Court Copy · Guides · Privacy
Decipher TextMessage and the alternatives
Decipher TextMessage is the best-known desktop app for printing iPhone texts, and it does the job. Here is what it and the other options cost and run on, checked on October 24, 2026 from each maker's own pages. Prices change; check before you buy.
| Tool | Price (USD) | Runs on | Reads encrypted iPhone backups | Android texts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decipher TextMessage | $29.99 one-time (2 computers), free trial | Mac, Windows (install) | Yes | No |
| iMazing | Subscription (device licences ended June 2025) | Mac, Windows (install) | Yes | No |
| TouchCopy | $28.50 for 6 months, $40 a year, $70 lifetime (as listed on Capterra) | Mac, Windows (install) | Through its sister app iBackup Extractor | No |
| iExplorer | $39.99 (1 computer) | Mac or Windows (install) | Not stated | No |
| AnyTrans | $39.99 a year or $59.99 lifetime (sale prices) | Mac, Windows (install) | Not stated | No |
| Keepsake | $5 per conversation, free watermarked preview | Web browser, nothing uploaded | Yes, photos included | No |
| imessage-exporter | Free, open source | Command line (Mac, Linux, Windows) | Yes | No |
| Court Copy (this site) | Free preview of 25 messages; full export $19 one-time (sales open soon) | Web browser, nothing uploaded | Yes, photos included | Yes (SMS Backup & Restore file) |
How they differ
- Install or browser. Decipher, iMazing, TouchCopy, iExplorer and AnyTrans are desktop programs. Keepsake and Court Copy run in a web page and read the backup on your own computer, so there is nothing to install and nothing is uploaded.
- What the printout is for. Keepsake makes a keepsake book (chat bubbles, cover, table of contents) and its own help page sends people who need evidence to tools like Decipher or iMazing. Court Copy makes a record: a cover sheet with the source file's SHA-256 fingerprint, the time zone and the device, then one entry per message with date and time, service, delivered/read times, reactions, edit history and unsent markers, with optional page stamps and redaction.
- Android. None of the iPhone tools above read Android texts. On Android the common route is the free SMS Backup & Restore app plus a printing app; Court Copy reads that app's file directly (how).
- Mac only. imessage-exporter is free and thorough but needs a terminal.
Not affiliated with any company named here. Whether a printout is accepted, and in what form, is for the court, the lawyers and the other side to say; none of these tools can promise that.
Open Court Copy: free preview of any conversation, nothing uploaded.