ExifToolGui vs jExifToolGUI: Windows Specialist vs Cross-Platform
Two programs with confusingly similar names do the same basic job — putting a graphical face on Phil Harvey’s ExifTool — for different audiences. ExifToolGui, in its current form, is Frank Bijnen’s V6 continuation of Bogdan Hrastnik’s original Windows GUI: Windows-only, maintained, and at version V6.3.12 (May 8, 2026) as of this writing. jExifToolGUI, by Harry van der Wolf, is a Java/Swing front-end that runs on Windows, Linux and macOS. Both are front-ends only: neither contains ExifTool itself, and both leave the actual reading and writing to the same engine. This comparison uses only sourced facts for both sides, and it sits in our Comparisons hub alongside ExifToolGui vs GeoSetter and ExifToolGui vs the command line. Both GUIs and the engine are linked from the download page.
The short version is a trade, not a victory. jExifToolGUI is the only one of the two that exists for Mac and Linux users at all. ExifToolGui is the one still being developed, and the one purpose-built for Windows. Everything below unpacks that trade honestly, including the fact that will decide it for many readers: jExifToolGUI’s development has stopped.
The two programs at a glance
| ExifToolGui (V6, Frank Bijnen) | jExifToolGUI (Harry van der Wolf) | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Windows only (Win7/8 documented; Win10/11 recommended) | Windows, Linux and macOS |
| Built with / needs | Native Windows program | Java/Swing; needs Java 8 (1.8) or newer installed |
| ExifTool included? | No — separate required download (the installer can fetch it) | No — download ExifTool separately |
| Licence | GNU GPL v3.0 | GPL v3+ |
| Latest release | V6.3.12, May 8, 2026 | 2.0.2, March 18, 2023 |
| Development status | Actively maintained fork (1,048 GitHub stars, measured Oct 2026) | Development has STOPPED, per its own README; author invites a takeover or fork (575 GitHub stars) |
Read the platform row first, because for many people it ends the comparison. If your computer runs macOS or Linux, ExifToolGui is simply not an option — both Hrastnik’s original and Bijnen’s fork are Windows-only, and no build exists for other systems. jExifToolGUI exists precisely for that gap: one Java program, the same interface on all three desktop platforms. If you are on Windows, both are real candidates, and the deciding rows become the runtime requirement and the development status.
Runtime and setup: native program vs Java program
ExifToolGui is a native Windows program. Its setup story is the pairing: the portable executables do not bundle ExifTool, and the V6 installer can download ExifTool during setup (the Phil Harvey zip, renamed into the install folder, or the Oliver Betz self-installing package). Settings live in an .ini file beside the program. jExifToolGUI adds a layer underneath: it is a Java/Swing application, so a Java runtime — version 8 or newer — must be present before the GUI itself can start, and ExifTool is still a separate download on top of that. Neither arrangement is difficult, but they fail differently: ExifToolGui problems are pairing problems (our not-found guide covers them), while jExifToolGUI problems can also be Java problems, one step removed from the metadata work itself.
Features: where each one puts its effort
Per its manual and README, jExifToolGUI’s documented strengths are copying tags from a reference image to many photos, extensive renaming from EXIF data, GPS and geotagging functions, lens templates, and user-defined tag sets. That is a serious feature list, and the reference-image copy workflow in particular is one Windows users may envy. ExifToolGui’s corresponding centre of gravity is the Workspace: user-defined tag panels you build once and reuse, a Modify menu with DateTime shift and equalize, geotagging from GPS track logs, metadata removal entries, and a map view (in V6, OpenStreetMap via WebView2). The overlap is large — both edit the frequently used tags, both batch, both geotag — because the engine underneath both is the same ExifTool, whose documented capabilities (reading, writing and editing metadata across EXIF, GPS, IPTC, XMP and maker notes) set the ceiling for any front-end.
The maintenance question, stated plainly
jExifToolGUI’s README states in capitals that development has stopped, and its latest release, 2.0.2, is dated March 18, 2023. That does not make the program useless — it still runs, and on Mac and Linux it may be your only GUI option in this family — but it does mean new camera support, bug fixes and adaptations arrive only if someone takes over or forks the project, which the author explicitly invites. ExifToolGui’s V6 line, by contrast, shipped V6.3.12 in May 2026 with translation updates, HEIC improvements and map updates, and ExifTool’s own site links the fork as the current Windows GUI. On Windows, choosing the maintained program is the low-risk default. Cross-platform users are choosing jExifToolGUI with open eyes: a finished, frozen tool rather than a living one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are ExifToolGui and jExifToolGUI the same program?
No. They are independent front-ends by different authors — ExifToolGui by Bogdan Hrastnik, continued as V6 by Frank Bijnen; jExifToolGUI by Harry van der Wolf. The similarity is the name and the shared engine, ExifTool by Phil Harvey.
Does either program include ExifTool?
Neither does. ExifToolGui’s portable builds require a separate ExifTool download (its installer can fetch it during setup), and jExifToolGUI’s documentation likewise states ExifTool is not included and must be downloaded separately.
I am on a Mac. Which one should I use?
jExifToolGUI is the cross-platform option here: it runs on macOS with Java 8 or newer and a separately downloaded ExifTool. ExifToolGui has no Mac build. Keep the development-stopped status in mind, and see the command-line comparison linked above for the other route.
Bottom line: Windows users get a maintained specialist in ExifToolGui V6; Mac and Linux users get a capable but frozen all-rounder in jExifToolGUI. Compare the neighbouring options in the Comparisons hub — XnView MP covers the viewer-organizer angle — and get the files from the download page.