Exif Pilot vs ExifTool

Exif Pilot is Windows software for creating, viewing, editing, and removing image metadata. It works with EXIF, EXIF GPS, IPTC, and XMP, and the free editor can add, change, or remove image keywords. EXIF and IPTC data can be imported or exported using XML, MS Excel, or CSV text files. The software can also create and edit Photo Sphere metadata for panorama images. JPEG, TIFF, PNG, DNG, NEF, PEF, CR2, CRW, JP2, ORF, SRW, ARW, SR2, and PSD support reading, editing, and creation; MRW, RW2, PGF, EPS, HEIC, and RAF are read-only. The paid Batch Editing Plugin adds multi-photo processing, tag copying across photos, metadata import and export, and command-line editing and creation. It costs 79.95 EUR once, and files processed by the plugin must be in the same directory. Excel import and export with the 64-bit version requires listed Microsoft Excel and Access components. The maker says the program is provided as-is, with no planned upgrades or technical support.

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.