Comparison

SMS Export vs Messages and Chat Export PDF

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

SMS Export

Easily copy SMS and iMessages from your iPhone or iPad to your PC or Mac. Save and print your conversations in various file formats. Requires a free desktop application download.

Highlights
  • Export SMS and iMessages
  • Save to Excel, HTML, CSV, TXT, EML
  • Select contacts for export
  • Sort messages by date/number
  • Compatible with iOS 10
  • Supports all iPhone/iPad models
Features
Read full description

IMPORTANT: DOWNLOAD THE LATEST DESKTOP APP from www.smsexport.com to be compatible with iOS 10! SMS Export is the only WORKING solution available on the AppStore to copy SMS and iMessages from your iPhone/iPad to your PC or Mac, to be able to save and print them. No need to configure TCP/IP or install on your computer "obscure" applications. On our website you can find all the easy-to-use software that you need. Just download the free Desktop app from www.smsexport.com Using the Complimentary Desktop App you can: - Export the messages to an Excel File - Export the messages to an HTML file - Export the messages to CSV, TXT or EML. - Select one or all contacts from your address book - Sort the messages by date or number iOS 10 ready! Requirements: - Mac OS X 10.6 - 10.11 - Windows XP / Vista / Windows 7 / Windows 8 / Windows 10 - iTunes 12 You also need to download the FREE application for your PC or MAC from: http://www.smsexport.com ** IMPORTANT ** IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS, PLEASE CHECK THE TROUBLESHOOTING SECTION ON OUR SITE. Feel free to contact us for any problem. Visit our site to download the full user guide a video tutorial. - All iPhone models, iPads and iPods are supported - iMessages and SMS can be exported You'll need to backup your iPhone with iTunes on the same PC/Mac where you installed our Application! Encryption must be disabled. You should temporarily disable iCloud just before using SMS Export. Then you can turn it on again. Video tutorial here: http://youtu.be/FF6EKAJJztA Go to www.smsexport.com for further information. Only the text part of messages is supported. No Images. Editor Picked by Best10Apps.com Beware of cheap imitations available on the AppStore. We are the ORIGINAL, serving you since 2009!

About

Messages and Chat Export PDF

Easily save and organize conversations from any messaging app into a single PDF or image. Automatically stitch screenshots or record scrollable chats as high-quality videos. Offers precision editing and private on-device processing for secure exports.

Highlights
  • Auto-stitch screenshots to PDF/image
  • Manual stitching and precision editing
  • Record scrollable chats as video
  • Trim, crop, and slow down video
  • Organize exports with folders
  • Export to JPG, PNG, or PDF
Features
Read full description

Messages Export makes it easy to save and organize your favorite conversations from any messaging app. Whether you want a clean PDF, high quality images, or a video scroll, we’ve got you covered. Auto-Stitch Screenshots into a Single PDF or Image We now support automatic stitching! Just take your screenshots, import them into the app, and we’ll handle the rest. No alignment or editing required. Want more control? You can still fine-tune the stitching manually at any time. How it works: 1. Open the app 2. Select your screenshots 3. Let the app stitch automatically — or cut and adjust manually 4. Export and share! Perfect for saving long chats, memories, or important conversations in a single file. Prefer video format? Record any scrollable conversation and save it as a high-quality video. Trim out what you don’t need and crop the top or bottom. You can even slow down the video for easier reading. Record in 5 simple steps: 1. Open the app 2. Tap the record button 3. Switch to your messages app and scroll the chat 4. Return and stop the recording 5. Trim, crop, and save! Stitching Features: + Simple & Intuitive No fluff. Select your recent screenshots and start stitching. Fast and easy. + Precision Editing Cut with pixel-level precision. A transparent overlay helps you align screenshots perfectly. + Fast & Private All processing is done on your device only. No external servers. Your data stays yours, and conversions happen in seconds. + Stay Organized Use folders and custom file names to manage your exports. Keep everything neat and accessible. + Easy Exporting Share or print your PDFs instantly via iMessage, AirDrop, or your favorite app. + Export in JPG, PNG, or Multi-Page PDF (Requires in-app purchase) Make backing up your chats effortless. Download Messages Export today!

Screenshots

SMS Export1 screens
Messages and Chat Export PDF4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Messages and Chat Export PDF at Free against SMS Export's $4.99. Messages and Chat Export PDF also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.0) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 44 months). SMS Export's advantage is review sentiment (73% vs 32%) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Messages and Chat Export PDF is free to download; SMS Export costs $4.99 up front. Messages and Chat Export PDF sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SMS Export asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Messages and Chat Export PDF holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Messages and Chat Export PDF has 4.2K ratings behind it against 157, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 73% of SMS Export's written reviews are positive against 32% of Messages and Chat Export PDF's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SMS Export ships an update every 44 months, Messages and Chat Export PDF every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
SMS Export versus Messages and Chat Export PDF: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSMS ExportMessages and Chat Export PDF
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating3.0 (157 ratings)4.5 (4.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.9% of reviews — better32.1% of reviews
Number of ratings1574.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 44 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS7.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB39 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFabrizio FarengaDIGISET LLC

Customer experience

SMS Export

All ratings157 ratings
Positive49.0%
Neutral3.2%
Negative47.8%
Written reviews531 reviews
Positive72.9%
Neutral2.8%
Negative24.3%

Messages and Chat Export PDF

All ratings4,169 ratings
Positive88.8%
Neutral3.2%
Negative8.0%
Written reviews209 reviews
Positive32.1%
Neutral3.3%
Negative64.6%

User reviews

SMS Export

From 157 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Reliable & easy
  • 🚀 Works great once it's set up
  • 🚀 Fantastic support
  • 🚀 It still works!
  • 🚀 Great computer App and Customer Service

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Pointless
  • 🐛 Waste of money
  • 🐛 No iTunes
  • 🐛 Lazy App Store sneaky developer?
  • 🐛 Fake

Messages and Chat Export PDF

From 4.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Straightforward to learn
  • 💡 Useful for documentation and record-keeping
  • 🚀 Quick stitching of screenshots

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Stitching issues and loss of work
  • 💰 Misleading about free features
  • 🐛 Unreliable export functionality
  • 🐛 Compatibility issues with updates

Bugs and requests

SMS Export

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Login screen freezes
  • Incompatible with older devices

Requested features

2 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Advanced analytics dashboard

Messages and Chat Export PDF

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes when stitching multiple screenshots
  • Exported PDFs have visible seams and poor quality
  • Inability to rearrange screenshots after initial stitching
  • Paid features not working as advertised

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to manually crop and edit stitched screenshots
  • Support for multi-page PDF exports
  • Improved workflow for organizing and stitching screenshots
  • Better integration with cloud storage and photo libraries

In-app purchases

None

SMS Export

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Messages and Chat Export PDF

One-time1
  • Messages Export Pro$9.99

Questions

Is SMS Export free?
SMS Export costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Messages and Chat Export PDF free?
Messages and Chat Export PDF is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SMS Export or Messages and Chat Export PDF?
Messages and Chat Export PDF is rated higher. SMS Export averages 3.0 out of 5 from 157 ratings, while Messages and Chat Export PDF averages 4.5 from 4.2K ratings.
Do SMS Export or Messages and Chat Export PDF have ads?
Neither SMS Export nor Messages and Chat Export PDF shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SMS Export or Messages and Chat Export PDF?
SMS Export ships an update every 44 months, and Messages and Chat Export PDF every 6 weeks. Most recently, SMS Export was updated on October 17, 2026 and Messages and Chat Export PDF on October 15, 2026.

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