Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

PrivateBin VS Carbon

Compare PrivateBin VS Carbon and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

PrivateBin logo PrivateBin

PrivateBin is a minimalist, open source online pastebin where the server has zero knowledge of...

Carbon logo Carbon

Create and share beautiful images of your source code.
  • PrivateBin Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-25
  • Carbon Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-17

PrivateBin features and specs

  • End-to-End Encryption
    PrivateBin offers end-to-end encryption ensuring that the data is encrypted on the client-side and can only be decrypted by the recipient, enhancing security and privacy.
  • No Data Retention
    Servers running PrivateBin do not retain any data, as all messages are deleted after the predefined expiration time or when manually deleted by the user.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source application, PrivateBin allows anyone to inspect, modify, and improve the code, fostering transparency and trust in its security measures.
  • Self-Hosting
    Users have the option to self-host PrivateBin on their own servers, giving them complete control over their data and environment.
  • No Account Required
    PrivateBin doesn’t require users to create an account or provide personal information, making it a convenient, hassle-free option for quick and anonymous sharing.

Possible disadvantages of PrivateBin

  • Limited Collaboration
    Unlike some other tools, PrivateBin does not offer collaborative editing or live updates, which might limit its usability for team projects or dynamic document management.
  • Self-Hosting Complexity
    While self-hosting provides control, it also requires a certain level of technical expertise to set up, maintain, and secure the PrivateBin instance.
  • Dependency on Browser
    Since PrivateBin is primarily accessed through a web browser, its functionality is dependent on browser performance, compatibility, and security.
  • Limited Features
    PrivateBin focuses on simplicity and security, which means it lacks some advanced features found in other sharing or note-taking applications, such as rich text formatting or file attachments.
  • Expiration Constraints
    The expiration feature, while enhancing security, could be a downside for users needing persistent or long-term storage solutions.

Carbon features and specs

  • Aesthetically Pleasing
    Carbon allows you to create beautiful images of your source code, which can be easily shared on social media, presentations, or documentation.
  • Customization Options
    Provides various customization options such as themes, background colors, window controls, font styles, and more, allowing users to create images that match their preferences or brand identity.
  • Ease of Use
    The interface is user-friendly, enabling users to create high-quality code images with minimal effort. Simply paste your code, customize it, and export.
  • Code Syntax Highlighting
    Supports syntax highlighting for a wide range of programming languages, helping to make your code snippets more readable and visually appealing.
  • Export Options
    Allows users to export images in various formats, including PNG and SVG, ensuring versatility for different use cases.

Possible disadvantages of Carbon

  • Limited Collaboration Features
    Carbon does not support collaborative editing, making it less ideal for team-based projects where multiple users might need to work on the same snippet simultaneously.
  • No Direct Code Editing Features
    Carbon focuses on code visualization and does not provide in-depth code editing capabilities, unlike full-featured code editors.
  • Dependency on Browser
    As a web-based tool, it requires an active internet connection and may be less convenient for users who prefer offline tools.
  • Performance Limitations
    For very large snippets or heavy customization, the tool may experience performance issues or slowdowns.
  • Limited Format Support
    Does not support exporting in all possible image formats or directly integrating into platforms like content management systems without manual steps.

Analysis of PrivateBin

Overall verdict

  • PrivateBin is generally considered a good tool for securely sharing information. Its focus on privacy and data protection, thanks to end-to-end encryption and its open-source nature, makes it trustworthy for users concerned about data security. Additionally, its user-friendly interface makes it accessible even for those unfamiliar with privacy-focused technologies.

Why this product is good

  • PrivateBin is a popular choice for those looking to share information securely and privately. It is an open-source, web-based application that allows users to paste texts or files, which are encrypted client-side before being stored on the server. This means that server operators cannot view the content of the pastes. Additionally, it offers various features like setting expiration times for pastes, enabling password protection, and generating burn-after-read links, enhancing its privacy and security aspects.

Recommended for

    PrivateBin is recommended for individuals and organizations who need to share sensitive data or information privately. This includes journalists, activists, developers, or anyone working in environments where data confidentiality is critical. It's also useful for anyone who values privacy and wants to ensure that shared information does not get accessed by unauthorized parties.

Analysis of Carbon

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Carbon is a good tool for creating and sharing visually appealing code snippets. It is widely appreciated in the developer community for its functionality and ease of use.

