ExifCleaner is a solid, open-source desktop app — but it means downloading and installing software first. NearScrub strips the same hidden metadata (GPS, camera model, author name) directly in your browser, on any device, with nothing to install and nothing uploaded.
or press Ctrl+V to paste
→ 0 files sent to a server · everything runs on your device
ExifCleaner does its work locally too, so the real difference isn't privacy — it's the install. A desktop app has to be downloaded, installed and kept up to date on every computer you use, and installing one isn't an option on a phone. NearScrub is just a page you open: it strips EXIF fields like GPS coordinates and camera details right in your browser, keeps only the JPEG Orientation flag so photos don't come out sideways, and never uploads your file.
No. NearScrub runs entirely in your browser tab — no download, no installer, and it works on phones and tablets too. ExifCleaner is a desktop app you install on your computer; NearScrub does the same metadata-stripping job with zero install.
No. All processing happens locally in your browser — a strict Content-Security-Policy technically blocks any request that could send your file elsewhere, and our own automated tests confirm zero network requests during the whole process.
Yes — drop multiple files in one go and NearScrub scans and cleans them together in your browser. For everyday batches (a handful of photos or documents before sharing) this is usually faster than launching an installed app; only very large recurring folder jobs favor a desktop tool.
On privacy, the two approaches genuinely tie: ExifCleaner processes files locally on your computer, and NearScrub does too — a strict Content-Security-Policy blocks this page from sending your file anywhere, so 'runs in a browser' does not mean 'uploaded'. The real trade-off is workflow, not safety.
A desktop app has to be installed on every machine you use. On a second computer, a borrowed laptop, or a corporate PC where you can't run installers, it simply isn't there when you need it — and it doesn't exist at all on the phone where most photos are taken. A browser tab is available in all of those places, always in its latest version.
In fairness to desktop tools: they can integrate with the operating system (context menus, watched folders) and may handle formats NearScrub doesn't. NearScrub covers JPEG, PNG, PDF, and Office files, but not HEIC photos or videos — if your routine is bulk-cleaning large folders of such files, an installed tool is the better fit.
For everything else — the photo you're about to post, the PDF you're about to send, the report leaving your company — the tab wins on speed: drop, review the found-metadata report, download. And because NearScrub shows that report before cleaning, you see exactly which fields were hiding in the file.
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