iMazing vs. AnyTrans: Choosing the Right Tool for Your iOS Device

Comparisons • May 29, 2024

When choosing a tool to manage your iPhone, you do not want to switch between two apps. That is why we have to choose something that brings a balance of the features that you need.

Since iTunes is dead, iMazing and AnyTrans are the two most popular iPhone manager solutions.

But how do you choose between these options?

What things should you consider?

And are these tools suitable for what they claim to do?

We will answer all these questions and more in this detailed comparison between iMazing and AnyTrans.

The Basics

iMazing

iMazing is an all-in-one iPhone management tool that offers complete control over your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or even the Apple Vision Pro.

It has been designed to work as an iTunes alternative that does more than iTunes ever imagined. Recently, the developers upgraded iMazing to version 3, which packed many of the much-awaited tools.

AnyTrans

AnyTrans, on the other hand, is a smartphone-to-PC data transfer tool. Yet, AnyTrans for iOS, designed for iPhone, iPad and other Apple devices, has some device management features.

Yet, it does not have the same focus as iMazing. It has also been actively updated recently and has become a go-to choice for people when they need something better than iTunes.

AnyTrans is also available for Android, allowing you to transfer data between your PC/Mac and an Android device. You can use this app on Mac and PC.

Now, we will see how these tools fare in some crucial respects of managing your iPhone.

Accordingly, we can recommend what suits best for specific purposes.

Note: This article is not a complete review of iMazing or AnyTrans. Instead of listing all the features, I have tried to convey how these features make an actual difference while managing your iPhone.

If you need to know the complete features of both apps, I recommend you go through our dedicated iMazing review and AnyTrans review.

User Interface and Ease of Use

iMazing

With the latest update, iMazing has become one of the best iOS management tools. While the UI was great from the beginning, the current UI focuses on giving you a much more comprehensive overview of the device.

So, once you have installed it and connected your device, iMazing can provide a complete overview of the essential information about your iPhone or iPad. You can use the device info panel to find information or jump to quick transfer or backup to control your data.

I also enjoy how much detail iMazing provides on a single screen. It’s great that I can keep track of the battery status of my devices or understand how much storage space is left. Overall, the UI design philosophy of iMazing is impressive.

AnyTrans

Any Transfer iOS calls itself an iPhone Data Manager, which claims to help you keep your iPhone data under control. It offers, however, more options to transfer information between multiple devices and perform some actions.

Now, the user interface of Any Transfer iOS is pretty straightforward. The design can help you get started with the device and explore a variety of information that you have stored. It also packs some features that you cannot find on iMazing. Therefore, the user interface is optimized to allow that option for users.

You can tell the difference between Any Trans and iMazing UI by looking at the dashboard. The device manager tool on Any Trans offers shortcuts to actions you may want to explore, such as photos, messages or backing up your device.

Features and Functionalities

I understand you are getting iMazing or Any Trans for the additional features—particularly those you cannot find on iTunes or Apple’s tools.

iMazing

iMazing does not let us down in terms of features and functionality. It packs a broader variety of features that lets you control almost every aspect of your iPhone.

For instance, you can take complete backups, quickly transfer files between your devices or explore photos from the big screen. There are also many data management modules that allow you to explore messages from SMS apps, WhatsApp, or other social media applications.

But something that I love about iMazing is the device control features. For instance, you can use the transfer option to move data from one iPhone or iPad to another. There is also a system file explorer and a spyware analyzer. You can also use the same tool for enterprise-level device management.

Overall, iMazing 3 gives you all the options to control your iPhone/iPad without a steep learning curve.

AnyTrans

The feature set from AnyTrans is a little different from that of iMazing. While there are definite overlapping areas, AnyTrans offers additional tools for data migration.

As far as specifics are concerned, you can do a full-way transfer or select between 27 data types. It offers options like flexible backup and one-click quick transfer. You also get options to control iOS applications from the big screen, making app management a breeze.

Unlike iMazing, AnyTrans has a dedicated interface for managing data from different sources. For instance, you can download an iCloud backup and extract information from that file. You also get additional features such as a ringtone maker, screen mirroring, iCloud manager and media library.

So, if you want more migration-centric features, AnyTrans is the better option.

Performance and Speed

Like other applications, the performance and speed of iMazing and AnyTrans vary based on many factors, including the devices you have connected. So, instead of giving you confusing numbers, we will share our experience.

Getting started with iMazing can be lengthy, considering it requires a full backup. And this backup process is particularly slow. However, because of this, you can easily and quickly access all the information from your iPhone through the existing backup.

On the other hand, AnyTrans for iOS will access the information drive from the device. And this experience is somewhat okay, but not the fastest either. However, I noticed good speeds while transferring data from my iPhone to the Mac.

So, overall, I would say that both iMazing and AnyTrans offer the same speed and performance for most tasks.

Compatibility and Connectivity

iMazing and AnyTrans are available for Windows and macOS. Both work fine with iOS and iPadOS devices. You get complete support for iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5.

iMazing and AnyTrans use USB as the primary mode of connectivity. You must connect your device via the official USB cable to start. However, later connections are a little different.

iMazing needs a complete device backup to get started with core features. It is a safety measure, so the data is not always loaded from your iPhone. However, this first backup could take up to a few minutes. But, after this point, you can connect and manage your iPhone or iPad over Wi-Fi.

AnyTrans, on the other hand, requires a constant USB connection. However, because it accesses data from the iPhone, you do not need a complete backup initially. However, I would have appreciated the option for Wi-Fi connectivity for base features.

In our testing, we used a MacBook Air running M2 and both tools performed fine. As long as you use one of the official USB cables, connectivity issues are not a problem.

However, we had some initial issues with the iMazing Wi-Fi module. But that wouldn’t be a dealbreaker.

Pricing and Value for Money

You can check out the free trial versions for iMazing and AnyTrans for iOS. However, you need paid versions to access full features.

The personal license for iMazing costs $39.99, and you can use it on up to three Apple mobile devices. You can save the per-device cost by purchasing more licenses. You can also get a 20% discount, brought to you by TheSweetBits.

You can get the paid version of AnyTrans for $39.99 per year or a one-time purchase of $59.99. You also get a few additional plans for Family or Business.

Pros and Cons

iMazing

Pros:

Comprehensive device overview and detailed information on a single screen.
Extensive feature set, including data transfer, full backups, and data management modules.
Advanced device control features such as system file explorer and spyware analyzer.
Enterprise-level device management.
Wi-Fi connectivity after initial USB connection and backup.

Cons:

Requires a complete device backup initially, which can take a few minutes.

AnyTrans

Pros:

Simple user interface with shortcuts for everyday actions.
Focus on data migration, with options for full-way transfer and selective data types.
Additional features include a ringtone maker, screen mirroring, iCloud manager, and media library.
Does not require an initial complete backup.
Supports the latest iOS and iPadOS versions.

Cons:

Requires constant USB connection for device management.
Less comprehensive feature set compared to iMazing.

Which Should You Choose?

Let’s make this selection easier.

iMazing is better if you need an all-in-one iPhone or iPad management tool. It gives you an edge over device management and device info modules while allowing great control over your data. We also love the different connectivity options that iMazing provides.

AnyTrans for iOS makes better sense if you are looking for data transfer and data management tools. It may not offer many device management modules, but you will have control over transferring data between Apple and non-Apple devices.