Best metadata removal tools
compared

RemoveMD, ExifTool, MAT2, Metadata Cleaner, IrfanView — which one should you use? Here is an honest breakdown.

Feature RemoveMD ExifTool MAT2 IrfanView
Platform Online (browser) CLI (Windows/Mac/Linux) CLI / GNOME (Linux) Desktop (Windows)
Installation None required Download & install Linux only Download & install
Images (JPEG/PNG) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
PDF ✓ ✓ ✓ ✗
Office (DOCX/XLSX) ✓ Limited ✓ ✗
Video (MP4/MKV) ✓ ✓ Limited ✗
Audio (MP3/FLAC) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✗
Batch / ZIP upload ✓ (Pro) ✓ (command line) ✓ (command line) ✓
API access ✓ ✗ ✗ ✗
No install needed ✓ ✗ ✗ ✗
Zero file storage ✓ Local only Local only Local only
Open source Partial ✓ ✓ ✗
Free tier ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

RemoveMD — Best for: everyone

No installation. Works on any OS or device. Supports the widest range of formats online. Ideal if you need to clean files quickly without touching a terminal.

ExifTool — Best for: power users

The gold standard for EXIF editing. Handles every edge case. Requires command-line comfort. Best for bulk local processing with custom rules.

MAT2 — Best for: Linux privacy users

Tails OS default. Open source, auditable, local-only. Excellent for sensitive documents. Limited to Linux and requires installation.

IrfanView — Best for: Windows image users

Solid for images on Windows. No support for PDFs, Office or video. Requires installation.

Try RemoveMD — no install, no account

Free forever for up to 5 files per batch

Start free arrow_forward