iMazing alternatives for printing text messages for court
Published October 13, 2026 · Updated October 28, 2026
Short answer: with no computer, screenshots turned into a transcript; to avoid a subscription, Decipher TextMessage; on Android, TextExhibit or SMS Backup & Restore; for WhatsApp, the app's own Export chat.
iMazing is capable software, and for a long iPhone history with a Mac or PC at hand it is a reasonable choice. People look for an alternative for four reasons: no computer, no wish to pay a subscription, an Android phone, or a conversation in an app iMazing cannot read. Each has a different answer.
What iMazing does and what it costs
iMazing runs on Mac and Windows, makes its own backup of an iPhone or iPad, and exports messages, including iMessage, SMS, RCS and WhatsApp, to PDF, Excel, CSV, text and RSMF. The PDF can show sender names and numbers, a time on every message, attachments and read status, and can carry extra metadata such as the device serial number. Licences are sold as a Personal subscription covering up to 20 devices, a Business subscription, and a one-time per-device option on the store; some legal features such as RSMF export and PDF signing are on the Business plan. Check the store for current prices.
No computer: screenshots with a transcript
If the phone is all you have, the route is screenshots. Scroll from the oldest message you need to the newest, taking screenshots that overlap, then turn them into a document a judge can follow: a numbered, dated transcript with every original screenshot attached. Court Texts builds that from the screenshots in a few minutes, with a free preview and $19 to export. It works for any app you can screenshot. It cannot add a time the app did not show on screen, and it is not a forensic extraction.
Can you pick up Sofia at 3 today?
I told you I can't on Tuesdays.
No subscription: Decipher TextMessage
Decipher TextMessage is the closest like-for-like replacement: a Mac or Windows program that reads an iPhone backup and prints whole conversations to PDF with contact names and a date and time on every message. It is sold as a $29.99 one-time purchase covering two devices. It does not read WhatsApp. See Decipher TextMessage or iMazing for court.
Android: TextExhibit or SMS Backup & Restore
iMazing is iPhone-only. On Android, TextExhibit produces court-style PDFs with Bates numbers and hash reports on the phone itself for a $19.99 one-time unlock, covering SMS and MMS only. SMS Backup & Restore and its print-focused sibling are free and produce a plain PDF one conversation at a time. See TextExhibit alternatives and SMS Backup & Restore to a court PDF.
WhatsApp: the app's own export
WhatsApp can email a chat as a text file, with or without media, from the chat's menu. It is free and complete, but the result is a plain text file that still needs formatting. See print WhatsApp messages for court.
Which to choose
| You have | Best fit |
|---|---|
| iPhone, a computer, a long history, happy to subscribe | iMazing |
| iPhone, a computer, want one payment | Decipher TextMessage |
| Only a phone, any app, a few weeks or months of messages | Screenshots with a transcript |
| Android, SMS only | TextExhibit, or SMS Backup & Restore for free |
| Authenticity will be seriously disputed | A digital forensics examiner |
Whichever you pick, the court's questions are the same: is it complete, is it in order, can you say who sent it, and was it shared with the other side on time. See how to prepare text messages for court.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Prices and features were checked on the makers' own sites in October 2026 and change; confirm before buying. The other products named belong to their own companies, which have no connection to Court Texts, which makes a competing tool.
Common questions
Is there a free alternative to iMazing for printing texts?
On a Mac with Messages synced through iCloud, you can screenshot conversations; on Android, SMS Backup & Restore is free. Decipher TextMessage and iMazing both have free trials that limit exports. A screenshots-to-transcript tool gives a free preview and charges only for the export.
Can iMazing export WhatsApp for court?
Yes. iMazing exports WhatsApp chats from an iPhone backup to PDF and other formats. Decipher TextMessage does not. Screenshots work for WhatsApp on any phone.
Does iMazing work on Android?
No. iMazing is for iPhone and iPad. For Android, look at TextExhibit or SMS Backup & Restore, or use screenshots.
Do I need a computer to print text messages for court?
Not necessarily. Export programs need one because they read a phone backup. Screenshots taken on the phone, turned into a transcript, need no computer at all.
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