MessageMirror vs SMS Backup+ (and SMS Backup & Restore)
Short answer: SMS Backup+ is free and proven, but it was removed from the Play Store in early 2024, has not had a stable release since 2018, and its own documentation says it is in maintenance mode. SMS Backup & Restore is free, actively maintained, and the best pick if you want backup files you control. MessageMirror is the pick if you want your texts readable and searchable in Gmail and your call history on your calendar, backed by a product that is still being developed, at $10 a year.
One thing all three have in common: none of them can export Google Messages RCS chats, which are end-to-end encrypted. That is covered in detail below, because most comparison pages skip it.
We build MessageMirror, so read this page with that in mind. Every competitor claim here is sourced and dated, and we say plainly where the other apps are the better choice.
Who each app is for
MessageMirror is for people who want their message history to live where they already search. Messages are mirrored into Gmail with threading and labels, and call logs become Google Calendar events with duration, type, and contact details. Your data moves from your phone to your Google account with no intermediate servers.
SMS Backup+ is for people who already have it and are happy, or who are comfortable sideloading Android APK files and setting up an IMAP app password, because no app store carries it anymore.
SMS Backup & Restore is for people who want free, self-contained backup files. It saves your messages and call logs as XML, uploads them to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive or email, and can move them from one phone to another.
Pick by what you want to happen
- You want texts searchable in Gmail and calls on your calendar. MessageMirror or SMS Backup+. Both write into Gmail, so the real differences are setup and maintenance: MessageMirror signs in with your Google account, SMS Backup+ requires an IMAP app password, a change forced by Google's 2019 API policy.
- You want free backups you can store and inspect anywhere. SMS Backup & Restore. XML files in your own cloud storage, with an Android-version-independent format.
- You already use SMS Backup+ and it works. Staying is a reasonable choice. Know what you are signed up for: no app store lists it anymore (reinstalling means sideloading), no RCS plans, app password authentication, and an issue tracker where failure reports can sit unanswered for months.
- You chat over RCS in Google Messages. None of the three can read those chats. See the RCS section below.
Side by side
Facts checked September 2026 against each product's own documentation.
| MessageMirror | SMS Backup+ | SMS Backup & Restore | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Early access | Off Play Store since 2024, delisted from F-Droid, no stable release since 2018 | Actively maintained |
| SMS | Mirrored to Gmail, threaded and labeled | Backed up to Gmail over IMAP | Saved as XML files |
| MMS | Mirrored to Gmail | Backed up, restore not supported | Saved as XML files |
| Call log | Google Calendar events | Gmail or Google Calendar | XML files |
| Where backups live | Your Gmail and Calendar | Your Gmail via IMAP | Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive or email |
| Search after backup | Gmail search | Gmail search | Open the XML files manually |
| Google Messages RCS | Not supported | Not supported, no plans | Option on selected models only |
| Android | Requires 8.0 or higher | README lists testing through Android 10 | Backup format independent of Android version |
| Setup | Google account sign-in | IMAP app password required | Install and go |
| Price | $1/month, $10/year, $20 lifetime | Free, and per its README always will be | Free core, Pro $7.49 one-time |
Where each app wins
SMS Backup+ wins on price and track record
It is free, open source, and has been archiving Android messages to Gmail for over a decade. Its README promises "there will never be a pro / paid version". If it is doing its job on your phone today, that archive is real and it is yours.
The honest caveats, all from its own project pages: Google removed its Play Store listing in early 2024 after the maintainer's developer account lapsed, and F-Droid has since delisted it too, so there is no store install path left and updates only reach users who sideload beta APKs from GitHub. The stable release has been frozen since April 2018. And its issue tracker carries open, unanswered reports from 2024 and 2025 of email login failures and of backup restore failing on Android 15, plus a documented call-log-to-calendar bug. Those three areas, sign-in, restore, and calendar, are exactly where an aging app is hardest to keep using.
SMS Backup & Restore wins on maintenance and control
It is actively maintained, free at its core, and it is the only one of the three with an option to back up RCS/Advanced messages, limited to selected phone models. File backups are also the most portable format: plain XML in the cloud storage you choose, restorable to another phone.
MessageMirror wins on format and active development
XML backups are safe but inert. MessageMirror puts your messages into Gmail, where search actually works, and your call history onto your calendar, where it sits next to the rest of your life. Backups run automatically on a schedule you set, from hourly to daily, and your content never touches our servers.
The RCS position, stated plainly
RCS chats between Google Messages users are automatically upgraded to end-to-end encryption. Google's own documentation says that with this encryption, "no one can read the content sent between you and the other person". That includes backup apps.
The only apps Google grants RCS access to are enterprise archival apps, explicitly configured by IT administrators for compliance on managed devices. No consumer backup app is on that list, ours included. SMS Backup+'s own issue tracker says the same thing from the other side: its users report RCS messages over Google Messages "not being backed up", open since June 2024.
What this means in practice: every app on this page mirrors or backs up SMS and MMS, the carrier channels that remain open to your apps. RCS chat history stays inside Google Messages. If a comparison page claims full RCS export over Google Messages encryption, be skeptical, the platform does not allow it.
Pricing, with the real numbers
- SMS Backup+: free, and per its README it always will be.
- SMS Backup & Restore: free core. Pro is a one-time $7.49 (September 2026 price) adding ZIP compression, AES-256 encryption, WebDAV backups, and no ads.
- MessageMirror: $1/month, $10/year, or $20 once for lifetime. Two years of the monthly plan costs $24, so the annual or lifetime plans are the sensible entry points.
Both competitors cost nothing for core backups, and that is exactly what they should be judged on. The subscription buys the destination: a message archive you can search in Gmail and a call log you can see on your calendar, instead of files you open on purpose.
Frequently asked questions
Is SMS Backup+ still maintained?
Effectively no. It was removed from the Google Play Store in early 2024 after the maintainer's developer account lapsed, and F-Droid has since delisted it too, so installing now means sideloading APKs. The last stable release came out in April 2018. As of September 2026, its issue tracker has open, unanswered reports of email login failures and of backup restore failing on Android 15.
Do MessageMirror, SMS Backup+ or SMS Backup & Restore back up RCS messages?
Google Messages RCS chats are end-to-end encrypted, and per Google only enterprise-configured archival apps can access them, so no consumer backup app can export them. SMS Backup+ states RCS is "currently not supported, nor are there any plans to support it". SMS Backup & Restore offers an option to back up RCS/Advanced messages on selected phone models only. MessageMirror mirrors SMS and MMS, which remain the channel all three apps can read.
Is MessageMirror free?
No. MessageMirror costs $1/month, $10/year, or $20 as a one-time lifetime payment. SMS Backup+ is free, and the core of SMS Backup & Restore is free with a one-time Pro upgrade. What the MessageMirror subscription buys is the backup format: messages mirrored into Gmail and call logs into Google Calendar, both searchable with the Google apps you already use.
Can I move from SMS Backup+ to MessageMirror?
Yes, and nothing is lost. Your SMS Backup+ archive already lives in your Gmail account and stays there. MessageMirror signs in with your Google account (no IMAP app password needed) and mirrors new messages going forward under its own Gmail label.
Why is MessageMirror in early access?
The Android app is being rolled out to users in batches before the public Play Store release. You can request early access through the contact form or by email. Backups go directly from your phone to your own Google account, with no MessageMirror servers in between.
Try MessageMirror
MessageMirror is in early access ahead of the public Play Store release. Request an invite and your backups will go to your own Google account, searchable in Gmail and on your calendar, not to us.