PrivateBin vs Cryptgeon
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
Cryptgeon
Encrypted note and file sharing with self-destruct
| Feature | PrivateBin | Cryptgeon |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Pastebins & Snippets | Pastebins & Snippets |
| License | Zlib | MIT |
| Language | PHP | Svelte |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,509 | ★ 1,497 |
| First released | 2012 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Pastebin.com | PrivateBin, One-Time Secret |
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 Cryptgeon if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.5k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is PrivateBin or Cryptgeon 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 Cryptgeon free and open-source?
Yes. PrivateBin is licensed under Zlib and Cryptgeon under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run PrivateBin and Cryptgeon with Docker?
PrivateBin: yes. Cryptgeon: yes.