TouchCopy alternative
The TouchCopy alternative that runs on iPhone
TouchCopy is a long-running Mac and Windows utility from Wide Angle Software for pulling messages, music, photos, and voicemails off an iPhone. TextPort is the opposite shape: it runs on the iPhone itself and does one thing — turn any chat into a clean, paginated PDF. No cable, no Mac, no license file to keep track of two years from now.
Works with iMessage, SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, Signal, Instagram DMs, and more.
Quick verdict
Pick TouchCopy if you want a one-time desktop license that covers messages plus music, photos, voicemails, and contacts — or you have an Android phone in the household and want the Droid Transfer companion from the same vendor.
Pick TextPort if you only need the message PDF, you want to do it on the iPhone without a computer, or the conversation is in WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram DMs, Telegram, or Signal — apps TouchCopy doesn't fully read.
Best TouchCopy alternatives in 2026
TouchCopy has been around since before the iPhone, which is part of its appeal — it is a known quantity with a one-time license. But it is not the only way to get a clean PDF of a conversation out of an iPhone. Here is an honest side-by-side of the four tools people actually compare when TouchCopy's desktop-only shape isn't the right fit.
| Feature | TextPort | TouchCopy | TextPort for Desktop | iMazing | Decipher TextMessage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on iPhone (no computer) | Yes | No (Mac or PC required) | No (Mac or PC required) | No (Mac or PC required) | No (Mac or PC required) |
| USB cable / Apple backup needed | No | Yes (USB or Wi-Fi sync) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iMessage & SMS | Yes (via screen recording) | Yes (parses backup) | Yes (parses backup) | Yes (parses backup) | Yes (parses backup) |
| WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, Signal | Yes (any chat app) | Partial (WhatsApp; limited) | No | Partial (WhatsApp only) | No |
| PDF output with timestamps + sender names | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CSV / Excel / HTML / TXT output | Yes (CSV + TXT + HTML) | Yes (CSV, HTML, TXT) | Yes (CSV + TXT + HTML) | Yes (incl. Excel + RSMF) | Yes |
| Broader device management (photos, ringtones, backups, battery health) | No (messages only) | Partial (music, photos, contacts, voicemails) | No (messages only) | Yes | No |
| Recover already-deleted iMessages from a backup | No | No | Partial (depends on backup age) | Partial | Yes |
| Edit transcript before exporting | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| Try before you pay | 3-conversation import + PDF preview, free | Preview-only demo on desktop | Free download | Preview-only trial on desktop | Preview-only trial on desktop |
| Pricing for export | Apple In-App Purchase on iPhone | One-time license, ~$28.50 to $70 depending on duration | Included with TextPort for iPhone | Subscription, ~$29.99/yr+ (per Mac/PC) | ~$29.99 one-time (2 device activations) |
| Time to first export | Minutes (screen-record + process) | Up to ~2 hours (Apple backup first) | Up to ~2 hours (full Apple backup first) | Up to ~2 hours (Apple backup first) | Up to ~2 hours (Apple backup first) |
Prices and feature lists change. Always check the vendor's own page for current numbers. The column above reflects publicly listed pricing on each vendor's site in early 2026. TouchCopy is sold as a one-time perpetual license rather than a subscription — a deliberate alternative to the model iMazing moved to in 2025.
Why switch
What TextPort does that TouchCopy doesn't
TouchCopy is a desktop tool from the era when "manage your iPhone" meant plugging into a Mac. That heritage shows in the product — and the trade-off is that exporting one conversation drags a sync workflow along with it. These are the four places TextPort's narrower, on-phone path wins.
Runs on the iPhone itself
No Mac, no PC, no USB cable, no Wi-Fi sync setup, no waiting for TouchCopy to enumerate the device before the work can start. Open the chat, tap the screen-record button inside TextPort, scroll through the thread, and come back. The paginated PDF is generated on the device. You can email it, AirDrop it, or AirPrint it straight from the iOS share sheet — useful when you need to hand a PDF to a lawyer the same afternoon and the only thing in your hand is the phone you took the messages on.
Reads every chat app, not just iMessage and SMS
TouchCopy covers iMessage, SMS, and partial WhatsApp. That leaves out Facebook Messenger, Instagram DMs, Telegram, Signal, WeChat, Snapchat, LINE, KakaoTalk, Teams, Slack, and most of the apps people actually have an active dispute happening in. TextPort works wherever you can open the chat on iPhone — anything you can screen-record. The same PDF format comes out no matter which app the conversation lived in, which matters when you are filing one bundle of evidence and you don't want one of the threads in a different style.
No license file to find a year from now
TouchCopy's one-time license is a strength compared with subscription competitors, but it is still a license you have to keep track of: which email it was sent to, which machine it was activated on, whether the duration tier you bought has expired. TextPort charges for the export job itself, via Apple In-App Purchase on the phone you are already holding. The receipt lives in your Apple ID, the entitlement restores on a new phone automatically, and there is nothing to re-activate when your laptop dies. If you need it once for a custody filing, you pay for it once.
