Reincubate's iPhone Backup Extractor is a Windows and Mac app with a free edition and paid licenses. It does a lot more than OpenExtract, including iCloud data and more chat apps. OpenExtract is free and open source, and does less. Here's where each one is the right pick.
Both read the backups Finder and iTunes make, so you can try both on yours.
| OpenExtract | iPhone Backup Extractor | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free edition; paid from $39.95 for 12 months |
| Free edition limit | None | Recovers 4 files at a time |
| Open source | Yes (MIT) | No |
| Platforms | Windows · macOS (Apple Silicon) · Linux | Windows 7 SP1 or later · macOS 10.11 or later |
| Backups on your computer | Yes | Yes |
| Encrypted backups | Yes, free | Yes; 4 files in the free edition |
| iCloud account data | No | Yes |
| Messages, photos & videos, contacts | Yes | Yes |
| Call history, notes, voicemail, Safari | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Viber, WeChat, Kik | No | Yes |
| Calendar, voice memos, location data | No | Yes |
| Screen Time passcode reset | No | Yes, paid |
| Export formats | PDF, HTML, CSV, text, vCard | PDF, HTML, CSV, vCard, iCal |
| Support | Free · GitHub issues | Vendor; priority in Business edition |
There's a free edition, and it's more useful than "free trial" might suggest. Reincubate's pricing says it previews every file in a backup and recovers 4 at a time, encrypted backups included. Its FAQ adds that you can recover everything by going through it four files at a time.
The paid edition removes that limit and adds iCloud Photo Library access, Apple Watch data recovery and Screen Time passcode reset. Prices start at $39.95. Reincubate's checkout lists that as 12 months on one computer, $59.95 for up to 3 computers, or $79.95 for up to 5, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. A Business edition, with a commercial license and priority support, is $299.95.
OpenExtract is free, with no file limit and no license to run out. It also does less: it reads backups on your computer, from Apple's own apps and WhatsApp, and nothing from iCloud.
Reincubate's app is called iPhone Backup Extractor. OpenExtract is an iPhone backup extractor too, but the two are unrelated: different makers, different code.
No. They're separate apps from separate people. OpenExtract is an independent open-source project; iPhone Backup Extractor is Reincubate's commercial product.
Not OpenExtract: it reads backups saved on your computer. Reincubate's FAQ says getting data from iCloud backups hasn't been possible since May 2020, after changes Apple made, and points you to live iCloud account data instead.
Yes, if they're standard backups from Finder, iTunes or the Apple Devices app. Both apps look in the same backup folders, and OpenExtract can open a backup from any other folder you point it at.
Yes. There's no paid edition, no license and no file limit. It's open source under the MIT license.
Everything this page says about iPhone Backup Extractor comes from Reincubate's 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.