Competitor comparison
iMazing vs TouchCopy for saving iPhone messages
iMazing and TouchCopy both copy iPhone messages to a Mac or PC and save them as PDF, CSV or text. The biggest difference is how you pay: iMazing is a yearly subscription, and TouchCopy sells a 6-month, 12-month or lifetime license.
Our take
If you came here to save a conversation or your whole message history, you don't need either one. Both are full iPhone managers (music, photos, messages and more), which is a lot of toolbox for one screwdriver, and you pay for the toolbox. iMazing is a subscription, from $49.99 a year. TouchCopy's free version saves only the first 6 messages of each conversation on Windows and 5 on a Mac. TextPort for Mac and TextPort for Windows save every message in every conversation for free, with no account. If the chat is in WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger or Signal, or you don't have a computer, the TextPort iPhone app handles it.
At a glance
iMazing, TouchCopy and TextPort side by side
What each one does with your messages, what it costs and what the free version lets you keep, from each company's own pages on October 19, 2026. Prices are in US dollars.
| What you compare | iMazing | TouchCopy | TextPort |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | iPhone manager: backups, photos, music, apps and messages | iPhone manager: music, photos, messages, contacts and call logs | Message export, on iPhone, Mac and Windows |
| Runs on | Mac (macOS 10.12 or later) and Windows | Mac (macOS 14 or later) and Windows | iPhone and iPad, Mac (macOS 14.6 or later) and Windows 10 (version 2004 or later) or 11 |
| Needs a computer | Yes | Yes | No: the iPhone app runs on the iPhone |
| How it reads messages | Makes a backup of the iPhone first, or opens one made by Finder, iTunes or Apple Devices | Connects to the iPhone over USB or Wi-Fi, by TouchCopy's description | Mac: the Messages already on the Mac. Windows: backs up the iPhone over USB, or opens a backup on the PC. iPhone: a Shortcut, WhatsApp's export file, or screenshots and screen recordings |
| Apple Messages | SMS, MMS and iMessage, with attachments (its export guide also names RCS) | SMS, MMS, RCS and iMessage, with attachments | iMessage and SMS, with attachments |
| Other chat apps | WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business, from a backup | WhatsApp and LINE | iPhone app: WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Signal, Telegram and any chat you can screenshot or record. Mac and Windows apps: Apple Messages |
| Export formats | PDF, Excel or CSV, TXT, print. RSMF and PDF signing with a Business subscription | PDF, HTML, CSV, plain text, print | PDF, CSV, TXT. Print on iPhone and Mac |
| Send the file to a lawyer | Not listed on iMazing's messages guide | Not listed on TouchCopy's messages page | iPhone app: a link to the exported file that works for 7 days by default |
| Time on every message | An export setting, "Show time for all messages" | Time and date included | Sender, date and time on every message, by default |
| Fix a message before export | Not listed on iMazing's messages guide | Not listed on TouchCopy's messages page | iPhone app: fix the text, time or sender, or delete a message |
| Price | $49.99 a year for 5 devices, $89.99 a year for 20. Yearly subscription only | $30 for 6 months or $40 for 12 months on 1 computer, $70 lifetime on 2. No auto-renewal | Mac and Windows apps: free. iPhone app: a weekly, monthly or annual subscription through the App Store |
| Free version | No time limit; premium features need a license | Saves the first 6 messages of a conversation on Windows, 5 on a Mac. No printing | Mac and Windows apps: all of it, with no trial cap. iPhone app: import your first three conversations for free |
The differences
How iMazing and TouchCopy differ
iMazing renews every year; TouchCopy can be bought once
iMazing stopped selling one-time licenses in June 2025. It now sells a yearly subscription that renews each year until you cancel: $49.99 for up to 5 devices or $89.99 for up to 20, on any Mac or PC. TouchCopy sells three licenses: $30 for 6 months or $40 for 12 months on one computer, and $70 once for a lifetime license on two computers. The 6-month and 12-month licenses don't renew on their own. The Mac and PC prices are the same.
iMazing makes a backup first; TouchCopy connects to the phone
To show your messages, iMazing first makes a backup of the iPhone: one with only your messages, or a full backup you can restore from. iMazing says the first backup may take 30 minutes or more, so plan on a coffee. It can also open a backup you already made with Finder, iTunes or Apple Devices, and it keeps each backup as a dated snapshot, so you can open your messages as they were on an earlier day. TouchCopy says it connects to the iPhone over USB or Wi-Fi and shows the messages from there.
