PrivateBin vs Encrypted Pastebin
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?
PrivateBin
Minimalist pastebin with zero-knowledge encryption
VS
Encrypted Pastebin
Zero-knowledge encrypted text and code sharing
| Feature | PrivateBin | Encrypted Pastebin |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Pastebins & Snippets | Pastebins & Snippets |
| License | Zlib | Zlib |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,509 | ★ 83 |
| First released | 2012 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Pastebin.com | Pastebin.com, GitHub Gist |
Why pick each one
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
Choose Encrypted Pastebin if…
- Released under the Zlib license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is PrivateBin or Encrypted Pastebin better?
Neither is universally better. PrivateBin has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are PrivateBin and Encrypted Pastebin free and open-source?
Yes. PrivateBin is licensed under Zlib and Encrypted Pastebin under Zlib. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run PrivateBin and Encrypted Pastebin with Docker?
PrivateBin: yes. Encrypted Pastebin: yes.