The best replacement for metadata is data.

The best alternatives to metadata are rated as following:
★★★★★  data
★★★  master data
★★★  taxonomy
★★★  folders
★★★  data dictionary
★★  metadata
★★  reference data
★★  manifest
★★  paradata
★★  microdata
★★  big data
★  keywords
★  master data management
★  folders sharepoint
  marc
  schema
  exif
  meta data
  technical metadata
  cataloguing

Your alternative for metadata is not listed? Suggest!
Speaking about metadata, one probably shouldn't forget about handbrake.

Other search terms related to metadata and their ratings are:
★★★★★ handbrake
You have in mind a companion for metadata and it is not yet here? Propose!



Google Trends

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of metadata in all years. Click on graph for more.
metadata
data
master data