What is ExifTool used for?

ExifTool is a platform-independent Perl library and command-line application for reading, writing and editing meta information in a wide variety of files. It is a good fit for reading metadata from image, audio, and video files; writing or editing metadata in files; and batch processing metadata with command-line.

Is ExifTool open source?

Yes. ExifTool is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at exiftool/exiftool and is written mainly in Perl.

Yes. ExifTool is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host ExifTool?

Yes. ExifTool can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is ExifTool an alternative to?

ExifTool is an open-source alternative to Adobe Lightroom, Capture One, ON1 Photo RAW and DxO PureRAW. Other open-source alternatives to Adobe Lightroom include Darktable, GIMP and RawTherapee.

Is ExifTool actively maintained?

The most recent commit to ExifTool was on 27 May 2026. The project has 5.2k stars on GitHub.

ExifTool: open-source alternative to Adobe Lightroom

About ExifTool

ExifTool is a command-line application and Perl library for reading, writing and editing meta information in a wide variety of files. It supports many metadata formats including EXIF, GPS, IPTC, XMP, JFIF, GeoTIFF, ICC Profile, Photoshop IRB, FlashPix, AFCP, ID3, and Lyrics3, as well as maker notes from many digital cameras.

It is available for Windows, MacOS, and Unix systems. The Windows executable and MacOS package contain the executable only, not the full documentation. The tool is useful for users who need to manage metadata in image, audio, and video files.

Key features

Reads, writes, and edits meta information
Supports EXIF, GPS, IPTC, XMP, JFIF, GeoTIFF, ICC Profile, Photoshop IRB, FlashPix, AFCP, ID3, and Lyrics3
Handles maker notes from many camera brands
Available as a Perl library and command-line application
Platform-independent (Windows, MacOS, Unix)

Good fit for

Reading metadata from image, audio, and video files
Writing or editing metadata in files
Batch processing metadata with command-line

Built with: Perl tools
Tags: metadata; exif; perl; command-line; image; audio; video

ExifTool: questions and answers

What is ExifTool used for?: ExifTool is a platform-independent Perl library and command-line application for reading, writing and editing meta information in a wide variety of files. It is a good fit for reading metadata from image, audio, and video files; writing or editing metadata in files; and batch processing metadata with command-line.
Is ExifTool open source?: Yes. ExifTool is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at exiftool/exiftool and is written mainly in Perl.
Is ExifTool free?: Yes. ExifTool is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host ExifTool?: Yes. ExifTool can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is ExifTool an alternative to?: ExifTool is an open-source alternative to Adobe Lightroom, Capture One, ON1 Photo RAW and DxO PureRAW. Other open-source alternatives to Adobe Lightroom include Darktable, GIMP and RawTherapee.
Is ExifTool actively maintained?: The most recent commit to ExifTool was on 27 May 2026. The project has 5.2k stars on GitHub.