Minutes, not the better part of an afternoon
TouchCopy's workflow starts with an Apple backup or a long device read over USB or Wi-Fi, which can take up to two hours on a phone that hasn't been backed up recently — longer if the phone is full of video. TextPort skips that step entirely, because the conversation is captured live on the screen. A typical thread goes from opening TextPort to a finished PDF in a handful of minutes. That's the difference between filing today and asking the court for an extension.
Honest tradeoffs
When TouchCopy is the better choice
TextPort isn't the right answer for every situation. Here are the cases where TouchCopy is the tool we'd tell you to use instead.
You have an iPhone and Android in the same household
Wide Angle Software ships a companion product called Droid Transfer that does the same job on Android — pulling messages, photos, music, and contacts off the phone to a Mac or PC. Some TouchCopy bundles include a Droid Transfer license, which means one vendor covers both sides of a mixed household. TextPort is iPhone- and iPad-only by design. If the Android side matters and you want everything from one company with one license model, the TouchCopy + Droid Transfer pair is the practical pick.
You're also pulling music, ringtones, voicemails, or photos off the phone
TouchCopy predates the iPhone — Wide Angle's original product was for transferring iPod music. That heritage means it handles iPhone music, ringtones, voicemails, photos, contacts, and call logs alongside SMS and iMessage. If your job is "pull everything I care about off a retired iPhone, including the voicemails from someone who has passed away and the music library that never made it to Apple Music," TouchCopy covers more of that scope than TextPort does. TextPort is messages-only by design — that's the whole product. Match the tool to what you're actually trying to save.
A note on forensic versus self-exported records
Neither TextPort nor TouchCopy is a certified court reporter, forensic imaging service, or notarized record. TouchCopy's PDF output is widely used in everyday civil matters, but it is not the same thing as a chain-of-custody extraction. We do not guarantee admissibility or authentication for any specific proceeding. If your matter genuinely turns on whether the messages are real, or the court has ordered a forensically authenticated extraction, hire a qualified digital-forensics professional or licensed attorney. For most everyday civil matters, a clean self-exported PDF (from either tool) plus the original source files is what people actually file.
How to switch from TouchCopy to TextPort
If you're already mid-flow on a TouchCopy export and getting blocked (chat is in an app TouchCopy doesn't read, no Mac handy, sync is taking forever, your license duration ran out right when you needed it), here is the swap. Same finished PDF, different starting point.
-
1
Install TextPort from the App Store
Open the App Store on the iPhone or iPad that has the conversation. Install TextPort. The app is free to install; you can import up to three conversations and preview the finished PDF before deciding to subscribe.
-
2
Open the chat you were going to export with TouchCopy
For iMessage and SMS, that's the Messages app. For WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, Signal, or any other chat, open that app directly. Scroll back to the earliest message you want in the export before you start — TextPort captures whatever you scroll through, not the rest of the thread.
-
3
Start the screen recording from inside TextPort
Open TextPort, tap the screen-record button, then switch back to the chat app. Prefer overlapping screenshots? TextPort handles those too — pick them from the photo library when you return.
-
4
Scroll through the conversation, then return to TextPort
Scroll from the start to the end of the thread at a steady pace. When you reach the bottom, switch back to TextPort. It picks up the recording automatically and starts transcribing — names, timestamps, and message order are reconstructed in the background.
-
5
Export to PDF
Tap Export, then PDF. The output is paginated, every message has its date, time, and sender, and group-chat participants are labeled. AirDrop or email it from the iOS share sheet, or AirPrint it directly. Keep the original screen recording on the device as your source file — the same advice TouchCopy's own documentation gives about preserving the underlying backup or device read.
Frequently asked questions
-
If the only thing you actually need is a PDF of a conversation, TextPort is the most direct alternative. TouchCopy is a Mac and Windows utility from Wide Angle Software that pulls messages, music, photos, contacts, and voicemails off an iPhone via USB or Wi-Fi. It works well, but it was built around a desktop workflow that assumes you have a computer in the room. TextPort runs on the iPhone or iPad itself and outputs a paginated PDF with timestamps and sender names — no cable, no backup, no Wide Angle license to keep track of. It also reads WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram DMs, Telegram, Signal, WeChat, and Snapchat, which TouchCopy either does not handle or handles only partially. For people who specifically want the desktop, parse-an-Apple-backup approach, iMazing and Decipher TextMessage are the two other names worth comparing.
-
TouchCopy is sold as a one-time perpetual license rather than a subscription. Wide Angle Software offers tiered durations: roughly $28.50 for a 6-month license, around $44 for a 1-year license, and roughly $70 for a lifetime license, depending on the package and any current discount. The lifetime tier is its main differentiator versus iMazing, which switched to an annual subscription model in 2025. Always check Wide Angle Software's own pricing page for the current numbers. TextPort is free to install on iPhone or iPad. Exporting to PDF, CSV, HTML, or TXT is an Apple In-App Purchase, and the free tier lets you import up to three conversations and preview the finished PDF before deciding.
