Text2Store vs Decipher TextMessage
The closest comparison on this site: two tools built only for messages, at the same one-time price. The differences are in what that price covers, and in which computers each one runs on.
The short version
Decipher TextMessage is a long-running, focused tool that reads your iPhone backup and saves texts to PDF, CSV, HTML, or print, and it runs on much older Macs and PCs. Text2Store does the same core job and adds WhatsApp in the same app, unlimited iPhones on one purchase, a history of every backup rather than just the latest, and exports built to be checked by someone else. If your computer is old, Decipher is the one that will run. Otherwise, the deciding question is usually WhatsApp and how many phones you have.
At a glance
| Text2Store | Decipher TextMessage | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $29.99 one-time | $29.99 one-time |
| Included, in the same app | Separate app, Decipher Chat, $19.99 | |
| iPhones and iPads covered | Unlimited | Two device activations; more can be added |
| Computers | All of your own | Unlimited installs |
| Free version | Backup and search free forever; 3 newest messages per conversation | No time limit; a few messages per contact |
| Backups | Makes its own and keeps every one | Reads the iTunes or Finder backup |
| Export formats | PDF, CSV, plain text, print, RSMF | PDF, CSV, HTML, plain text, print |
| Verified, timestamped export | Built in, DigiCert trusted timestamp | Not listed among its features |
| Mac requirement | macOS 13.3 or later, Apple silicon | macOS 10.12 or later, Intel or Apple silicon |
| Windows requirement | Windows 10 or later | Windows 7 or later |
| Money-back guarantee | 14 days | 30 days |
Pricing, and what the same price covers
Both are $29.99, once, with no subscription. The difference is in what that buys:
- Text2Store: backing up and searching every message is free, forever, on any number of iPhones and iPads. $29.99 once unlocks reading every conversation in full and exporting, for Apple Messages and WhatsApp, on every iPhone, iPad, and computer you own. See pricing.
- Decipher TextMessage: $29.99 once, installable on as many computers as you like, with two iOS device activations per license and more available to add. WhatsApp is handled by a separate product, Decipher Chat, at $19.99, so texts plus WhatsApp is $49.98. See Decipher TextMessage and Decipher Chat for current pricing.
For one iPhone and texts only, it is a genuine tie on price. The gap opens with a second product (WhatsApp) or a third phone in the household.
One backup, or every backup
Decipher reads the backup iTunes or Finder already made (it also offers its own messages-only backup). A standard iPhone backup replaces the previous one, so what you can read is whatever the phone held the last time it backed up.
Text2Store makes the backup itself over USB or Wi-Fi and keeps every one as a dated archive instead of overwriting the last. By default it merges them into one continuous, deduplicated history, so a thread you deleted from the phone months ago is still there as long as any backup captured it. Both tools can show deleted messages that are still inside a backup; keeping the older backups is what makes that more than luck.
WhatsApp in the same place as your texts
Your iPhone backup already carries your WhatsApp chats. Text2Store reads them from the same backup as your texts and shows them in their own tab, with groups, photos, and reactions, and every export format works on them too. See backing up WhatsApp chats. With Decipher, that is a second app and a second license.
Exports someone else can check
Text2Store's certified backups get an RFC 3161 trusted timestamp from DigiCert the moment they are made, and a verified export carries that forward, so a recipient can confirm with standard tools that the messages have not changed since. For legal and litigation-support teams, RSMF export loads conversations straight into eDiscovery review platforms. If all you need is a readable PDF, both tools make one; this matters when the copy is going to someone who has to rely on it.
Where Decipher is the better pick
- Older computers. Text2Store needs an Apple silicon Mac on macOS 13.3 or later, or Windows 10 or later. Decipher runs back to macOS 10.12 on Intel Macs and Windows 7. If your computer is older than that, Decipher is the one that works.
- HTML export. Decipher can save a conversation as a web page. Text2Store does PDF, CSV, plain text, print, and RSMF, but not HTML.
- A longer refund window. 30 days against Text2Store's 14.
- Track record. Decipher has been doing this for years. Text2Store is newer.
Which one should you use?
- Pick Decipher TextMessage if your Mac is Intel-based or your PC runs Windows 7 or 8, if you want HTML export, or if you only need texts from one or two phones.
- Pick Text2Store if you want WhatsApp and texts under one purchase, back up more than two phones, want every backup kept rather than just the latest, or need an export that someone else can verify.
Both have a free version that runs on your own messages, so trying each before paying costs nothing.
Common questions
Is Text2Store cheaper than Decipher TextMessage?
For texts on one or two phones, they cost the same: $29.99 once. Text2Store costs less once WhatsApp is involved, since Decipher sells that separately as Decipher Chat for $19.99, or once you have more phones than Decipher's two included device activations.
Does Decipher TextMessage back up WhatsApp?
Not by itself. WhatsApp is handled by Decipher's separate app, Decipher Chat. Text2Store reads WhatsApp chats from the same iPhone backup as your texts, in the same app, on the same purchase.
Does Text2Store work on an Intel Mac?
No. On a Mac, Text2Store needs Apple silicon and macOS 13.3 or later. Decipher TextMessage supports Intel Macs back to macOS 10.12, so it is the better choice for an older Mac.
Can both recover deleted text messages?
Both can show deleted messages that are still inside an iPhone backup. Neither can recover a message the backup never held. Text2Store keeps every backup rather than overwriting the last, so a message deleted from the phone stays available as long as an earlier backup captured it.
Can I try both for free?
Yes. Text2Store backs up and searches everything free, forever, and shows the 3 most recent messages of every conversation. Decipher's trial has no time limit and shows a few messages per contact.
Pricing and feature information for Decipher TextMessage and Decipher Chat was accurate when this page was last checked (September 2026), but pricing pages change; Decipher Tools is the one to trust over this page if they ever disagree. Text2Store's own pricing is always current at text2store.com/pricing. See also how Text2Store compares to iMazing, AnyTrans, and dr.fone.
Questions?
Email hello@text2store.com and we'll help. Or just try Text2Store, backing up is free.