EXIF Magic vs ExifCleaner

EXIF Magic reads photo metadata, explains what it can reveal and lets users remove or rewrite it. The app identifies 128 fields across EXIF, TIFF, IPTC, GPS and manufacturer notes. Its plain-language summary can point out details such as GPS coordinates, device serial number, camera model, capture date and author. Users can clear all metadata, remove location information or choose groups to remove. They can also clean a photo and add a location by map, place name, address, ZIP code or coordinates. The app copies compressed image data without decoding and re-encoding it, preserving the image data, dimensions and colour profile. Each export is checked again, and saving is refused if sensitive metadata remains. Processing is on-device; the maker says there are no servers, network code or uploads. The free download has no in-app purchases, subscription or account. It is listed for Android, iOS and macOS. Replacing an original is limited to photos selected from the photo library and requires full library access.

ExifCleaner is a desktop app for removing metadata from supported images, media files, and PDFs. You can drop files or folders into it and process large batches, then inspect a before-and-after diff of the metadata fields removed from each file. Options include preserving image orientation and timestamps, saving copies, and removing macOS extended attributes. The project states that the app has no automatic updates or network traffic, zero telemetry, and no phone-home behavior. It supports macOS 12 or later, Windows 10 or later, and 64-bit Linux, and includes 25 languages with in-app switching. Its tested intake list includes image formats, media such as MP4 and MOV, and PDFs. Some formats, including RAF, MKV, TIFF, AVIF, and certain RAW files, may be only partly handled or unsupported. PDF metadata removal is reversible, so original metadata remains recoverable rather than securely erased. ExifCleaner is open source under the MIT License. It is free.