The best pastebin alternatives in 2026
Pastebin still works, but it's not the only option. Here are the tools developers, sysadmins, and writers actually use in 2026 — compared on the things that matter: privacy, expiration, syntax highlighting, and whether you need an account.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Account? | Expires | Highlighting | Privacy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online Notepad | No | Local-only | No | Excellent (local) |
| GitHub Gist | Yes | Never | Yes | Public/secret URL |
| PrivateBin | No | Yes | Yes | E2E encrypted |
| Hastebin | No | 30 days | Yes | Public URL |
| JustPaste.it | No | Configurable | No | Public URL |
| Termbin | No | 1 month | No | CLI / public URL |
| 0bin | No | Yes | Yes | Client-encrypted |
| Rentry.co | No | Configurable | Markdown | Edit code |
| dpaste.org | No | Configurable | Yes | Public/unlisted |
| Cl1p.net | No | Custom URL | No | Public URL |
1. Online Notepad (this site)
If you don't need a shareable URL — you just need to type, save, and access later — this is the lightest option. Everything is local-storage based. There's no server-side database holding your content, which means there's nothing to leak.
Use it for: personal drafts, scratch notes, code you're moving between two browsers on the same machine.
2. GitHub Gist
The default for most developers. Syntax highlighting for every language Linguist supports, version history, full Markdown rendering, and embeddable in blog posts. Downside: requires a GitHub account, and "secret" gists are unlisted but not actually private — anyone with the URL can see them.
3. PrivateBin
End-to-end encrypted pastes. The decryption key is in the URL fragment (after the #), so the server literally cannot read your paste. Self-hostable if you want full control. Best choice if the content is sensitive.
4. Hastebin
Minimalist and fast. Press Ctrl+S, get a URL. Syntax highlighting, 30-day expiration. Open source so you can self-host. Good for quick sharing where privacy isn't critical.
5. JustPaste.it
More like a lightweight blog than a pastebin. Designed for text rather than code. Custom URLs, password protection, view counters. Aimed at non-developers.
6. Termbin
Pastebin from the command line. Pipe anything to nc termbin.com 9999 and get back a URL. Beloved by sysadmins. Plain text only, no highlighting.
7. 0bin
Client-side encryption with a deniability angle — the operator never sees plaintext, so they can't be compelled to hand it over. Open source.
8. Rentry.co
Markdown-first pastebin with an edit code. You pick the URL, you can update the content later with your code. Popular for documentation and wiki-style notes.
9. dpaste.org
Long-running, no-nonsense pastebin. Decent expiration controls, syntax highlighting, no JS-heavy UI. Quietly reliable.
10. Cl1p.net
The party trick is custom URLs — paste at cl1p.net/your-name, send the URL, the other side reads it. Designed for one-shot transfers between two devices.
How to choose
- Sensitive content → PrivateBin or 0bin (encrypted)
- Code you want to keep → GitHub Gist
- Quick CLI share → Termbin
- Just need a scratch pad → Online Notepad
- Document with edit history → Rentry
Related: how to share code snippets online · our paste tool