not-th.re 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?
not-th.re
Simple paste sharing platform, with client side encryption, featuring
VS
PrivateBin
Minimalist pastebin with zero-knowledge encryption
| Feature | not-th.re | PrivateBin |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Pastebins & Snippets | Pastebins & Snippets |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Zlib |
| Language | Shell | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 16 | ★ 8,509 |
| First released | 2025 | 2012 |
| Replaces | — | Pastebin.com |
Why pick each one
Choose not-th.re if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Shell
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
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 not-th.re or PrivateBin better?
PrivateBin is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider not-th.re if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are not-th.re and PrivateBin free and open-source?
Yes. not-th.re is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and PrivateBin under Zlib. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run not-th.re and PrivateBin with Docker?
not-th.re: yes. PrivateBin: yes.