Karakeep vs PrivateBin

Two self-hosted Pastebins apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.

Side by side

KarakeepPrivateBin
DescriptionBookmark-everything app with a touch of AI for the data hoarders out there.Minimalist pastebin/discussion board where the server has zero knowledge of hosted data.
GitHub stars30,2968,732
Forks––
Open issues––
Commits (12 months)873704
Last activity2026-11-042026-11-04
Latest releasev0.34.1 (2026-10-22)2.1.1 (2026-11-04)
Maintenance healthActiveActive
LicenseAGPL-3.0Zlib
Language / platformDockerPHP
Docker Hub image––
Docker pulls––
Est. server size~1 GB, 1 vCPU~1 GB, 1 vCPU
Est. hosting from$5/mo$5/mo
CategoriesBookmarks and Link Sharing, PastebinsPastebins
LinksWebsite · SourceWebsite · Source

What the numbers say

Summary: Karakeep leads on GitHub popularity. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.

This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-05. It does not rate features or quality.

Frequently asked questions

Is Karakeep or PrivateBin more popular?

Karakeep has more GitHub stars (30,296 vs 8,732 for PrivateBin, as of 2026-11-05). Stars measure interest, not quality.

Which is more actively maintained, Karakeep or PrivateBin?

Commits in the last 12 months: Karakeep 873, PrivateBin 704. Both had repository activity on 2026-11-04. Our health labels: Karakeep is “Active”, PrivateBin is “Active”.

What licenses do Karakeep and PrivateBin use?

Karakeep: AGPL-3.0. PrivateBin: Zlib. PrivateBin's license is permissive; Karakeep's is copyleft (changes you distribute must stay open).

Can I run Karakeep and PrivateBin with Docker?

We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. The upstream listing mentions Docker as a deployment option for Karakeep. Check each project's documentation for install options.

Read more

Karakeep

Bookmark-everything app with a touch of AI for the data hoarders out there.

Active ★ 30.3k AGPL-3.0 🐳 Docker~$5/mo

PrivateBin

Minimalist pastebin/discussion board where the server has zero knowledge of hosted data.

Active ★ 8.7k Zlib ~$5/mo

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