PrivateBin vs Ghostbin
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
Ghostbin
Feature-rich pastebin engine behind the Ghostbin service
| Feature | PrivateBin | Ghostbin |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Pastebins & Snippets | Pastebins & Snippets |
| License | Zlib | MIT |
| Language | PHP | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,509 | ★ 189 |
| First released | 2012 | 2014 |
| 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 Ghostbin if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is PrivateBin or Ghostbin better?
PrivateBin is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Ghostbin if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are PrivateBin and Ghostbin free and open-source?
Yes. PrivateBin is licensed under Zlib and Ghostbin under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run PrivateBin and Ghostbin with Docker?
PrivateBin: yes. Ghostbin: yes.