ExifTool vs Photini

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.

Photini is a desktop application for editing digital photograph metadata on Linux, macOS, and Windows. It works with Exif, IPTC, and XMP data, including on RAW files, and can apply changes to multiple images while adjusting dates, times, and time zones. Metadata can be written into image files or XMP sidecars, with all three formats available for compatibility. Map tabs provide place search, satellite imagery, and controls for setting photo locations through Google, Azure, or Mapbox/OpenStreetMap. Map use is free within service limits; address lookup incurs a small charge per lookup. Photini can copy photos from a camera or computer directory, though direct camera import depends on python-gphoto2, which is unavailable on Windows. It also uploads to Flickr, Ipernity, and Pixelfed, and supports marking and labeling image regions. The software is free under GPL-3.0-or-later. The project warns that bugs may damage photographs and recommends keeping backups.