MetadataFixer.com Alternative That Runs Offline
MetadataFixer.com is a paid desktop app for Google Takeout, not the web uploader older guides describe. Here is how it compares with Takeout JSON Metadata Fixer on price, offline use and what each one does with your files.
First, a correction to what you may have read elsewhere. MetadataFixer.com used to be described as a website you upload your Takeout zips to. As of today it is a downloadable desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux, and its privacy policy says plainly: "We do not upload your photos or videos to our servers for processing." If a comparison you found calls it an online uploader, that comparison is out of date. The concerns in our piece on online fixers still apply to services that do upload, but not to this one.
So the honest question is not "upload or not". It is: two paid desktop apps that both fix Google Takeout metadata on your own machine. Which one, and why?
What MetadataFixer.com does
Its pitch is the same problem this site is about. Google Takeout hands you photos dated to the download day, with the real dates and GPS in .json files beside them. MetadataFixer.com reads each sidecar and merges it into the photo or video so the file "contains everything you need."
Its feature list is broad on the metadata side. Beyond capture date and GPS it says it restores descriptions and captions, keywords and subject tags, people tags, altitude, city names derived from coordinates, and for videos the recording date and QuickTime track dates. It adjusts the timezone from GPS coordinates when they are present. It processes files with a (1) suffix. It takes zip files directly or an already extracted folder, checks zips for corruption first, and can move files with no matching JSON into a separate "Files Without Metadata" folder. The supported format list is long and includes RAW types such as DNG, CR2, NEF and ARW.
The demo "offers the exact same functionality as the full version but limits you to 100 photos and videos." The full version is USD 39 on the pricing page (shown as 20% off 49), one-time. A USD 59 bundle adds three plugins: Corrupted Image Fixer, Video Encoder and Duplicate Finder. The pricing page says "30-day money-back guarantee"; the FAQ says they "do not issue refunds for accidental purchases" and asks you to use the demo first.
On the network side, the privacy policy says the app "connects to our servers for licensing, updates, and (optionally) diagnostics" and may sync an installation ID, demo run count and app version. Your photos stay local. The app itself is not described as working with the network off.
What Takeout JSON Metadata Fixer does
The same core job: read every sidecar, write date, time and place back into JPG, HEIC, PNG and videos, including the truncated names, (1) duplicates, edited copies with no sidecar and UTC timestamps. Then it goes further on the organising side: it renames files with the date and the place name resolved from GPS (IMG_4711.JPG becomes 2023-06-17-1306_London.jpg), sorts into year/month, year or place folders, converts HEIC to JPG with the metadata kept, keeps Live Photo pairs together, converts old AVI and MOV to MP4, and lets you set the date and place by hand for any photo or folder.
It runs entirely on your computer. Nothing is uploaded, there is no account, and it keeps working with the network off. The first 1000 photos are free. Premium is USD 19.99 once, or USD 49.99 for five computers. The interface is in nine languages.
Side by side
| MetadataFixer.com | Takeout JSON Metadata Fixer | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | USD 39 once (USD 59 with plugins); demo limited to 100 files | First 1000 photos free; Premium USD 19.99 once |
| Install | Download from their site for Windows, macOS, Linux | Mac App Store, Microsoft Store, Windows installer with no admin rights, .deb / .rpm |
| Needs the command line | No | No |
| Runs offline, photos stay on your computer | Photos processed on your device; app connects to their servers for licensing, updates and optional diagnostics | Yes, no account, works with the network off |
Truncated sidecar names and (1) duplicates | (1) suffixes yes; truncated names not stated | Both built in |
| Edited copies with no sidecar of their own | Not stated | Built in |
| HEIC to JPG with metadata kept | Not offered; FAQ notes some HEIC files from Google cannot be written to | Yes |
| Renames with the place | No (restores the original filename; writes city name into metadata) | Yes |
| Folders by place | No | Yes: year/month, year, or by place |
| Sets date and place by hand | Not offered | Yes, per photo or folder |
| Languages | Site in English and German; app languages not stated | English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Simplified) |
| Windows / Mac / Linux | All three | All three |
Where MetadataFixer.com is the better pick
If what you care about is getting every field Google stored back into the file, it lists more of them. People tags, keywords, altitude and video track dates are all named on its FAQ. If your export has camera RAW files, its format list covers them and ours does not. If you want to point it at the zips without extracting first, it does that. And if you want a duplicate finder, a corrupt image fixer and a video encoder from the same vendor, the bundle exists.
Where Takeout JSON Metadata Fixer is the better pick
Price and trial. 1000 free photos is enough to run a real sample through and check the dates in your photo app before you pay. USD 19.99 is about half the price.
Organising, not just fixing. Dates and GPS inside the file are necessary but they do not make a folder of 40,000 IMG_ files usable. Renaming with the date and place, folders by place, screenshots and documents sorted into their own folders, HEIC converted so Windows can open it: that is the part MetadataFixer.com does not do.
Photos with no JSON. Every Takeout has some: scans, screenshots, old uploads. Being able to select a folder and type a date and a place is the difference between finished and nearly finished.
Fully offline. Both keep your photos local. Only one is described as working with the network off and needing no account.
Store distribution. Mac App Store and Microsoft Store builds are reviewed and signed by Apple and Microsoft, which matters if you are cautious about what you install.
Which one for you
Most people leaving Google Photos want their dates back, their location back, files they can find, and a library that opens in Apple Photos, Windows or a NAS. Takeout JSON Metadata Fixer was built for that whole path and is cheaper. If you specifically need RAW support or the extra metadata fields, MetadataFixer.com is a reasonable buy, and its 100-file demo lets you check.
See also Google Takeout metadata tools compared for the free options, and exiftool vs Takeout JSON Metadata Fixer if you are happy in a terminal.
Checked on 18 September 2026: MetadataFixer.com claims are from its home page, pricing page, download page, FAQ and privacy policy. Takeout JSON Metadata Fixer claims are from our own listing copy for version 1.5.1.