A media library on Jellyfin, Plex, or Kodi looks messy when one file shows “Movie Name (2024) [4K] [HDR] [WEBRip]” and the next shows “movie_name_2024.mkv”. Jellyfin’s embedded-title-vs-folder-name setting matters too: one of the two will look broken depending on which you pick. These seven apps for media library metadata cleanup on desktop fix the underlying tags once, so every front-end reads them correctly.
The picks split into video tools (TinyMediaManager, FileBot, MediaElch), music tag editors (Picard, Mp3tag, Beets, Kid3), and the auto-organizer that keeps a music library tidy long-term (Lidarr).
What to look for in a metadata cleanup tool
- Read from authoritative sources — TheMovieDB, TheTVDB, MusicBrainz, Discogs. Anything else is guesswork.
- Write to embedded tags (ID3, MP4, Matroska) AND to NFO/poster sidecars, so every front-end reads the same data.
- Batch operations — single-file edits are fine for one album, useless for a library of thousands.
- Conservative renaming. Bad renamers break workflows.
- Preview-before-apply — every cleanup tool that doesn’t preview will eventually destroy something.
- Cross-platform if you switch OSes.
- Active maintenance, especially for video tools that have to keep up with new release naming conventions.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TinyMediaManager | Movies and TV with NFO | Yes (free), v5 | About $30/year (Pro) | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| FileBot | Renaming and re-tagging | Trial | About $15/year | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| MediaElch | Kodi-focused NFO writer | Yes, fully | Free | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| MusicBrainz Picard | Music tag identification | Yes, fully | Free | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| Mp3tag | Windows music tag editor | Yes, fully | Free | Windows (Mac via paid port) |
| Beets | Music library auto-organizer | Yes, fully | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| Kid3 | KDE-flavoured music tag editor | Yes, fully | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| Lidarr | Music library acquisition | Yes, fully | Free | Linux (Docker), Windows, Mac |
The apps
1. TinyMediaManager, movies and TV with NFO
TinyMediaManager is the standard for cleaning up a movie or TV library that any Kodi/Jellyfin/Plex front-end can read. It scrapes TheMovieDB and TheTVDB, writes NFO sidecar files, downloads posters/fanart/banners, and renames files according to patterns you control. The v5 release added Jellyfin-aware scanning that respects embedded-title vs filename precedence.
The pattern templates are the standout. You set “{movieTitle} ({movieYear})/{movieTitle} ({movieYear}).{mediaExtension}” once and every new movie folder follows it. The TV episode renamer handles “Show Name (Year)/Season XX/Show Name (Year) - SXXEYY - Episode Title.mkv” cleanly.
Pricing:
- Free: v5 base features
- Paid: About $30/year (Pro) for full features
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux. Steam Deck compatible (Flatpak).
Download: TinyMediaManager on tinymediamanager.org
Bottom line: Default to this for any Jellyfin/Plex/Kodi library cleanup. The Pro license is worth it for libraries above 200 titles.
2. FileBot, the rename specialist
FileBot focuses tightly on renaming files. The match accuracy against TheTVDB and TheMovieDB is the best in the genre — it handles non-English releases, mislabelled scene names, and multi-language audio packs better than competitors. The CLI mode is the differentiator if you want to script library cleanups.
The 5.x release added GPT-assisted match disambiguation for tricky cases (anime episode order, dub vs sub, OVA episodes). The desktop UI is functional but not pretty; the value is in the engine, not the appearance.
Pricing:
- Free: Trial (limits scans)
- Paid: About $15/year (Personal)
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux (including ARM).
Download: FileBot on filebot.net
Bottom line: Pick this if rename accuracy is the priority and you don’t need NFO/poster downloads. The CLI mode pays off for automation.
3. MediaElch, Kodi-focused
MediaElch is the open-source NFO writer aimed specifically at Kodi (formerly XBMC) libraries. It writes the exact NFO schema Kodi expects, which avoids the small inconsistencies that other tools sometimes have with Kodi’s scraping rules.
The Concerts and Music Videos modules (rare features outside MediaElch) are useful for libraries with non-standard content. The UI is more functional than pretty but the underlying engine is solid.
Pricing:
- Free: Fully open source
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: MediaElch on mediaelch.github.io
Bottom line: Pick this if Kodi is your front-end and you want the cleanest NFO output.
4. MusicBrainz Picard, music tag identification
MusicBrainz Picard is the music-tagging tool that uses AcoustID audio fingerprinting to match files even when filenames are garbage. Point Picard at a folder of “track_01.mp3, track_02.mp3” with no metadata, and it identifies each track from the audio itself.
The MusicBrainz database is comprehensive for Western music. The plug-in system extends to Discogs lookups, ReplayGain calculation, and Last.fm scrobbling. The 2.x release added embedded cover-art handling.
Pricing:
- Free: Fully open source
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: MusicBrainz Picard on picard.musicbrainz.org
Bottom line: Pick this for any music library cleanup. The AcoustID fingerprinting saves hours of manual labelling.
