PrivateBin
Minimalist pastebin/discussion board where the server has zero knowledge of hosted data.
PrivateBin vs SilverBullet
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
| PrivateBin | SilverBullet | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Minimalist pastebin/discussion board where the server has zero knowledge of hosted data. | Note-taking application optimized for people with a hacker mindset. |
| GitHub stars | 8,732 | 6,458 |
| Forks | – | – |
| Open issues | – | – |
| Commits (12 months) | 704 | 1.4k |
| Last activity | 2026-11-04 | 2026-11-04 |
| Latest release | 2.1.1 (2026-11-04) | 2.12.1 (2026-10-12) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | Zlib | MIT |
| Language / platform | PHP | Docker, Deno |
| Docker Hub image | – | – |
| Docker pulls | – | – |
| Est. server size | ~1 GB, 1 vCPU | ~1 GB, 1 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $5/mo | $5/mo |
| Categories | Pastebins | Note-taking & Editors, Pastebins |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- PrivateBin is more popular on GitHub: 8.7k stars vs 6.5k for SilverBullet.
- SilverBullet had more commits in the last 12 months (1,431 vs 704).
- PrivateBin published a release more recently (2.1.1 on 2026-11-04; SilverBullet's latest is 2.12.1 on 2026-10-12).
- PrivateBin is licensed under Zlib, SilverBullet under MIT.
- PrivateBin is written in PHP; SilverBullet in Deno.
- Deployment options listed upstream: PrivateBin: none listed; SilverBullet: Docker.
Summary: PrivateBin leads on GitHub popularity; SilverBullet leads on commit activity. 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 PrivateBin or SilverBullet more popular?
PrivateBin has more GitHub stars (8,732 vs 6,458 for SilverBullet, as of 2026-11-05). Stars measure interest, not quality.
Which is more actively maintained, PrivateBin or SilverBullet?
SilverBullet had more commits over the last 12 months (1,431 vs 704). Both had repository activity on 2026-11-04. Our health labels: PrivateBin is “Active”, SilverBullet is “Active”.
What licenses do PrivateBin and SilverBullet use?
PrivateBin: Zlib. SilverBullet: MIT.
Can I run PrivateBin and SilverBullet with Docker?
We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. The upstream listing mentions Docker as a deployment option for SilverBullet. Check each project's documentation for install options.
Read more
SilverBullet
Note-taking application optimized for people with a hacker mindset.
Browse all self-hosted Pastebins apps.