TextEvidence Comparison Hub — Two Jobs, Two Honest Comparisons
Real reviews — good, bad, ugly — for 7 tools, plus pricing, limits, and how to cover the history before and outside the apps. Free up to 1,000 messages.
You're here for one of two reasons:
- A court or co-parent situation pushed you into a messaging app, and now you need the history that happened before and outside it.
- You've got messages on a phone and you need them out, searchable, and in a clean PDF.
They're different jobs. So they're in two separate tables below — tools down the side, features across the top, so you can compare down the line.
Use the Free Text-to-PDF Tool — up to 1,000 messages
Free Text-to-PDF Tool: Turn your iPhone, Android, or WhatsApp messages into a dated, line-numbered PDF — free up to 1,000 messages, in your browser, nothing saved, no account needed.
How it works: 1. Bring a backup or export file. 2. Pick a thread and date range. 3. Get your PDF.
- Prices and features checked against official vendor sites on October 26, 2026.
- Anything we couldn't verify on an official page is flagged NOT VERIFIED rather than guessed.
- This page is general information, not legal advice.
- Nothing here promises a court will accept any printout — that decision is always the court's.
Where TextEvidence actually sits
TextEvidence isn't a messaging app. It isn't a forensic unlock tool either.
It's the layer in the middle. It takes what you've already got:
- an iPhone backup
- an Android SMS Backup & Restore file
- a WhatsApp / chat export
Then it turns that into one dated, line-numbered PDF. You can search it. You can ask questions about it. All right in your browser.
Your messages never leave your device. And nothing's saved when you close the page.
- Free Text-to-PDF Tool: up to 1,000 messages, no account needed
- Case Pack: $149 one-time
- Keep Your Record: $19/month
- Guided Setup: $299 one-time
- 14-day free trial on paid plans
Table 1 — Getting messages off a phone: export & forensic tools
The job: you need messages off a device or backup, and into a record you can use.
Each tool is a row. Each feature is a column. So you can scan straight down the line.
Swipe sideways to see more features. The tool name on the left stays put, and so do the feature headings on top — so you always know which row and column you're looking at.
| Tool | iPhone | Android | Search | AI questions with citations | Dated, line-numbered PDF | Free Text-to-PDF Tool | Price model | What it doesn't do | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TextEvidence | Yes — from an iPhone backup, in the browser | Yes — from an SMS Backup & Restore file | Yes — from a WhatsApp / chat export | Yes — search across the record on paid plans; the Text-to-PDF Tool is thread selection + PDF | Yes — ask questions about the record, answers cite the numbered lines | Yes — dated and line-numbered by design | Yes — free up to 1,000 messages, no account, browser-only, nothing's saved when you close the page | Free Text-to-PDF Tool; Case Pack $149 one-time; Keep Your Record $19/mo; Guided Setup $299 one-time; 14-day trial | Not a messaging app. Doesn't unlock a locked phone or bypass a passcode. Doesn't promise court acceptance. |
| iMazing | Yes — iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro | No — Apple only, no Android device export | Yes — incl. WhatsApp Business | Yes — whole-history search in the Messages view | No — no AI questions with citations, and no case reports found | Bubble-format PDF — keeps the visual chat look with emoji and graphics; a dated + line-numbered PDF isn't a stated feature | Free mode — exports capped at 25 messages and 50 photos; backups themselves are free and unrestricted | Personal Subscription, billed yearly, tax inclusive (iMazing store, checked Oct 26, 2026): 1 device $29.99/yr · 3 devices $39.99/yr · 5 devices $49.99/yr (store default) · 10 devices $69.99/yr · 15 devices $79.99/yr · Family, 20 devices $89.99/yr. Device-slot based, not per computer. Subscription only since June 2025 — no one-time license for new purchases | Apple only — no Android device export. RSMF for legal and e-discovery needs a Business subscription. No locked-device bypass — needs the passcode / a backup. Signal, Telegram and banking apps typically aren't in iOS backups. |
