The best iMazing alternative for iMessages, by what you need.
Textlore is the best iMazing alternative for iMessages when your texts are already on your Mac, and Decipher TextMessage is the closest one when they are only on an iPhone.
Short answer
Textlore is the best iMazing alternative for iMessages when your texts are already on your Mac, and Decipher TextMessage is the closest one when they are only on an iPhone.
TL;DR
- iMazing has been subscription only since June 2025. Textlore ($20 until 28 October, then $39$39) and Decipher TextMessage ($29.99) are one-time purchases.
- Your texts are on your Mac through Messages in iCloud: pick Textlore. It also lists the recs friends sent you and the promises you made.
- Your texts are only in an iPhone backup: pick Decipher TextMessage, or the free imessage-exporter if you like Terminal.
- You need a whole-phone backup, a move to a new iPhone or WhatsApp from an iPhone backup: stay with iMazing.
5 options at a glance
| Option | Best for | Catch |
|---|---|---|
| Textlore | Texts already on your Mac. Recs, Promises, search, private exports. | Mac only, macOS 26. Recs and Promises need Apple Intelligence. Can't read an iPhone backup. |
| Decipher TextMessage | Saving and printing texts from an iPhone backup, on Mac or Windows. | No Recs or Promises. WhatsApp is a separate app. |
| imessage-exporter | A free text or HTML export in Terminal. | Command line only. No search and no PDF. |
| Messages, File > Print | One short chat, free. | No time on every message. Prints only what has loaded. |
| iMazing | Backing up and managing the whole iPhone. | Yearly subscription. Messages come from a backup. |
Why people look for an iMazing alternative
- It is a subscription now. iMazing's licensing policy says: "In June 2025, we discontinued the device license and now only offer subscriptions." Its legacy licensing policy says older Standard licences have no time limit, but new buyers pay yearly.
- It is built for the whole phone. iMazing backs up photos, music, apps and messages. If you only want your texts, that is a lot of app.
- It works from a backup. To see a new message you back up again. Textlore reads the Messages history on your Mac and updates within seconds of a new text.
Textlore: the Mac app for your Messages history
Textlore is a Mac app that reads your Messages and WhatsApp for Mac history. Recs lists what friends told you to try, with their exact words, and Promises lists what you said you'd do for people, both found by Apple's on-device model on Macs with Apple Intelligence. It also searches every year as you type, keeps its own archive of messages and photos, and exports to 6 formats with phone numbers and emails hidden by default. It never sends, edits or deletes a message, and nothing leaves your Mac.
- Recs. Every book, show, film, restaurant, podcast, song and app friends told you to try, with who said it, when, and their words. Things more than one friend mentioned sit at the top.
- Promises. Every time you said you would do something for someone, with how many days late it is and a Remind me button.
- One price. $20 until 28 October, then $39$39 once, for 2 Macs, with every 1.x update included. See pricing.
What Textlore doesn't do
- It is Mac only, and needs macOS 26 or later.
- It reads the Messages history on your Mac, so your iPhone texts need Messages in iCloud switched on to get there.
- It reads Messages (iMessage, SMS and the other texts in it) and WhatsApp for Mac. It can't read an iPhone backup.
- Recs, Promises and Ask AI need a Mac with Apple Intelligence.
Side by side with the full feature list: Textlore vs iMazing.
Decipher TextMessage: closest on iPhone backups
Decipher TextMessage reads iPhone backups and the Messages app on a Mac, and exports PDF, CSV, TXT and HTML. Its product page lists $29.99 as a one-time price, runs on Mac and Windows, and shows a latest update of 22 September 2026. WhatsApp needs its separate app, Decipher Chat. Read Textlore vs Decipher TextMessage.
imessage-exporter: free and scriptable
imessage-exporter is open source under GPL-3.0 and exports text or HTML. It runs on Mac, Linux and Windows, reads iPhone backups (encrypted ones with a password) and takes start and end dates. Its README says PDF export did not work well, so you print the HTML. Read Textlore vs imessage-exporter.
When to stay with iMazing
- You want a full backup of the iPhone, not just texts.
- You are moving to a new iPhone and want to bring messages or WhatsApp chats across.
- Your texts are not on a Mac and you use Windows.
- You want Excel export and detailed print options.
Many people use 2 tools: iMazing for phone backups, and Textlore for the everyday Mac side.
Questions
Is there an iMazing alternative without a subscription?
Yes. Textlore is a one-time purchase for 2 Macs, Decipher TextMessage is $29.99 once, and imessage-exporter is free.
Does iMazing still sell a one-time licence?
No. iMazing's licensing policy says it discontinued the device licence in June 2025 and now only offers subscriptions.
What is the best free iMazing alternative for iMessages?
imessage-exporter. It is free, open source and exports text or HTML from Terminal. For a single short chat, Messages can also print to PDF from File > Print.
Can Textlore replace iMazing?
Only for texts that are on your Mac. Textlore does not back up an iPhone, move messages to a new phone or read an iPhone backup.
Can I try Textlore before I pay?
Yes. Every feature is free for 14 days, with no account, no email and no card. After that it is a one-time purchase for 2 Macs. See the pricing page.
Your Messages history, on your Mac.
Download Textlore and see Recs and Promises on your own texts. Free for 14 days.