Textlore vs Decipher TextMessage, side by side.

Short answer

Pick Decipher TextMessage if your texts are on an iPhone you back up to a computer, you use Windows, or your main goal is a printout of a conversation. Pick Textlore if your messages are on your Mac through Messages in iCloud or WhatsApp for Mac and you want to see what friends told you to try and what you promised, search them every day, keep an archive that saves as you go, and export them with private details hidden.

Textlore and Decipher TextMessage at a glance

Feature	Textlore	Decipher TextMessage
What it is	A Mac app for your Messages history	An app to save and print text messages
Where messages come from	The Messages history on your Mac	iPhone and iPad backups, and the Messages app on a Mac
Runs on	Mac, macOS 26 or later	Mac and Windows
Works without Messages in iCloud	Needs it for iPhone texts	Reads iPhone backups
What friends told you to try, in their words	Recs
Promises you made, and which are still open	Promises
Export to PDF and CSV
Export to HTML and text	Plus Markdown
Export an image of a few messages		Not listed on its site
Hide names, phone numbers and emails in exports	Numbers and emails hidden by default	Not listed on its site
Search every year as you type, with filters	from:, before:, has:photo and more	Not listed on its site
Keeps its own archive as new texts arrive		Not listed on its site
Checks backups for deleted messages		Its trial shows whether they can be recovered
WhatsApp	From WhatsApp for Mac	Separate app, Decipher Chat
Your texting years as stats and share cards	Your Lore
Ask questions about your messages	On Macs with Apple Intelligence
Price	$20 until 28 October, then $39$39Once, for 2 Macs. 14 days free.	$29.99 once2 device activations. Free trial.

Not listed on its site means we couldn't find the feature on Decipher's product page, not that it's missing. Decipher's page lists PDF, CSV, TXT and HTML exports, saving photos and videos with the messages, version 27 updated in September 2026, and a one-time price with no subscription. Check deciphertools.com for the latest.

Where Decipher TextMessage is the better choice

• It reads iPhone backups. Back up your iPhone to a Mac or PC and Decipher reads the messages from it, so Messages in iCloud doesn't have to be on.
• It runs on Windows. Decipher works on Windows 7 and later as well as the Mac. Textlore is Mac only.
• It runs on older Macs. Decipher supports macOS Sierra and later. Textlore needs macOS 26.
• Deleted messages. Its free trial can show whether deleted messages are still in a backup and can be recovered.
• A similar price. $29.99 once, against Textlore's $20 launch price until 28 October. After that Textlore is $39.A lower price. $29.99 once, against Textlore's $39 once.

Where Textlore is the better choice

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, exports to 6 formats with names and numbers hidden, and adds Your Lore, your texting years as tree rings, and Ask AI. It never sends, edits or deletes a message, and nothing leaves your Mac.

• Recs and Promises. Every book, show, restaurant and app friends told you to try, with who said it and their words, and every promise you made, with how many days late it is. Decipher doesn't list anything like them.
• WhatsApp next to your iMessages. Textlore reads WhatsApp for Mac, and search, Ask AI and export cover it too. Decipher offers WhatsApp in a separate app, Decipher Chat.
• Search you will use every day. Results narrow as you type, with filters such as from:, in:, during: and has:photo, and ⌥Space searches from any app.
• Up to date by itself. Textlore reads your Mac's Messages history and updates within seconds when a new text arrives, with no backup to refresh.
• An archive that keeps going. It saves every message and photo while it's on your Mac, so they stay after Messages deletes them or clears space.
• Private exports with a preview. Phone numbers and emails are hidden unless you switch them on, names can be initials or hidden, and a live preview shows the file before you save.
• Photos and files by person and month. The Attachments page shows everything people sent you in one place.
• Your Lore and Ask AI. Your texting years as tree rings with share cards that never show message text, and answers from Apple's on-device model on Macs with Apple Intelligence.

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.

Which one should you pick?

• Your texts are only in an iPhone backup, or you use Windows or an older Mac: Decipher TextMessage.
• You mainly need a printout of one conversation from your iPhone: Decipher TextMessage.
• Your texts are on your Mac and you want to search, keep and export them all the time: Textlore.
• You want to see what friends told you to try and what you promised: Textlore.
• You want photos by person, private exports and a look back at your years of texting: Textlore.

For printing, both make a PDF. Our guide on printing text messages for court covers what to include, whichever app you use.

Comparing more options? See all Decipher TextMessage alternatives, or the Textlore pricing.

Try Textlore free on your own messages. Every feature is free for 14 days. No account, no email, no card.

Download free14 days, no account Buy Textlore, $39 $20Buy Textlore, $39Launch price until 28 OctoberOnce, for 2 Macs