The best Rentry alternatives in 2026, matched to how you share Markdown
NudgeHost is the best Rentry alternative for sharing Markdown as a link. Paste up to 2 MB, tick Format as Markdown, and the reader gets a formatted page with the source one tap away. A free account keeps 10 links live with no end date, makes the links in your Markdown clickable and gives each paste a raw address. For editing a page in the browser with a code, exporting it as a PDF or an image, or encrypting it before it leaves your browser, the cards below name the tool built for that job.
What a Rentry alternative has to do
Rentry turns Markdown you type into a page at a short link, and an edit code lets you change it later. People looking for an alternative usually want one of three things: a Markdown page shared as a link, a private or expiring paste, or a profile page. The cards below are ranked for the first, and they name the tool for the other two.
What Rentry does
Rentry calls itself a Markdown paste service with preview, custom URLs and editing. A page holds up to 200,000 characters, its address can be one you choose of 2 to 100 characters, and an edit code lets whoever holds it edit, delete or rename the page. Rentry keeps entries until they're deleted or break its rules, and its Markdown adds coloured text, spoilers, admonitions and a table of contents. Pages export as PDF, PNG, WebP and JPG. A page's raw text needs an access code, which Rentry asks you to request by email, because people were posting malware snippets.
Seven Rentry alternatives, ranked for sharing Markdown as a link
Ranked for sharing Markdown 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 Markdown as a link that opens formatted
Paste Markdown on the NudgeHost homepage, tick Format as Markdown and press Publish, or upload a .md file. The reader gets a formatted page with headings, lists, tables, task lists and code blocks, and a Source button shows the Markdown as you wrote it, with Copy source beside it. HTML inside the Markdown shows as typed and never runs, and images don't load, so each one appears as a placeholder naming its address. Signed out, a paste lasts 7 days and its links show as plain words. A free account keeps it with no end date, makes its links clickable, counts opens and gives it a raw address, the link plus /raw. Replace it from your dashboard and the link stays the same, and you can choose the link's name before you publish. On Pro and Studio you can put a password on the link. AI assistants connected over MCP can publish Markdown themselves with the share_text tool, by giving the file a .md name.
Account to publish
None for 7 days, with 3 pastes live at once
Formatted Markdown
Yes, with a Source view and Copy source
Free account
10 live links with no end date, clickable links, open counts and a raw address
Pick another tool when
You want to edit the page in the browser, export it as an image, or show images inline
Figures from the current NudgeHost plan definitions.
2. PasterBox
Best for a Markdown paste that should expire, burn after reading or sit behind a password
PasterBox takes notes, code and Markdown, with syntax highlighting in more than 12 languages. Each paste can carry a password, an expiry of 1 hour, 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days, or none, and burn after reading, which deletes it permanently after the first view. A public paste appears in PasterBox's search, and a private one opens only for people with the link. No account is needed, and a free account keeps your pastes together in a vault. PasterBox says it is free, carries no ads or tracking, and is run from Estonia under GDPR.
Account to paste
None
Expiry
1 hour to 30 days, or never
Privacy
Password, burn after reading, private links
Size of one paste
Not stated
Read on 16 October 2026 from PasterBox's own pages, linked below.
3. PrivateBin
Best for Markdown or 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 stores only what it can't read. Its feature list includes Markdown with a preview, a password, discussions under a paste, expiry times with "forever" and "burn after reading", 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
Markdown
With a preview, where the instance allows
Watch for
Features and limits depend on the instance you use
Read on 16 October 2026 from PrivateBin's own pages, linked below.
4. GitHub Gist
Best for notes and code you'll keep revising, with history and forks
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 or download it as a ZIP.
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
A public gist can't be made secret later
Read on 16 October 2026 from GitHub's own pages, linked below.
5. Pastebin
Best for code pastes, with Markdown links and images on Pro
Pastebin takes pastes from guests and members. Its FAQ gives a free paste as 512 KB, its Pro page says 500 KB, and Pro raises it to 10 MB. The FAQ says clickable links and images, which it handles through Markdown, are for Pro members only. Guests can make up to 10 pastes a day, public or unlisted but not private. Pastebin doesn't delete pastes without an expiry date today, though free and guest pastes can be removed after a spell with no traffic, and Pro protects against that.
Account to paste
None, as a guest
Paste size
About half a megabyte, 10 MB on Pro
Markdown
Links and images on Pro
Watch for
Free pastes can be removed after a spell without traffic
Read on 16 October 2026 from Pastebin's own pages, linked below.
6. DropText
Best for text that should expire on its own, or that a group edits live
DropText shares text and code with syntax highlighting in more than 30 languages, Markdown among them, and each share expires after the time you choose. Its home page says no signup is needed. The free plan holds 150 KB a share for up to 3 months, with no passwords or encryption. Pro, listed at $19.99 a year, raises a share to 1 MB and a year, and adds passwords, burn after reading, private links, custom short URLs, view counts and live collaborative editing, where viewers see changes as they're made. DropText's pricing page says Pro and Elite cost $0 until 31 December 2026, with a card needed to start.
