Bonfire Terminal vs @helicone/ai-gateway
@helicone/ai-gateway is an open-source, hybrid LLM gateway, free to self-host or paid in the cloud, routing OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Azure, or any provider with pay-per-token billing and no markup. Bonfire Terminal is a full on-device agent rather than a routing layer, with BYO-key billing at cost and a one-time perpetual license.
Bonfire Terminal vs @helicone/ai-gateway: the 16-factor comparison
| Rating factor | @helicone/ai-gateway | Bonfire Terminal |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Other | AI Terminal / Local Agent |
| Popularity | GitHub 620 stars | Growing · indie |
| Hosting architecture | Hybrid | On-Device Local |
| Licensing model | Open Source | One-Time Perpetual |
| Data / training policy | Self-host = private | Fully local — nothing leaves device |
| Offline capability | No | Yes |
| Pricing tier range | $0 self-host / paid cloud | One-time license |
| Execution unit cost | Pay-Per-Token | Unlimited Local Compute |
| API-key markup | No | No — BYO key at cost |
| Supported LLM providers | OpenAI;Anthropic;Google;Azure;Any | 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 | 69 / 100 | 93 / 100 |
The sovereignty gap
Where @helicone/ai-gateway 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 @helicone/ai-gateway if…
Choose @helicone/ai-gateway if you are a developer needing an open-source gateway to route, observe, and manage LLM API traffic.
Choose Bonfire Terminal if…
Choose Bonfire Terminal if you want a finished on-device AI agent, not infrastructure, under a perpetual license.
Bonfire Terminal vs @helicone/ai-gateway: FAQ
Is @helicone/ai-gateway private?
Self-hosted, @helicone/ai-gateway is private, but as a gateway it routes your prompts onward to cloud LLM providers by design. Bonfire Terminal is local-first, so with a local model your prompts, speech, and media never leave the device at all.
Is Bonfire Terminal cheaper than @helicone/ai-gateway?
@helicone/ai-gateway is free to self-host, with paid cloud tiers, and adds no token markup. Bonfire Terminal is a one-time perpetual license with BYO-key billing at cost. Both avoid markup; Bonfire delivers a product rather than routing infrastructure you must run.
Can Bonfire Terminal replace @helicone/ai-gateway?
Not directly. @helicone/ai-gateway is developer infrastructure for routing and observing LLM traffic, while Bonfire Terminal is an end-user agent. If you need centralized API gateway management for an application, Helicone is purpose-built for that role.
What can Bonfire Terminal do that @helicone/ai-gateway can't?
Bonfire Terminal is a complete on-device agent with local Whisper speech recognition, local media processing, Telegram and WhatsApp bridges, and offline operation. @helicone/ai-gateway is a routing gateway without any user-facing agent, speech, or media capabilities.
How do I switch from @helicone/ai-gateway to Bonfire Terminal?
They serve different layers, so you may keep the gateway for app routing and add Bonfire Terminal for personal AI. For direct use, install Bonfire, plug in your key at cost, and run an agent on-device without operating a gateway.
Does Bonfire Terminal work offline vs @helicone/ai-gateway?
Bonfire Terminal runs fully offline with a local model across agent, speech, and media tasks. @helicone/ai-gateway has no offline capability, since a gateway exists to forward requests to cloud LLM providers and needs a network to function.