-
TouchCopy has a free demo that lets you connect a phone and browse content from a Mac or PC, but actually saving messages, music, contacts, or voicemails to disk requires a paid license. There is no permanent free tier for export. TextPort works on a try-before-you-pay model that is closer to a real free tier: install free on iPhone, import up to three conversations, and generate the actual PDF preview on the phone before any subscription decision.
-
TouchCopy is a long-running Mac and Windows utility from Wide Angle Software that pulls content off an iPhone or iPad over USB or Wi-Fi. Its scope is wider than messages: it handles iPhone music, photos and videos, contacts, voicemails, calendars, notes, ringtones, and call logs alongside SMS and iMessage. For messages it exports to PDF, HTML, CSV, and plain text, with date filtering before export. It includes partial WhatsApp support but does not read Facebook Messenger, Instagram DMs, Telegram, Signal, WeChat, or Snapchat. Wide Angle also ships a companion app called Droid Transfer that does the same job for Android phones, which is bundled in some TouchCopy packages.
-
They overlap on roughly the same desktop iPhone-management job, but they price it differently. TouchCopy is sold as a one-time license — once you buy it, you keep the version you bought. iMazing switched to an annual subscription in 2025, which is priced for a tool you keep using year after year. If you only need one or two exports and you hate recurring software bills, TouchCopy's perpetual model is the cleaner pick. If you want continuous updates, scheduled wireless backups, RSMF or signed-PDF exports for legal workflows, and broader app coverage, iMazing earns the subscription. For Android households, Wide Angle also ships Droid Transfer as a companion. If the goal is just a PDF of one conversation and you would rather skip the computer entirely, TextPort is the on-phone alternative.
-
Partially. TouchCopy can read some WhatsApp data from an Apple backup, but the support is limited compared with what it does for iMessage and SMS, and group-chat fidelity varies. It does not read Facebook Messenger, Instagram DMs, Telegram, Signal, WeChat, Snapchat, LINE, or KakaoTalk. TextPort uses a screen-recording workflow instead, which works the same way for any chat app you can open on the iPhone, so you can capture WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and Signal in the same session and end up with one bundle of PDFs in matching format.
-
No. TouchCopy is desktop software for Mac and Windows. Wide Angle Software does not ship an iPhone or iPad app that exports messages directly from the phone. The standard workflow is: install TouchCopy on a Mac or PC, connect the phone over USB or Wi-Fi, let it read the device, then pick the messages or other content to export from the desktop UI. If running anything on a computer is the part you are trying to skip, TextPort is the on-phone alternative. Install it from the App Store, open the chat, screen-record it, and export the PDF without a computer in the loop.
-
TouchCopy reads from iPads, but it does not run on them. The Mac or Windows machine is always required as the host. You connect the iPad to the desktop over USB or Wi-Fi and TouchCopy treats it the same way it treats an iPhone. TextPort is the opposite shape: it runs natively on both iPhone and iPad, so the same screen-recording workflow that produces a clean PDF on a phone produces an identical one on an iPad without an external computer.
-
Droid Transfer is Wide Angle Software's companion product to TouchCopy, built to do the same job on Android: pull messages, photos, music, and contacts off the phone to a Mac or PC. Some TouchCopy bundles include a Droid Transfer license. If your household has a mix of iPhone and Android devices and you want one vendor for both, that pairing is genuinely useful. TextPort is iPhone- and iPad-only by design — if Android is in scope, Droid Transfer is the right tool on that side.
-
Neither is a forensic chain-of-custody product. Both produce formatted, timestamped PDFs that courts routinely accept in civil matters where the messages are not themselves the disputed evidence. TouchCopy's edge is that it parses the underlying Apple-backup database, which lets it batch-export an entire iMessage history in one pass and sometimes surface threads the user no longer sees on the phone. TextPort's edge is that it handles WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, Signal, and Instagram DMs in the same workflow as iMessage, runs on the phone itself, and produces the same paginated PDF without needing a Mac. For a case where the conversation lives outside iMessage, or where you simply do not have a computer to start with, TextPort is the practical choice. For more on what judges typically accept, see the court export guide.
Keep reading
More on alternatives, comparisons, and exporting iPhone messages to PDF.
iMazing alternative
The broader desktop competitor in the iPhone-management space. Subscription-priced since 2025, with deeper third-party app coverage than TouchCopy.
Decipher TextMessage alternative
The narrowest desktop tool in this category — iMessage and SMS only, one-time license, often the leanest choice for a recovery-only case.
Export text messages for court
The use-case page for court filings. What judges accept, what gets challenged, and the source files to keep alongside the PDF.
Export iPhone text messages to PDF
The full PDF-export workflow on iPhone, from any chat app, with the same paginated and timestamped output that lawyers and HR expect.
Best apps to export text messages from iPhone in 2026
A wider roundup that compares TouchCopy, iMazing, Decipher TextMessage, TextPort, and four other tools across format coverage and pricing.
TextPort for Desktop
For iMessage and SMS histories you want to export in bulk from a Mac or Windows machine. The desktop path that mirrors what TouchCopy and Decipher do.
Start exporting your messages
Available for iPhone, Mac, and Windows. No computer required.