| Decipher TextMessage | Yes — iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch; iMessage, SMS, RCS, MMS | No Android phone export — Apple devices only; iPhone conversations with Android contacts are included | Separate app — not in TextMessage; needs Decipher Chat ($19.99 one-time) for WhatsApp, WeChat, Viber and Burner from iPhone backups, done locally on your computer | Yes — robust local search before export in the desktop app: contacts, keywords and phone numbers, across all messages or narrowed to one conversation | No — no AI questions with citations and no case reports found | Dated, not line-numbered — date/time + contact on every message; a dated + line-numbered PDF isn't a stated feature | Trial — never expires, no payment; lets you save and print a few messages from each contact | $29.99 one-time, no subscription. If you need WhatsApp too: + Decipher Chat $19.99 one-time = $49.98 total, both one-time, no subscription | No Android phone export (that doesn't exclude Android contacts — see Android column). No WhatsApp in the main app. Needs a computer and a backup — not an on-phone export. No AI questions with citations, no case reports found, no dated + line-numbered PDF as a stated feature. |
| TouchCopy | Yes — all iPhone, iPad, iPod models | No — Android is the separate Droid Transfer product | Yes — incl. WhatsApp Business and LINE | Yes — local message search + date filtering in the tool itself | No — no AI questions with citations and no case reports found | Dated, not line-numbered — Bates numbering + numeric message IDs; a dated + line-numbered PDF isn't a stated feature | Trial — first 5 messages per conversation on Mac, first 6 on Windows; printing not included | $30.00 6 Month (1 PC or 1 Mac) · $40.00 12 Month (1 PC or 1 Mac) · $70.00 Lifetime, Most Popular (2 PCs or 2 Macs); per computer, unlimited Apple devices, no subscription or auto-renewals | No Android in TouchCopy itself. PDFs embed images but not video or audio. Can't restore messages to a new device. |
| Cellebrite Inseyets | Yes — full-file-system iOS extraction | Yes — full-file-system Android extraction | Yes — among 40,000+ decoded app profiles | Yes — advanced / full-text search inside the analysis suite | Different kind — AI-assisted review for investigators; not chat Q&A over one export | No — no dated, line-numbered PDF as a stated consumer feature; forensic UFDR reports with chain of custody instead | No — no public free trial; demo via sales | Quote-based only — no prices published. Sold through Cellebrite's sales team under subscription licensing; you submit the Contact Sales form to request a quote. No public prices, no self-serve plan. Unlocks package sold separately; requires a Cellebrite Max dongle | Investigator-facing, not a downloadable consumer tool — locked-device and deleted forensic extraction, with hardware, dongle, unlock packages, and sales-team quoting. Not a consumer product — sold to agencies, enterprises and professional investigators, with no self-service purchase path. |
Scroll sideways or down inside the table — the tool names stay fixed on the left and the feature headings stay fixed on top.
Read the posts: iMazing · Decipher TextMessage · TouchCopy · Cellebrite
Table 2 — Co-parenting apps: the record that starts when the app does
They're the channel for your ongoing communication. Often court-ordered. And they do that job well.
The gap is simple: their record only covers what you sent inside the app.
- Everything from before you installed it lives somewhere else.
- So does everything still happening over regular text and WhatsApp.
That's the “before and outside” problem TextEvidence is built for.
Same layout as above — tools down the side, features across the top. The tool names and feature headings stay fixed while you swipe.
| Tool | iPhone | Android | Search | AI questions with citations | Dated, line-numbered PDF | Free Text-to-PDF Tool | Price model | What it doesn't do | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TextEvidence | Yes — works from an iPhone backup; no app to install | Yes — from an SMS Backup & Restore file | Yes — from a WhatsApp / chat export, including history from before any app | Yes — across the whole record on paid plans, including pre-app history | Yes — ask about your record; answers cite numbered lines | Yes — dated and line-numbered | Yes — free PDF up to 1,000 messages, no account | Free Text-to-PDF Tool; $149 one-time Case Pack · $19/mo Keep Your Record · $299 one-time Guided Setup; 14-day trial. One purchase covers your record — your co-parent doesn't need an account | Doesn't replace a court-ordered messaging app — it's not a channel and sends nothing. Doesn't promise court acceptance. |
| OurFamilyWizard | Yes — iOS app | Yes — Android app | No — closed system; only messages sent inside OFW. No external-history import found on official pages | Yes — keyword search pulls messages on a topic (in-app messages) | Different kind — Writing Assistant / ToneMeter helps you draft calmer messages. It doesn't answer questions about your history | Dated, line numbering NOT VERIFIED — timestamped PDF reports; unlimited PDFs on Essentials+ | No — no free parent plan, no free trial; 30-day refund window on a first website subscription | Per parent, per year: $110 (Choose your own) · $149.99 Essentials · $216 Premium · $299.88 Max. Each parent needs their own subscription | Doesn't cover texts, WhatsApp, or anything from before the app. Messages can't be edited or deleted. Call recording / transcription only on Max. |
