Drift vs PrivateBin
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted pastebins & snippets options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Drift
Self-hostable Gist alternative with a clean editor
VS
PrivateBin
Minimalist pastebin with zero-knowledge encryption
| Feature | Drift | PrivateBin |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Pastebins & Snippets | Pastebins & Snippets |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Zlib |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,363 | ★ 8,509 |
| First released | 2022 | 2012 |
| Replaces | GitHub Gist | Pastebin.com |
Why pick each one
Choose Drift if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Choose PrivateBin if…
- Released under the Zlib license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 8.5k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Drift or PrivateBin better?
PrivateBin is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Drift if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Drift and PrivateBin free and open-source?
Yes. Drift is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and PrivateBin under Zlib. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Drift and PrivateBin with Docker?
Drift: yes. PrivateBin: yes.