The best Pastebin alternatives in 2026, matched to what you're sharing
NudgeHost is the best Pastebin alternative for sharing text as a link. Paste up to 2 MB, press Publish, and the reader gets a clean page with a Copy text button and no ads. A free account keeps pastes live with no end date, up to 10 links at once, and gives each one a raw address. For text that has to be encrypted before it leaves your browser, or code that needs highlighting and version history, the cards below name the tool built for that job.
What a Pastebin alternative has to do
A paste tool takes text you paste into a box and gives you a link to it. The tools on this page differ in what happens next, from a plain page anyone can read, to text encrypted in your browser so the server never sees it, to code with highlighting, history and forks. Pick the tool by the reader and by how private the text is, then check how long a free paste lasts, because that ranges from 48 hours to no end date.
Seven Pastebin alternatives, ranked for sharing text as a link
Ranked for sharing text as a link. Each card names the job that tool does best, what you get without paying, and what to watch for.
1. NudgeHost
That's usBest for sharing notes, logs, prompts or any plain text with someone who just needs to read it
Paste text, give it a name if you like, and press Publish. The reader opens a page with the text exactly as pasted, line breaks included, and buttons to copy it, download it as a .txt or report it. HTML and scripts in a paste print as text and never run. Signed out, a paste lasts 7 days with no account or email address. A free account keeps it with no end date, lets you check whether a link was opened, and gives every paste a raw address, the link plus /raw, which sends the bare text to a script or a terminal. Replace a paste with an updated .txt from your dashboard and it keeps the same link, text page and raw address. Passwords come with the Pro plan and Studio, and a password covers the raw address too. AI assistants connected over MCP can post a paste themselves with the share_text tool, which the API reference describes.
Account to paste
None for 7 days, with 3 pastes live at once
Paste size
2 MB of text
Free account
10 live links with no end date, open counts and a raw address
Pick another tool when
The text needs encrypting in your browser, syntax highlighting or comments
Figures from the current NudgeHost plan definitions.
2. PrivateBin
Best for sensitive text the server must never be able to read
PrivateBin is open-source software, so you use an instance someone else runs or install your own. Text is encrypted and decrypted in the browser with 256-bit AES in Galois Counter mode, so the server has zero knowledge of what it stores. Its feature list includes a password, discussions under a paste, expiry times with "forever" and "burn after reading", Markdown and syntax highlighting, and each instance can switch any of them on or off. Because the page that does the encrypting comes from the server, PrivateBin says you have to trust whoever runs it.
Account to paste
Not stated
Encryption
In the browser, 256-bit AES
Expiry
Options up to forever and burn after reading, where the instance allows
Watch for
Features and limits depend on the instance you use
Read on 14 October 2026 from PrivateBin's own pages, linked below.
3. GitHub Gist
Best for code you want to keep, revise and let others fork
GitHub's docs say every gist is a Git repository, so anyone can fork or clone it and you can view its full commit history with diffs. Making one starts with signing in to GitHub. A public gist shows up in Discover and in search. A secret gist stays out of both, though GitHub notes that secret gists aren't private, because anyone with the URL can open one. You can embed a gist in a blog post, download it as a ZIP, or create one from the terminal with gh gist create.
Account to paste
A GitHub account
Visibility
Public, or secret (unlisted, open to anyone with the URL)
History
Full commit history with diffs
Watch for
GitHub scans secret gists for leaked partner secrets and tells the partner
Read on 14 October 2026 from GitHub's own pages, linked below.
4. Pastes.io
Best for code snippets with a screenshot attached
Pastes.io detects a paste's language and highlights it, and it can capture and annotate a screenshot to go with the text. The free plan needs no sign-up. It allows pastes up to 1 MB that expire after a month, 2 pastes every 5 minutes and 20 a day, and one image per paste. Pro costs $18 a year, shown as $1.50 a month, and raises pastes to 25 MB. It adds passwords, raw and download access, folders, no ads and the choice of no expiry.
Account to paste
None
Paste size
1 MB free, 25 MB on Pro
Free paste lasts
1 month
What it costs
Pro is $18 a year
Read on 14 October 2026 from Pastes.io's own pages, linked below.
5. ControlC
Best for a short paste or a screenshot that should disappear within two days
ControlC hosts text and images from the same page. A paste holds up to 100 KB of text with BBCode formatting, and you can lock it with a password of up to 50 characters. A guest paste can self-destruct after anything from 5 minutes to 48 hours, and 48 hours is the longest a guest can choose. New pastes from signed-in members default to never expiring, and members can edit their pastes and delete them from a dashboard. ControlC also has a Windows app that captures and annotates screenshots.
Account to paste
None for a text paste
Paste size
100 KB
Guest paste lasts
Up to 48 hours
Watch for
A guest paste can't be edited, and removing one goes through the DMCA page
Read on 14 October 2026 from ControlC's own pages, linked below.
6. JustPaste.it
Best for formatted notes with images, written in an editor
JustPaste.it opens on a rich text editor with paragraph styles, font sizes and photo uploads, so a note reads more like a short article than a paste. Guests can publish up to 30 notes a day, each with up to 40 images and 20 MB of them, and they fill in a captcha when they add a note. Guests can't make private notes. Password-encrypted notes, which use AES 256-GCM, aren't available to guests or free accounts. Premium starts at $3.99.
