iBackup Viewer, from iMacTools, is the closest of the paid tools to OpenExtract: an iPhone backup viewer for Mac and Windows with a free version and a Pro upgrade. Here's how they differ, including where iBackup Viewer is the better pick.
Both read the same Apple backups, so you can try both on yours.
| OpenExtract | iBackup Viewer | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, every feature | Free version; Pro is $29.95, valid for life |
| Open source | Yes (MIT) | No |
| Platforms | Windows · macOS (Apple Silicon) · Linux | Windows 7 or later · macOS 10.13 or later |
| Encrypted backups | Yes, free | Yes; its pages differ on whether that needs Pro |
| Messages as PDF | Yes, free, on every platform | Pro; on Windows, print to a PDF printer |
| Messages as text, CSV, HTML | Yes | Yes |
| Yes, with PDF export, free | Yes; PDF export needs Pro | |
| WeChat, Line | No | Yes |
| Photos & videos | Yes | Yes |
| Contacts | vCard | vCard, or into Contacts on a Mac |
| Call history & notes | Yes | Yes |
| Voicemail | Play and export | Play and export (AMR or WAV) |
| Safari | History (encrypted backups) | History & bookmarks |
| Voice memos & calendars | No | Yes |
| Browse the backup's raw files | No | Yes |
| Support | Free · GitHub issues |
Partly. According to its product page, the free version extracts contacts, exports and prints messages as text files, exports call history, Safari history and bookmarks, and lets you view and recover photos and videos. Saving iMessages, WhatsApp or WeChat chats as PDF, and what iMacTools calls "many other advanced features", need iBackup Viewer Pro. The iMacTools store lists Pro at $29.95 for a single license, and the FAQ says a license is valid for life, with nothing to renew.
On encrypted backups, iMacTools' own pages disagree. The product page says the free version works with encrypted backups. The FAQ says that since version 2.10, encrypted backups need Pro. If your backup is encrypted, try the free version on it before you buy.
The same FAQ says the Windows version can't save messages as PDF by itself. It prints them instead, and you can print to a PDF printer.
OpenExtract has no Pro version. Encrypted backups, PDF export, WhatsApp chats and everything else are free, on Windows, Mac and Linux.
Yes. Both read the backups iTunes and Finder save on your computer, and iBackup Viewer's FAQ lists the same backup folders OpenExtract looks in. Encrypted backups need their password in either app.
Yes. WhatsApp has its own section, with chats, groups, photos, voice messages and calls, and you can save chats as a web page, PDF, CSV or text file, all for free. It reads what's in the iPhone backup, not the chat backup WhatsApp makes to iCloud. It doesn't read WeChat or Line; iBackup Viewer does. How to export WhatsApp chats.
No. Both get data out of a backup onto your computer. iMacTools' FAQ says iBackup Viewer can't restore messages to an iPhone, and OpenExtract can't either.
Yes. There's no Pro version, no license and no paid tier. It's open source under the MIT license.
Everything this page says about iBackup Viewer comes from iMacTools' own website, checked on November 2, 2026:
Prices and features change. If something here is out of date, open an issue and we'll fix it.