Where TextPort fits
If you only need your messages
Saving messages is a smaller job: a readable copy of a conversation, or the whole history, as a file you can keep, print or send to a lawyer. It doesn't need an iPhone manager.
On a Mac or PC: free
- •TextPort for Mac reads the Messages already on your Mac, the ones your iPhone has synced to it through Messages in iCloud. No cable and no backup.
- •TextPort for Windows backs up your iPhone over USB with Apple Devices or iTunes, or opens a backup already on the PC.
- •Both export one chat or every chat to PDF, CSV or TXT, or the photos and files as a ZIP. No account, and your messages aren't uploaded.
On the iPhone: no computer at all
- •Import iMessage and SMS with a Shortcut on iOS 26, or a WhatsApp chat from WhatsApp's own export file.
- •For Messenger, Instagram, Signal, Telegram and other apps, scroll through the chat while you record the screen, or take screenshots.
- •Fix anything that's off, then export a PDF that shows the sender, date and time of each message, or send it to a lawyer with a link.
Saving messages for a case? See exporting text messages for court. Still weighing the desktop tools? Read the iMazing alternative and TouchCopy alternative pages, or Decipher TextMessage vs iMazing.
The third option
No computer, or a chat outside Messages?
iMazing and TouchCopy start from the same place: a Mac or PC, and an iPhone connected to it or a backup of it. TextPort for iPhone needs neither, and it reads chats those tools don't list, like Messenger, Instagram, Signal and Telegram. In October 2026 it's rated 4.4 out of 5 from more than 1,300 ratings on the US App Store. Import your first three conversations for free.
TextPort is for you if you need:
- •A PDF of a conversation, with no computer or cable
- •A chat from WhatsApp or any app you can screenshot or record
- •The sender, date and time of each message
FAQ
iMazing vs TouchCopy questions
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Only the lifetime license is: $70 once, for two computers. The 6-month ($30) and 12-month ($40) licenses cover one computer and end when the time is up, and none of the three renews on its own. TextPort for Mac and TextPort for Windows are free, so for saving messages there's no license to buy at all.
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No. iMazing stopped selling its one-time device license in June 2025 and now sells yearly subscriptions only: $49.99 a year for up to 5 devices, or $89.99 a year for up to 20. For messages alone, TextPort's Mac and Windows apps export them free, with nothing to renew.
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Only the start of each conversation. The free version saves the first 6 messages of a conversation on Windows and the first 5 on a Mac, and it can't print messages. You can view every message before you buy. TextPort's free Mac and Windows apps save the whole conversation, and print it on a Mac.
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No. Both run on a Mac or PC and read the iPhone over a cable or Wi-Fi. If you only have the iPhone, the TextPort iPhone app imports the conversation and exports it as a PDF, CSV or TXT file.
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Yes. iMazing exports WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business chats from an iPhone backup, and TouchCopy lists WhatsApp and LINE next to SMS and iMessage. On the iPhone, TextPort opens the file WhatsApp's own Export Chat makes and turns it into a PDF with the date and time on each message.
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Yes. TextPort for Mac and TextPort for Windows are free, with no account and no trial limit. They export Apple Messages conversations to PDF, CSV or TXT, one chat or all of them at once. The Mac app reads the Messages already on that Mac. The TextPort iPhone app lets you import your first three conversations for free.
Start exporting your messages
Available for iPhone, Mac, and Windows. No computer required.
