Best metadata removal tools
compared

RemoveMD, ExifTool, MAT2, Metadata Cleaner, IrfanView โ€” 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) โœ“ โœ“ โœ“ โœ“
PDF โœ“ โœ“ โœ“ โœ—
Office (DOCX/XLSX) โœ“ Limited โœ“ โœ—
Video (MP4/MKV) โœ“ โœ“ Limited โœ—
Audio (MP3/FLAC) โœ“ โœ“ โœ“ โœ—
Batch / ZIP upload โœ“ (Pro) โœ“ (command line) โœ“ (command line) โœ“
API access โœ“ โœ— โœ— โœ—
No install needed โœ“ โœ— โœ— โœ—
Zero file storage โœ“ Local only Local only Local only
Open source Partial โœ“ โœ“ โœ—
Free tier โœ“ โœ“ โœ“ โœ“

RemoveMD โ€” 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 โ€” 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 โ€” Best for: Linux privacy users

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

IrfanView โ€” Best for: Windows image users

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

Try RemoveMD โ€” no install, no account

Free forever for up to 5 files per batch

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