terminalGPT vs Poolside AI

Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and ratings

Analysis reviewed Live tool data as of 2026-09-23
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At a glance

DimensionterminalGPTPoolside AI
PricingFree (open-source, bring own API keys)Contact sales (enterprise pricing)
Target UserIndividual developers, CLI enthusiastsLarge enterprises in regulated industries
DeploymentLocal terminal (via npm/npx)On-prem, VPC, workstation (defense only)
Model AccessBring your own API key to connect to OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, GeminiLaguna XS.2 (33B params, 3B active on-device) and Laguna M.1 (225B params, 23B active via API)
Key FeatureChat in terminal, conversation history, no telemetryMulti-agent orchestration, 256K context, governance & auditability
Best ForQuick code gen/debug without leaving terminalHigh-consequence software engineering with strict security

For individual developers wanting a free, lightweight terminal chat with multiple LLMs, terminalGPT is the no-brainer choice. Poolside AI targets large enterprises in regulated industries needing custom models deployed inside security boundaries and multi-agent orchestration — but is far too expensive and complex for solo devs.

Try terminalGPTTry Poolside AI
terminalGPT
terminalGPT

terminalGPT puts GPT, Claude, Groq, and Gemini chat one `tgpt chat` command away in your terminal

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Poolside AI
Poolside AI

Open-weight agentic coding models — Laguna XS 2.1 and Laguna S 2.1 — built for secure on-prem and air-gapped enterprise AI.

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Pricing
Free
Contact Sales
Plans
$0
—
Popularity
7 views
7.1k views
Skill Level
Intermediate
Advanced
API Available
Platforms
CLI
DesktopCLIAPIWeb
Categories
💻 Code & Development
💻 Code & Development🛠️ Autonomous Coding Agents⚛️ Foundation Models & LLM APIs🛡️ AI Governance & Guardrails
Features
Chat with GPT-style LLMs from the terminal via `tgpt chat`
Switch between OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, and Gemini with your own API keys
Install globally with npm install -g terminalgpt or yarn global add terminalgpt
Run without installing using npx terminalgpt
Delete all stored conversations with `tgpt delete`
API key prompt on first run, no account signup
Conversation history stored locally on your machine
No telemetry or data collection
Written in TypeScript, source on GitHub
Open source under the MIT license
1k GitHub stars, 178 forks, community contributions via CONTRIBUTING.md
Lightweight CLI with no heavy dependencies
Keyboard-driven command-line interface, no browser tab required
Laguna S 2.1 open-weight model: 118B params, 8B active, 1M context
Laguna XS 2.1 open-weight model: 33B params, 3B active, 256K context
Laguna XS 2.1 designed to run on-device for lightweight scenarios
Laguna S 2.1 positioned for frontier-class long-horizon reasoning
Single-agent and multi-agent orchestration with planning and tool use
Sandboxed agent execution environments for running generated code safely
Desktop app and CLI for agentic coding sessions
Model selection, tool grouping, and project management in the client
Data connectors to repositories, databases, and warehouses
Role-based access control for both human users and agents
End-to-end trace observability for agent runs
Governance and auditability built for regulated environments
Custom model fine-tuning on domain-specific data
Deployment inside your security boundary: on-prem, VPC, or workstation
Access to Laguna models via OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway
Integrations
OpenAI
Anthropic
Groq
Gemini
OpenRouter
Vercel AI Gateway

What real users say: terminalGPT vs Poolside AI

Not marketing copy and not our opinion — a structured sweep of public discussion (reviews, forums, communities and video comments), showing what people praise and what they complain about for each tool.

terminalGPT

1 mentions across 1 sources · 50% positive — mixed (averaged across 1 source)

Hacker News

What users praise

  • • Quick global install via npm or yarn.
  • • Supports OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, and Gemini models.
  • • Start chat with a single command: tgpt chat.
  • • On-demand use with npx, no permanent install needed.

What frustrates them

  • • Very limited community feedback to assess reliability.
  • • Features are minimal compared to alternatives.
  • • No support for conversation history management beyond delete.
  • • Potential security concern with API key storage.

Researched Jul 3, 2026

Poolside AI

40 mentions across 4 sources · 48% positive — mixed (averaged across 4 sources)

Hacker News, YouTube, Bluesky, Lemmy

What users praise

  • • Open-weight models with strong SWE-bench scores (72.5%).
  • • On-prem, VPC, and air-gapped deployment for high security.
  • • 256K context length supports long-horizon reasoning tasks.
  • • Multi-agent orchestration with sandboxed execution environments.

What frustrates them

  • • Community feedback is scarce; limited real-world user reviews.
  • • Platform is still in research preview as of April 2026.
  • • Pricing is opaque; only 'contact us' with no published tiers.
  • • Trademark dispute with Poolside FM creates name confusion.

Researched Jul 17, 2026

Who should pick which

  • Solo developer
    Pick: terminalGPT

    Free, works in terminal, supports multiple LLMs with own API keys, no vendor lock-in.

  • Fintech CTO
    Pick: Poolside AI

    On-prem deployment, governance, auditability, and custom models for high-consequence software.

  • Privacy-conscious developer
    Pick: terminalGPT

    No telemetry, local API key control, open-source codebase.

  • DevOps engineer needing automated scripts
    Pick: terminalGPT

    On-demand LLM access via npx, easy integration into shell scripts.

  • Defense contractor
    Pick: Poolside AI

    Workstation deployment for defense, air-gapped security, audit trails.

Frequently Asked Questions

terminalGPT vs Poolside AI: which should you choose?

For individual developers wanting a free, lightweight terminal chat with multiple LLMs, terminalGPT is the no-brainer choice. Poolside AI targets large enterprises in regulated industries needing custom models deployed inside security boundaries and multi-agent orchestration — but is far too expensive and complex for solo devs.

Can terminalGPT run without an internet connection?

No—it requires API calls to cloud LLMs, so an internet connection is needed.

Does Poolside AI support multimodal inputs?

As of latest news (May 2026), the Laguna models are text-only; no multimodal features have been announced.

Which LLMs does terminalGPT support?

It supports OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, and Gemini models using your own API keys.

Is Poolside AI usable by individuals?

It's designed for enterprise contracts; individuals likely won't get access or afford it.

Are both tools open-source?

terminalGPT is MIT-licensed open-source. Poolside AI's models and platform are not open-source (they are 'open-weight' but proprietary).

Can I use terminalGPT in a team?

It has no shared history or collaboration features; each user runs their own instance.

What is the context length of Laguna models?

Both Laguna XS.2 and M.1 support up to 256K tokens (announced May 26, 2026).

Does Poolside AI offer on-prem deployment?

Yes, it can be deployed on-prem or in VPC, and even on workstation for defense clients.

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Explore each tool further

terminalGPT
View terminalGPT reviewterminalGPT alternatives
Poolside AI
View Poolside AI reviewPoolside AI alternatives

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Last reviewed: July 3, 2026