hazeljs/rag 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 @hazeljs/rag if…
Choose @hazeljs/rag if you are a developer building local-first retrieval-augmented knowledge features into your own JavaScript application.
Choose Bonfire Terminal if…
Choose Bonfire Terminal if you want a complete on-device agent with speech, bridges, and BYO-key models, not a RAG library to integrate.
Bonfire Terminal vs @hazeljs/rag: FAQ
Is @hazeljs/rag private?
Yes. @hazeljs/rag is local-first and private by design, keeping retrieval on-device. Bonfire Terminal matches this stance, running agent activity, Whisper transcription, and media processing on your machine rather than in a cloud service.
Is Bonfire Terminal cheaper than @hazeljs/rag?
@hazeljs/rag is free and open source, so it costs nothing for developers. Bonfire Terminal charges a one-time license but delivers a finished on-device agent, not a RAG library you must build a product around, and adds no key markup on hosted models.
Can Bonfire Terminal replace @hazeljs/rag?
For end users, largely; for developers, partly. @hazeljs/rag is a library for adding local retrieval to an app, while Bonfire Terminal is a ready-made agent that can reason over your local content. Bonfire replaces it if you want a product, not a component.
What can Bonfire Terminal do that @hazeljs/rag can't?
Bonfire Terminal is a complete on-device agent with local Whisper speech, local media processing, Telegram and WhatsApp bridges, and BYO-key LLM access. @hazeljs/rag is a retrieval library with no interface, speech, bridges, or model access of its own.
How do I switch from @hazeljs/rag to Bonfire Terminal?
If you wanted local knowledge retrieval as a usable tool rather than a library, install Bonfire Terminal and point it at your documents for on-device reasoning, skipping the integration work @hazeljs/rag requires.
Does Bonfire Terminal work offline vs @hazeljs/rag?
@hazeljs/rag offers partial offline support as a local-first library. Bonfire Terminal runs Whisper and media processing fully offline on-device, only reaching the network when you call a hosted model, giving strong offline coverage for local tasks.