List of iTunes alternatives

Over the last ten years, the power of iTunes in the lives of totally normal people has increased exponentially. In fact, there are many people whose first experiences with music on their computer was through iTunes, and they have continued to use it ever since – often because they are not aware that there is any other alternative! However, that does not mean that the iTunes is the only program available to transfer files between iPhone/iPad and computer.

The power of Apple often means that we do not seem to have any alternative to iTunes when we wish to put music on our iPhone/iPad or transfer data between our iOS devices and our computers. But that is just not the truth – there are a few brilliant programs out there that can do just that. You may not have heard of them, but that is why we have brought them all together here, so that you can learn a little bit more about them. These programs are ranked in no particular order:

1. PhoneView for Mac

Macs have been designed purposefully to talk happily to other Apple devices, and that is precisely why the computer program PhoneView for Mac is so easy to use. Whether you want to share, transfer, or save content from your iPhone or iPad, this program will make it possible. Some will choose to transfer the data information for call logs and text messages, and for others, it will be much more important that they keep a record of their media files and the videos and photographs that they create. Whatever you want to keep, the streamlined design of the PhoneView for Mac will make it simple to use, especially because of their drag and drop functions. However, this program will be totally useless if you do not have a Mac, but instead a PC.

Supported OS: Mac OS X

Price: $29.95

2. iPhone to PC Transfer Tool

If, on the other hand, you are like the hundreds of thousands of people around the world that have a Windows PC instead of iMac, then you will find that the iPhone to PC Transfer Tool is easily the best computer program out there. The computer program is ridiculously easy to install onto your computer, and it immediately removes all of the hard work that is typically involved in making sure that your iPhone/iPad and your computer talk to each other properly. You can use it to transfer music, photos, videos, eBooks etc between your iPhone/iPad and computer. It also allows you to backup or export iPhone text messages and contacts to your PC. The main disadvantage of this program is its dependency on iTunes to enable some of the features.

Supported OS: Windows OS, Mac OS X

Price: Free ($20 for batch file transfer functionality)

3. iMazing (formerly known as DiskAid).

iMazing has often been considered one of the best computer programs to manage iPhone, iPad and iPod without iTunes. One of the best features that make it prominent is that it can transfer file files through USB as well as through Wi-Fi. Thanks to DiskAid's intuitive user interface, you don’t need to go through any instruction manual or getting started guide to use it to transfer data between your iPhone and computer. The only disadvantage of this software is its speed. It slows down while handling large volumes of data.

Supported OS: Windows OS, Mac OS X

Price: Free ($29.99 for full licensed version)

4. SharePod

SharePod fully understands that the Apple company often make it very difficult for normal people like us to move things such as music, videos and photographs from one device to another, and that is why they have created their very own little program to try and solve that problem. Many people like the SharePod computer program because it also allows you to create backup of your data which can be easily recovered if your device or computer crashes – but once again, it can sometimes be slightly difficult to make this program work when using older devices like the iPhone 4. For those that absolutely love technology and understand all of its complexities, on the other hand, this is a good computer program to use.

Supported OS: Windows OS, Mac OS X

Price: Free ($20.00 for full licensed version)

5. iFunbox

i-Funbox is about being able to fully move everything between your computer and iOS device (yes, they've got a Windows app too). i-Funbox allows you to install .ipa files directly to a connected iOS device, can export media from the Music, Video, Ringtone and Photo libraries as well as the Camera Roll, can import media to all of those except for the Camera Roll, allows writing directly to the Application area of the filesystem, and can browse the App Sandbox. It has exteneded support for jailbroken devices, with extra features and control over the entire filesystem -- and can even help you change your root password from the default.

Supported OS: Windows OS, Mac OS X

Price: Free (yes, as in totally free)

6. Wondershare TunesGo Retro

And last – but by no means least. . . we have the Wondershare TunesGo Retro computer program. Just like it takes you a long time to say its name, sadly, the computer program also takes quite a while to do anything. You will have to learn to leave your computer alone to sit and think about it if you want to use this computer program, and so you will have to dedicate some time when you will be unable to use both your iPad or iPhone and your desktop computer. Of course, the computer program works totally fine, but you may find yourself starting to get slightly frustrated at the waiting that you will have to go through in order to move your files from one place to another. Another caveat is that the software is bit expensive than the other similar iOS management apps and programs.

Supported OS: Windows OS, Mac OS X

Price: Free ($39.95 for full licensed version)