5. Mp3tag, Windows music tag editor
Mp3tag is the long-running Windows music tag editor that does what Picard doesn’t: manual tag-editing with a spreadsheet view. If you have a library where the tags are mostly fine but you need to bulk-fix one field (genre, album artist, comment) across 5000 files, Mp3tag is faster than anything else.
The action scripts let you build repeatable transforms (strip leading track numbers, capitalize titles, normalize “feat.” to “featuring”) once and apply them across the library. The export format support covers M3U, CSV, HTML, and custom templates.
Pricing:
- Free: Fully on Windows (donation-funded)
- Paid: About $25 for the Mac port
Platforms: Windows (native), macOS (paid port).
Download: Mp3tag on mp3tag.de
Bottom line: Pick this on Windows for bulk manual tag editing. It complements Picard rather than replacing it.
6. Beets, music library auto-organizer
Beets is the CLI music tagger and library manager. Drop a folder in, and Beets matches it against MusicBrainz, moves the files into your library structure, embeds metadata, and writes ReplayGain values, all in one pass. For users who add music regularly, Beets makes cleanup a non-event.
The plugin ecosystem is the biggest in this category: ChromaPrint fingerprinting, LastGenre tagging, MusicBrainz import, Bandcamp metadata, even AI-assisted disambiguation. Configuration is YAML, which works well once you’ve built your reference config.
Pricing:
- Free: Fully open source
Platforms: Linux (best supported), macOS, Windows.
Download: Beets on beets.io
Bottom line: Pick this for any music library where you add new albums regularly. The CLI flow is faster than any GUI once you’ve set it up.
7. Kid3, KDE music tag editor
Kid3 is the KDE-developed cross-platform tag editor that focuses on doing one thing well: editing tags across many files at once with a sane bulk-edit UI. Where Picard identifies tracks, Kid3 is for the cases where you already know what the tags should be and want to set them efficiently.
The four-file-at-a-time preview view is unusual and useful: you can see the current tag, the proposed change, and the filename for a small batch before applying. The command-line mode (kid3-cli) is the cleanest of the music tag editors.
Pricing:
- Free: Fully open source
Platforms: Linux, macOS, Windows.
Download: Kid3 on kid3.kde.org
Bottom line: Pick this on Linux for manual tag editing if Picard’s automatic match isn’t what you need.
8. Lidarr, music library acquisition
Lidarr is the Sonarr/Radarr equivalent for music. It tracks your library, monitors for new releases by your favorite artists, and downloads the missing albums via your usenet or torrent indexers. Once installed, your library cleans itself.
The metadata enrichment is the bonus: Lidarr pulls MusicBrainz IDs onto every track, which means downstream tools (Beets, Picard) have a clean foundation. The web UI is the same family as Sonarr/Radarr/Prowlarr, so users of the *arr stack feel at home.
Pricing:
- Free: Fully open source
Platforms: Linux (Docker is the standard), Windows, macOS.
Download: Lidarr on lidarr.audio
Bottom line: Pick this if you already run Sonarr/Radarr and want the same automation for music.
How to pick the right one
If your library is mostly video (Jellyfin/Plex/Kodi): TinyMediaManager is the right starting point. It writes the NFO files every front-end reads.
If your library is mostly music: MusicBrainz Picard for cleanup, Beets for ongoing organization, Mp3tag or Kid3 for the bulk-edit cases Picard can’t handle.
If you need surgical rename precision on a tricky scene-named library: FileBot. The match accuracy pays off.
If you run Kodi specifically: MediaElch. The NFO output is the cleanest for Kodi’s scraping rules.
If you want a music library that maintains itself: Lidarr for acquisition plus Beets for the ingest step.
FAQ
What’s the difference between TinyMediaManager and FileBot?
TinyMediaManager handles the whole pipeline (rename, NFO, posters, fanart) and targets media-server front-ends. FileBot focuses on renaming with the best match accuracy and a CLI for scripting. They’re complementary rather than competing — many users run FileBot first to rename, then TinyMediaManager for posters.
Does this work with Jellyfin’s embedded title setting?
Yes. TinyMediaManager v5 explicitly handles the embedded-title precedence. The cleanup strategy is to write both the filename and the embedded title to a consistent format so Jellyfin can use either.
Will any of these break my Plex library?
Plex is more forgiving than Jellyfin or Kodi about NFO files — it builds its own metadata cache and ignores most NFO content by default. TinyMediaManager output won’t break a Plex library. The rename step (changing filenames Plex has already scanned) does require a Plex library refresh.
Which tool is best for anime episode order?
FileBot has the best support for anime numbering schemes (AniDB precedence, multi-season vs absolute numbering). TinyMediaManager v5 added AniDB scraping but the match accuracy is still behind FileBot on complex anime libraries.
Are there free alternatives for music tagging on macOS?
MusicBrainz Picard, Beets, and Kid3 all run on macOS for free. Mp3tag’s Mac port is paid ($25), but the Windows version works under Wine on a Mac for free if that’s worth the setup time.
