← Comparison hub · Export tools · Checked October 26, 2026

iMazing for text messages: powerful, Apple-only, subscription-only

If your messages live on an iPhone, iMazing is one of the most capable tools ever made for getting them off it. I respect the product.

This post is about fit:

• what it does
• what it deliberately doesn't do
• and the price, checked on iMazing's own store on October 26, 2026

The facts, from its official site

First, the platform line: iMazing is Apple only. There's no Android device export.

It exports your messages from iPhone, iPad and iPod — with the full conversation history from a snapshot — to:

• PDF
• Excel
• CSV
• Text
• or Attachments only

The PDF keeps the visual bubble format, with emoji and graphics. It looks like the conversation on your phone.

You also get whole-history search in the Messages view.

What you don't get:

• No AI questions with citations.
• No case reports found.
• And a dated plus line-numbered PDF isn't a stated feature.

One legal-format note: RSMF export, for legal and e-discovery work, requires an iMazing Business subscription. It's not part of the Personal plans below.

Licensing: subscription only now

• In June 2025, iMazing discontinued the device license. For new purchases, it's subscriptions only.
• The old Personal Device License is deprecated — it was sold from October 2020 to June 2025.
• The current Personal Subscription has been current since November 2023, and covers up to 20 devices per year.
• The price is device-slot based, not per computer.
• A device slot frees up again after 270 days of inactivity.
• Your subscription renews yearly. You can cancel at any time, and it stays active until the next renewal date.

The free mode

• Backups themselves are free and unrestricted.
• Exporting in free mode is capped at 25 messages.
• Photos in free mode are capped at 50.

And one hard limit worth knowing: it can't bypass a locked phone. It works from backups, which means it needs the passcode — and apps like Signal and Telegram typically exclude their data from iOS backups entirely.

• 1 device: $29.99 per year
• 3 devices: $39.99 per year
• 5 devices: $49.99 per year — the store's default selection
• 10 devices: $69.99 per year
• 15 devices: $79.99 per year
• Personal Subscription Family, 20 devices: $89.99 per year

The 1, 3, 5, 10, and 15-device options sit in one Personal dropdown. The 20-device Family plan is a separate card.

Every price is billed yearly, and every price is tax inclusive. Checked on imazing.com/store on October 26, 2026.

And don't let an older page fool you: there's no one-time license for new purchases anymore. If a site quotes you a lifetime price, it's quoting a plan iMazing stopped selling in June 2025.

What real users say — the good, the bad, and the ugly

Ratings: Trustpilot 4.6/5 · 6,470 reviews · checked 2026-10-26

The good

About: Message export — multi-year thread “I was able to accomplish what I needed to do - exporting a multi-year thread on Apple Messages - very quickly and efficiently. I had caused myself an installation problem by a secondary virus-checker being active and iMazing Support quickly recognised the fault and is was swiftly overcome by temporarily disabling it.” Reviewer name not shown in source · star rating not shown in source — Trustpilot, 14 Oct 2026. Source: Trustpilot - iMazing reviews

About: Support and licensing — photo/video transfer “I've been using iMazing to transfer photos and videos from my iPhone to my computer, and the software has been very useful for my needs. I recently experienced an issue with my device license, and the support team was incredibly helpful throughout the process. They took the time to review my case, answer my questions, and find a solution that allowed me to continue using my existing license without any additional cost.” Reviewer name not shown in source · star rating not shown in source — Trustpilot, 14 Oct 2026. Source: Trustpilot - iMazing reviews

The bad

About: Free-version export limit “It's unacceptable to make the user wait hours for the backup and then only at the end be told that they need the €49,99 Premium plan in order to download more than 25 elements. This is a backup service, don't even create a free version if the limit is 25, why would anyone ever need that.” Reviewer name not shown in source · star rating not shown in source — Trustpilot, 21 Oct 2026. Company reply clarifies backups are free and unrestricted, limits apply when exporting in free mode: 50 photos, 25 messages. Source: Trustpilot - iMazing reviews

About: Connection, performance and value “Connection Issues: Connection to iPhone is unreliable at best. Despite using a trusted data cable, the app keeps dropping connection. It constantly tries to switch to internet or Bluetooth connections even when you explicitly want the wired cable—and none of the methods work consistently.” “Performance: The software lags noticeably, especially during transfers. Basic operations take longer than expected, and responsiveness is sluggish.” “Poor Value: For the price they charge, the reliability and performance don't justify the cost. There are cheaper alternatives that work better.” Reviewer name not shown in source · star rating not shown in source — Trustpilot, 26 Sep 2026. Company reply notes iMazing does not use Bluetooth. Source: Trustpilot AU - iMazing reviews, page 2

The mixed

About: Licensing and Apple access “This is a helpful app for managing multiple iOS devices on a Mac, but has one flaw - it's not properly supported by Apple.” “Unfortunately Apple's periodic changes to the App Store systems sometimes block iMazing from accessing them. It then takes a few weeks for this to be fixed. During this time all iOS app facilities are unavailable.” “It's expensive: they offer various licence packages for different numbers of devices, but once you register a device, you can't transfer its licence to another one, if you change your phone for example.” “Customer service is responsive and usually helpful, but subject to the limitations mentioned above.” Reviewer name not shown in source · star rating not shown in source — Trustpilot, 6 Sep 2026. Source: Trustpilot AU - iMazing reviews, page 3

Why TextEvidence is better here

I'll be direct, because you're here to build the strongest record you can, fairly.

iMazing is powerful, and it's iPhone-only. If your case lives on Android too, you're stitching tools together.

• iPhone AND Android AND WhatsApp in one place. You don't need a second product for WhatsApp, and you don't lose Android threads.
• Dated AND line-numbered PDF. None of the four export tools verified that as a stated feature. Ours is built that way, so you can say “start at line 412.”
• Not just a printout. On the paid platform you get whole-history search, AI questions with citations your attorney can check, and reports. Those are paid features, not in the Text-to-PDF Tool.
• Start free, literally nothing to lose. The Free Text-to-PDF Tool turns an iPhone backup, an Android SMS Backup & Restore (.xml), or a WhatsApp/chat export (.csv/.xml/.json/.txt) into a dated, line-numbered PDF, in your browser only. Messages never leave your device, nothing's saved on page close, free to 1,000 messages, no account needed. You pick a conversation thread, filter by conversation and date range, preview shows first 50 rows.

We're not a forensic unlock tool. We don't unlock phones or recover deleted messages. I'm not promising a court will accept any printout.

— Matt

Use the Free Text-to-PDF Tool — up to 1,000 messages

Related comparisons

• Decipher TextMessage — $29.99 one-time, iPhone only
• TouchCopy — Bates numbering, closest to a numbered record
• Do you need Cellebrite?
• Back to the comparison hub
• Use the Free Text-to-PDF Tool first

Where TextEvidence differs

iMazing is a device-management platform that also exports.

TextEvidence is one job:

• Turn the backup or export you've already got — iPhone, Android, or WhatsApp — into a dated, line-numbered, searchable record in your browser.
• With AI answers that cite the lines.
• And nothing uploaded anywhere.

Start free, up to 1,000 messages, no account and no install.

Use the 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.

General information, not legal advice. Sources: https://imazing.com/licensing-policy · https://imazing.com/store · https://imazing.com/faq/imazing-trial · https://imazing.com/blog/a-look-back-at-imazing-3-and-one-more-thing

By Matt Cretzman

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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.