Attributor vs ExifTool
Attributor
github.comExifTool
exiftool.orgSide by side
| Figure | Attributor | ExifTool |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · Photo Metadata Editors | 7.8 (#8) | 8.5 (#1) |
| License | The application is distributed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0. | The author says ExifTool uses the Perl Artistic License, which permits embedding it in a commercial application under stated conditions and does not require a donation. |
| Purpose | Attributor is a desktop application for editing photo metadata before submitting images to stock agencies. | ExifTool is a Perl library and command-line application for reading, writing and editing metadata in many kinds of files. |
| Security | The guide says AI attribution uses a local Ollama vision model and requires no cloud upload. | The version history includes security updates. |
Plans
In their own words
ExifTool
ExifTool is a free Perl library and command-line application for reading, writing and editing metadata in many file types. It can read tags, change or delete their values, and copy or move metadata between files. Supported formats include EXIF, GPS, IPTC, XMP, JFIF, GeoTIFF, ICC Profile, Photoshop IRB, FlashPix, AFCP and ID3, as well as maker notes from numerous camera manufacturers. Sources can be file names, directory names or standard input. ExifTool is available for Linux, macOS and Windows; its Perl distribution can be run by extracting it on Mac or Linux, and the Windows EXE version can also be extracted. A C++ interface lets applications communicate with an external ExifTool process. When writing metadata, ExifTool preserves the original file by adding “_original” to its name by default, and it will not write a metadata type unsupported by the target format. The maker says it is not designed as an image validator, though its extra validation checks focus mainly on JPEG and TIFF. The full Perl distribution includes documentation and API libraries. ExifTool costs nothing.