scrt.link vs PrivateBin
PrivateBin is an excellent zero-knowledge pastebin — if you are willing to run a server. scrt.link is the hosted equivalent.
PrivateBin is a zero-knowledge pastebin: data is encrypted in the browser with AES-256-GCM and the key lives in the URL fragment, so the server genuinely cannot read it. It is open source, actively maintained, and refreshingly honest about its own threat model.
The catch is that PrivateBin is software, not a service. There is no official hosted instance — you either run it yourself (PHP plus storage) or trust a stranger's public instance, which puts you back where you started. File upload is off by default, and it is a pastebin, so links stay readable until they expire unless you tick "burn after reading".
scrt.link is the same zero-knowledge idea delivered as a product: nothing to operate, one-time by default, files up to 100 GB, accounts and teams when you need them.
Feature comparison
| Feature | scrt.link | PrivateBin |
|---|---|---|
End-to-end encrypted in the browser | ||
Decryption key never reaches the server | ||
Open source | Yes (MIT) | Yes (Zlib) |
Self-hostable | ||
Official hosted service | None — self-host or use a third-party instance | |
One-time (burn after reading) by default | Opt-in per paste | |
File sharing | Up to 100 GB | Disabled by default, ~10 MB limit |
Expiration | 10 minutes – 30 days | 5 minutes – 1 year, or never |
Configurable view limit | Up to 1,000 views | |
Password protection | Yes (paid plans) | |
Read receipts | Yes (paid plans) | |
Accounts & teams | ||
One-time redirects & file requests | ||
Official CLI | Yes (@scrt-link/cli) | None official |
Browser extension | Chrome & Firefox | None official |
Custom domain / white-label | Yes (Business) | Self-hosted |
Facts about PrivateBin last verified on July 14, 2026. Products change — if something here is out of date, let us know and we'll fix it.
Key differences
A product versus a project
PrivateBin deliberately ships no official hosted instance. That is philosophically clean, but in practice it means someone on your team has to run PHP, storage and updates forever — or you paste your secrets into a public instance run by a person you have never met, which defeats the purpose. scrt.link is a hosted service with the same zero-knowledge guarantees, and it can still be self-hosted if you want.
Pastebin semantics, not one-time semantics
A PrivateBin paste is readable until it expires — potentially for a year, or never. "Burn after reading" exists but is opt-in, one checkbox among several. scrt.link inverts that: links are one-time by default and you raise the limit deliberately, up to 1,000 views.
Files are an afterthought
PrivateBin supports file upload, but it is disabled by default and bounded by a size limit of roughly 10 MB in the sample configuration. Public instances vary wildly. scrt.link treats files as a first-class case: up to 100 GB, encrypted in the browser, streamed to storage.
They are honest about the limits, and so are we
PrivateBin states plainly that a malicious or compromised server operator could inject JavaScript that leaks the key, and that access logs can reveal who read a paste. That is true of every browser-based zero-knowledge tool, scrt.link included. It is the reason both projects are open source and the reason self-hosting exists.
Which one should you use?
Choose scrt.link if…
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You want zero-knowledge secret sharing without operating a server.
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You want one-time links by default, not pastes that linger.
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You need real file sizes, accounts, teams, or an API and CLI.
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You want the link to live on your own branded domain.
Choose PrivateBin if…
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You are happy to self-host, and you want the smallest, most auditable thing you can run.
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You want a genuine pastebin — syntax highlighting, comments, discussion on a paste.
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You need very long retention (up to a year, or never expiring).
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You want a project with no company attached to it at all.
Frequently asked questions
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