Account to paste
None; guests fill in a captcha
Images
Up to 40 a note and 20 MB in total, as a guest
Encryption
Password-encrypted notes, not for guests or free accounts
What it costs
Premium from $3.99
Read on 14 October 2026 from JustPaste.it's own pages, linked below.
7. Hastebin
Best for posting a code paste from a script or a terminal
Hastebin, now run by Toptal, opens on a blank editor with a Save button. Its API takes plain text in one POST request and answers with the paste's key. API requests carry a token, one token can be active at a time, and the limit is 100 requests a minute. The API docs say pasted content stays available for 30 days for authorized users and 7 days otherwise.
Account to paste
Not stated
Paste lasts
30 days for authorized users, 7 days otherwise
API limit
100 requests a minute
Watch for
The site moved to Toptal, and the API endpoints changed with it
Read on 14 October 2026 from Hastebin's own pages, linked below.
All eight tools, same questions
| Tool | Account to paste | Size of one paste | How long a free paste lasts | Password | Built for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NudgeHost | No | 2 MB | 7 days signed out, no end date on a free account | Pro and Studio | Plain text at a link |
| PrivateBin | Not stated | Not stated | Your choice, where the instance allows | Where the instance allows | Text encrypted in the browser |
| GitHub Gist | A GitHub account | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Code with history |
| Pastes.io | No | 1 MB, or 25 MB on Pro | 1 month | Pro | Code and screenshots |
| ControlC | No, for text | 100 KB | Up to 48 hours as a guest | Yes, up to 50 characters | Short-lived text and images |
| JustPaste.it | No | Not stated | Not stated | Not for guests or free accounts | Formatted notes with images |
| Hastebin | Not stated | Not stated | 7 days, or 30 for authorized users | Not stated | Code from scripts |
| Pastebin | No | About half a megabyte | Your choice; idle free pastes can be removed | Yes | Code with highlighting |
Read from each vendor's own pages on 14 October 2026. Vendors change plans, so check before you rely on a figure.
Pastebin is the tool the others are measured against, so it has a row and no card. "Not stated" means the vendor's pages don't give the figure.
When you need something a paste link doesn't do
NudgeHost shows text as it was pasted and doesn't add colour or line numbers. For code that needs syntax highlighting, a code paste tool such as GitHub Gist, Pastes.io or Pastebin is built for it, and Gist adds history and forks. Text that must stay unreadable to the host belongs in a tool that encrypts in the browser, which is how PrivateBin is built. A conversation under the paste calls for a tool with comments, such as PrivateBin's discussions or Gist's comments. If the text should vanish once it's read, look for burn after reading, which PrivateBin offers. For a paste that should stop working on a set date, give the NudgeHost link an end date.
For everything else, from meeting notes to error logs to a prompt you want a colleague to try, the quickest way from your clipboard to their screen is to share text as a link on NudgeHost.
How this list was put together
Every tool is measured on the same questions: whether you need an account, how much one paste holds, how long a free paste lasts and whether it takes a password. Each competitor figure comes from that vendor's own pages, read on 14 October 2026, and each card links them. Where a vendor's pages don't give a figure, the table says "Not stated". Mark Boreland wrote this page. If a figure has gone out of date, write to support@nudgehost.com.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers on accounts, encryption, code and passwords. The cards above carry the detail.
What is the best Pastebin alternative?
For sharing ordinary text as a link, NudgeHost, because the reader gets a clean page with no ads and a free account keeps the paste with no end date. For text the server must never be able to read, PrivateBin. For code you'll keep revising, GitHub Gist.
Is there a Pastebin alternative that needs no account?
Yes. NudgeHost, Pastes.io and ControlC take a paste without one, and JustPaste.it lets guests publish notes. A signed-out paste on NudgeHost lasts 7 days, a guest paste on ControlC lasts up to 48 hours, and a free paste on Pastes.io lasts a month.
Which Pastebin alternative encrypts the text?
PrivateBin encrypts every paste in your browser with 256-bit AES before it reaches the server. JustPaste.it has password-encrypted notes, though not for guests or free accounts. NudgeHost's passwords on Pro and Studio decide who can open a paste, which covers most private notes and logs.
What is the best Pastebin alternative for code?
GitHub Gist, if you want history, forks and embeds and you have a GitHub account. Pastes.io detects the language and highlights it with no sign-up. NudgeHost keeps code as plain text, which suits a log or a config file someone will copy rather than read in colour.
Can I password-protect a paste?
On NudgeHost, with Pro or Studio. ControlC lets anyone add a password of up to 50 characters, Pastes.io adds passwords on Pro, and Pastebin and PrivateBin instances can offer them too.
Can I change a paste without changing its link?
On NudgeHost, yes. Replace a paste with an updated .txt from your dashboard and it keeps the same link, text page and raw address. On ControlC, signed-in members can edit their pastes.
Can I see whether someone opened my paste?
On NudgeHost, yes. A free account counts opens, and Pro adds the time and country of each one with a CSV export.
Can an AI assistant create a paste?
On NudgeHost, an assistant connected over MCP can call share_text, and the paste gets the same text page and raw address as one made by hand. Hastebin's API takes a paste from a script that holds a token.
Keep researching
Turn your text into a link in seconds
Paste it, press Publish and send the link. Up to 2 MB, with no account needed to start.