Why this product is good

  • Carbon (carbon.now.sh) is a popular tool for creating and sharing beautiful code snippets as images. It offers a clean interface, customizable themes, and syntax highlighting for numerous programming languages, making it an excellent choice for developers looking to present their code aesthetically. Its ease of use and ability to quickly generate high-resolution images are among its standout features.

Recommended for

  • Software developers looking to share code snippets on social media or blogs
  • Educators and technical writers who need to include code examples in their materials
  • Conference speakers and presenters preparing slides with code samples
  • Developers and designers seeking to build a portfolio showcasing their coding skills

PrivateBin videos

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Carbon videos

Adidas YEEZY 350 V2 Carbon REVIEW & GIVEAWAY

More videos:

  • Review - Need for Speed: Carbon review - ColourShed
  • Review - Carbon Movie Malayalam Review by Sudhish Payyanur | Monsoon Media

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to PrivateBin and Carbon)
Design Playground
100 100%
0% 0
Web App
0 0%
100% 100
JavaScript
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Carbon should be more popular than PrivateBin. It has been mentiond 170 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

PrivateBin mentions (33)

  • We build Dropbud, place to upload files without uploading
    Is this basically https://privatebin.info/. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • What is the best way to learn Linux as a 10 years windows admin?
    If your like me. Find an actual use case for it and go from there. Easier to line when there is an end goal/project at the end of completion. Check out privatebin, sets up a secureway to share information. Https://privatebin.info/ Should hopefully be able to get your toes wet. Source: over 1 year ago
  • The Redditor's guide to how Kbin works (your what/how-to guide). Posting it here from r/KbinMigration as it was banned.
    You're welcome! I'd recommend PrivateBin if you're looking for a pastebin service to use. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Imgur won't work when I'm using my VPN
    One of the things that always bugged me about image hosting services is that they're almost never open source. This very unlike Pastebin services where you have Microbin and PrivateBin. A lot of popular pastebin services either use PrivateBin or Rentry under the hood. Source: about 2 years ago
  • 🔒 Is Unsee.cc safe? 👁️
    I need to send a temporarily visible image that deletes itself after viewing, and I can't use a mobile app like Signal or Telegram. I thought about using PrivateBin, but although they encrypt the files (in theory end-to-end), they keep them on their servers. So I found Unsee.cc, and their privacy policy looks great, but I don't know the site, its possible reputation, and it doesn't seem to be open source. Your... Source: about 2 years ago
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Carbon mentions (170)

  • "10 Free Tools Every Developer Should Bookmark in 2025"
    *Carbon * – Beautiful Code Snippets Https://carbon.now.sh. - Source: dev.to / 17 days ago
  • HexShare – Create and share beautiful snippets of your binary/hexbytes
    Inspired by Carbon -(https://carbon.now.sh , I wanted to build a simple tool for easily sharing binary snippets. HexShare is a hex-sharing tool designed for viewing and sharing binary data with colorful byte highlighting. It works entirely offline, running client-side with no backend. You can generate visually appealing images of your hex bytes with annotations and also share configurations via a link. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • 22 Unique Developer Resources You Should Explore
    URL: https://carbon.now.sh What it does: Carbon lets you turn your code snippets into stunning visuals, perfect for sharing or embedding in blogs and presentations. Why it's great: Make your code aesthetically pleasing and shareable! Highlight your solutions or showcase your work effortlessly. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Recommend 12 free productivity tools! Make your work more effective with less effort!
    Carbon is a free online code screenshot tool that helps users create beautiful code screenshots for use in blogs, social media, or presentations. It provides a simple interface that allows users to enter their own code and choose different themes, fonts, and color schemes. Users can also adjust the code alignment, line numbers, background, shadow, etc. To better control the screenshot effect. Carbon also supports... - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Must-have for slacking off! 2024 Efficient Dev Tools for Increasing Productivity
    Carbon, an online code beautification tool, lets you create visually appealing code screenshots with a simple interface, enhancing code readability. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing PrivateBin and Carbon, you can also consider the following products

Pastebin.com - Pastebin.com is a website where you can store text for a certain period of time.

Ray.so - Create beautiful images of your code

JustPaste.it - Want to share text with your friends? Paste it below and give them a link.

Codeimg.io - Create and share images of your source code

Pastelink.net - Anonymously publish text with hyperlinks enabled.

Snappify - snappify is a great tool to create and adjust beautiful code snippets easily.