Account to paste
None, according to its home page
Share size
150 KB free, 1 MB on Pro
Longest a free share lasts
3 months
What it costs
Pro listed at $19.99 a year
Read on 16 October 2026 from DropText's own pages, linked below.
7. Carrd
Best for a profile page or a one-page site you design, rather than a Markdown note
Searches for a Rentry alternative turn up profile pages as well as paste tools, and for a profile a site builder fits better. Carrd builds one-page sites from dozens of templates or a blank page, sized for phones, tablets and desktops. A free account builds up to three sites with Carrd's core features, and Pro removes the "Made with Carrd" branding. Pro Lite costs $9 a year for three sites, and Pro Standard at $19 a year adds custom domains, forms, embeds and analytics.
Account
Free, up to three sites
Markdown
Not stated
Branding
"Made with Carrd" until you go Pro
What it costs
Pro from $9 a year
Read on 16 October 2026 from Carrd's own pages, linked below.
All eight tools, same questions
| Tool | Account to publish | Formatted Markdown | Size of one paste | How long a free paste lasts | Built for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NudgeHost | No | Yes, with a Source view | 2 MB | 7 days signed out, no end date on a free account | Markdown shared as a link |
| PasterBox | No | Yes | Not stated | 1 hour to 30 days, or never | Markdown with passwords and expiry |
| PrivateBin | Not stated | Where the instance allows | Not stated | Your choice, where the instance allows | Text encrypted in the browser |
| GitHub Gist | A GitHub account | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Code with history |
| Pastebin | No | Links and images on Pro | About half a megabyte | Your choice; idle free pastes can be removed | Code with highlighting |
| DropText | No | Not stated | 150 KB, or 1 MB on Pro | Up to 3 months | Text that expires on its own |
| Carrd | A free account, up to three sites | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | One-page profile and landing sites |
| Rentry | No | Yes, with extra styling syntax | 200,000 characters | Until it's deleted or breaks the rules | Markdown pages edited with a code |
Read from each vendor's own pages on 16 October 2026. Vendors change plans, so check before you rely on a figure.
Rentry 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.
Rentry's row and the section about it were read on 16 October 2026 from Rentry's own pages.
When you need something a Markdown link doesn't do
To edit a page straight in the browser, with a code you can hand to co-editors, use a Markdown paste site built around edit codes, which is how Rentry works. For a page saved as a PDF or an image, Rentry's export does that in one step. Images shown inside the page call for a tool that loads them from their address, such as Rentry, or Pastebin on Pro. Text that must stay unreadable to the host belongs in a tool that encrypts in the browser, like PrivateBin, and a paste that should vanish after one read needs burn after reading, which PasterBox and PrivateBin offer. A profile page with a design of your own is a job for a site builder such as Carrd.
For everything else, from release notes to a README draft to meeting notes, paste the text as a link on NudgeHost and tick Format as Markdown before you publish.
How this list was put together
The tools come from Google's first page for "rentry alternative" in the US on 16 October 2026. Every tool is measured on the same questions: whether you need an account, whether Markdown shows formatted, how much one paste holds and how long a free paste lasts. Each competitor figure comes from that vendor's own pages, read on 16 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, editing, images and raw text. The cards above carry the detail.
What is the best Rentry alternative?
For sharing Markdown as a link, NudgeHost, because the reader gets a formatted page with the source one tap away and a free account keeps it with no end date. For a paste with a password or an expiry and no account, PasterBox. For text the host must never be able to read, PrivateBin.
Is there a Rentry alternative that needs no account?
Yes. NudgeHost, PasterBox, Pastebin and DropText all take a paste without one. A signed-out paste on NudgeHost lasts 7 days, shows formatted, and keeps its links as plain words.
Can I change a page after publishing it?
On NudgeHost, replace it from your dashboard and the link stays the same, along with its open count and any password. Rentry edits in the browser with an edit code, and GitHub Gist keeps every revision.
Do images in the Markdown show?
Not on NudgeHost, which shows a placeholder naming each image's address rather than loading it, so a reader's IP address isn't shared with the image host. Rentry loads images from a direct link, and Pastebin shows them on Pro.
Can I get the raw Markdown back?
On NudgeHost, a paste made in an account has a raw address, the link plus /raw, which returns the text as plain UTF-8. Rentry's raw pages need an access code that you request by email.
Can I choose the link's address?
Yes. On NudgeHost you can name the link before you publish, signed out or in. Rentry takes a custom URL of 2 to 100 characters, and DropText offers custom short URLs on Pro.
Can I password-protect a Markdown page?
On NudgeHost, with Pro or Studio. PasterBox lets anyone add a password, DropText adds passwords on Pro, and PrivateBin instances can offer them too.
Can an AI assistant publish Markdown?
On NudgeHost, an assistant connected over MCP can call share_text with a .md file name, and the paste opens formatted, the same as one made by hand. Rentry says it is available over an API and has a command-line tool.
Keep researching
Share your Markdown as a link
Paste it, tick Format as Markdown and send the link. Up to 2 MB, with no account needed to start.