ExifTool vs GeoSetter

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.

GeoSetter is a free Windows desktop tool for viewing and changing image geodata and IPTC, XMP, and Exif metadata. It works with JPEG and TIFF files as well as camera RAW formats including DNG, CR2, NEF, ARW, RAF, RW2, and RWL. You can place coordinates and altitude on an embedded Google Maps display or enter them directly, synchronize images with NMEA, GPX, PLT, Sony LOG, IGC, and other track files, and export to Google Earth. GeoSetter can automatically fill location fields and altitude values; those features and the embedded map require an internet connection. The software uses ExifTool to write metadata and supports batch editing and metadata templates. Its interface is available in English, German, French, Italian, Swedish, Czech, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, and Norwegian. The listed current version is 3.5.3, released on 29 October 2019. It requires Internet Explorer 10 or higher, and the embedded map does not work correctly on Windows XP.