| TalkingParents | Yes — iPhone app | Yes — Android app | No — only in-app activity is recorded. No import feature found on official pages | Yes — keyword / phrase search; Android returns subjects per its support article | Different kind — Sentiment Scanner + Writing Assist (Ultimate only) rewrites your drafts. Not Q&A over your record | Dated, line numbering NOT VERIFIED — certified PDFs with digital signature + 16-digit auth code | Trial only — TalkingParents says a paid subscription has been required as of Mar 30, 2026 (per its own FAQ; fee waivers exist for financial or domestic violence support); 30-day trial on Enhanced / Ultimate. Essentials PDF access is $55 per 24 hours | Per account: $7 / $16 / $32 per month; annual $77 / $176 / $352. You and your co-parent may be on different plans | Doesn't cover anything outside the app. You've got to match accounts with your co-parent; only two accounts can match. There's no third-party access for attorneys — you'll share PDFs instead. |
| AppClose | Yes — App Store app | Yes — Google Play app | No — only in-app chats are in its record. No import feature found on official pages | Yes — search conversations by date or keyword (in-app) | Different kind — Co-Parent Assist reviews drafts in real time. Not Q&A over your record | Dated, line numbering NOT VERIFIED — digitally signed Certified Electronic Business Records PDFs with Export ID | Trial only — 60 days free, no credit card; then paid | One plan, per parent: $7.99/mo on web ($83.88/yr) or $8.99/mo in-app ($98.99/yr). Each parent needs their own subscription | Doesn't cover anything outside the app. Call recordings aren't part of records exports and aren't certified. Each parent pays separately. |
Scroll sideways or down inside the table — the tool names stay fixed on the left and the feature headings stay fixed on top.
OurFamilyWizard two-year prices, per parent: Choose Your Own $220, Essentials $276, Premium $396, Max $551.76.
Read the posts: OurFamilyWizard · TalkingParents · AppClose
The long-form posts
- OurFamilyWizard vs. the history before it
- TalkingParents, honestly
- Is AppClose free?
- iMazing for messages
- Decipher TextMessage
- TouchCopy
- Do you need Cellebrite?
Related comparisons — read them together
You're not picking a tool in a vacuum. Read the group that matches your job.
Related comparisons
Related comparisons
Start here first: Free Text-to-PDF Tool — up to 1,000 messages, no account. See your own record before you spend with anyone.
- iMazing licensing (subscription-only since June 2025): https://imazing.com/licensing-policy · Store (Personal subscription prices verified October 26, 2026 — billed yearly, tax inclusive): https://imazing.com/store · Trial FAQ: https://imazing.com/faq/imazing-trial · Android announcement: https://imazing.com/blog/a-look-back-at-imazing-3-and-one-more-thing
- Decipher TextMessage ($29.99): https://deciphertools.com/decipher-textmessage.html · Decipher Chat: https://deciphertools.com/decipher-chat.html
- TouchCopy pricing ($70 / $40 / $30): https://www.wideanglesoftware.com/touchcopy/purchase/ · Trial limits: https://www.wideanglesoftware.com/support/touchcopy/what-are-the-touchcopy-demo-restrictions.php
- Cellebrite Inseyets (quote-based only, no public price): https://cellebrite.com/en/products/cellebrite-inseyets/ · FAQ: https://cellebrite.com/en/cellebrite-inseyets-faq/
- OurFamilyWizard pricing: https://www.ourfamilywizard.com/node/12833 · Refund policy: https://www.ourfamilywizard.com/plans-and-pricing/refund-policy · Closed system / ToneMeter: https://www.ourfamilywizard.com/plans-and-pricing/ourfamilywizard-vs-emails-texts
- TalkingParents pricing: https://talkingparents.com/pricing · Plan detail: https://support.talkingparents.com/hc/en-us/articles/32745147514263-Pricing-and-Plans · Search: https://support.talkingparents.com/hc/en-us/articles/25953527927447-How-do-I-search-my-messages
- AppClose: https://www.appclose.com/ · Features: https://www.appclose.com/pro/features/ · Subscription FAQ: https://support.appclose.com/hc/en-us/articles/45803225192091-AppClose-Subscription-Fee-Waiver-Frequently-Asked-Questions
General information only, not legal advice. Prices change — confirm on the vendor's site before you buy anything, including ours.
This article is general information, not legal advice. TextEvidence is software, not a law firm, and nothing here promises a court will accept any printout — that decision is always the court's. Prices change — confirm on the vendor's site before you buy anything, including ours.
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