Simple Photo Meta

Overview

Simple Photo Meta is ranked #3 of 31 in photo metadata editors on Specifiction. It runs on Linux, macOS. There is a free plan.

Compared on photo metadata editors

Metadata scope

exif_iptcgithub.com

Platform

desktopgithub.com

GPS metadata tools

Yesgithub.com

Facts

Purpose

Simple Photo Meta is a local desktop application for viewing and editing IPTC and EXIF metadata in image files.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Local operation

The browser-based interface runs entirely on the user’s machine and requires no remote server.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Metadata editing

It supports IPTC fields such as Keywords, Caption, Copyright, Creator, City, and Country, plus EXIF fields including camera details, exposure settings, GPS coordinates, and lens information.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Image formats

Supported image formats are JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and HEIC/HEIF; the README says HEIC/HEIF support requires pillow-heif.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Image browsing

Users can open directories, recursively scan subdirectories, and browse thumbnails in pages of 25 images.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Search

The app searches images by metadata tag value and can discover and catalog existing tags in a collection.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Editing features

The editor offers tag autocomplete, one-click tag deletion, immediate saving when tags are added or removed, and prompts for unsaved changes.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Metadata engine

The app handles metadata through the Exiv2 library using custom C++ bindings.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Offline location lookup

The metadata hover overlay can show date, location, and keywords, with GPS coordinates converted to place names using offline reverse geocoding.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Data storage

The app stores its database locally, keeps thumbnails in a .thumbnails folder within opened photo directories, and writes metadata directly to image files.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Safety limitation

The README describes the software as alpha testing software and warns that it may destroy valuable images.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

License and support

The project is licensed under GPLv3, and the author welcomes bug reports and pull requests on GitHub.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Browsing and search

It can recursively scan directories, show paginated thumbnails at 25 images per page, and search image metadata values in real time.github.com · 11 Oct 2026

Tag tools

The app discovers existing metadata tags for autocomplete and supports adding and deleting tags with automatic saving.github.com · 11 Oct 2026

Integrations and technology

The metadata engine uses Exiv2 through custom C++ bindings; the app also lists FastAPI, SQLite, Pillow, and pywebview in its technology stack.github.com · 11 Oct 2026

Security and maturity

The maker labels the software alpha and potentially unsafe for valuable images, warning that image files may be destroyed during testing.github.com · 11 Oct 2026

Download availability

The README describes macOS Apple Silicon DMG and Linux Flatpak downloads, while the GitHub releases page opened during this research showed no releases.github.com · 11 Oct 2026

Platform support

The maker says the software was written for macOS Apple Silicon and Linux, and is untested on Windows.github.com · 11 Oct 2026

Where it ranks on Specifiction

• Best Photo Metadata Editors in 2026#3 of 31

Sources

• github.com/ConsciousUniverse/simple-photo-meta· checked 4 Oct 2026
• github.com/ConsciousUniverse/simple-photo-meta/rel· checked 11 Oct 2026