The best free teleprompter app for iPhone depends on what you need "free" to cover. For reading a script with no limits, Teleprompter by Teleprompter Apps is the most-rated free option. For recording finished videos with no watermark, SpeakHead (our app) or Teleprompter for Video for clips up to about a minute. BIGVU and Teleprompter.com are capable, but their free plans watermark your videos.
Almost every teleprompter app is "free to download". What differs is what happens when you record: some add a logo, some cap your script length, and some lock recording behind a trial. Below are six apps compared on exactly that, with prices from the US App Store, checked on 20 October 2026.
Disclosure: we make SpeakHead. It's included because it's a free teleprompter app, and we've placed it where it fits, not first by default. We compared the other apps from their App Store listings and their own pricing pages. We haven't run them through a hands-on test yet, and we'll add results here when we do.
Best free teleprompter app: quick picks
Pick by the job, not the download count.
- Just need to read a script, free, no limits: Teleprompter (Teleprompter Apps Ltd)
- Record and finish a short video for free, no watermark: SpeakHead
- Free one-minute clips with no watermark: Teleprompter for Video
- Controlling the prompter from another device or a remote: Teleprompter.com
- A full AI video marketing suite for a team: BIGVU (paid plans)
- Trying voice-tracking before buying: PromptSmart Lite
What's really free in each app?
This is the table most "best of" lists skip. It's what decides whether you can post a video without paying.
"Free" means very different things.
| App | Free plan, per the maker | Watermark on free videos | In-app purchases (US App Store) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teleprompter | As many scripts as you like, no length limits, record and save to Photos | Not stated | $59.99–$159.99 (one-time or subscription) |
| SpeakHead | Recording and teleprompter with no take limit, trim, clean up, export; 3 Auto edits | No | $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year |
| Teleprompter for Video | Scripts up to 750 characters, about 1 minute of video | No (within the limit) | $8.99–$59.99 |
| Teleprompter.com | Record, cloud scripts, remote control | Yes | $4.99–$89.99 |
| BIGVU | Script, record (up to 9 min per video), 720p | Yes | $24.99–$139.99 |
| PromptSmart Lite | A free trial version of PromptSmart Pro | Not stated | PromptSmart Pro is a $29.99 app |
Sources: each app's App Store listing and in-app purchase list, plus the makers' pricing pages for BIGVU and Teleprompter.com, all checked 20 October 2026. Prices change, and the App Store shows your local price before you pay.
The 6 best free teleprompter apps for iPhone
1. Teleprompter (Teleprompter Apps Ltd): best for free scripts with no limits
The most-rated free option that's purely a teleprompter: 4.8 stars from about 34,000 ratings, updated in October 2026. Its listing says the free version lets you write as many scripts as you like with no character or length limits, record while reading, and save videos to Photos. The paid Pro upgrade adds document import, remote controls, foot pedals and automatic .srt captions, as a one-time purchase or a subscription.
- Good for: reading long scripts, presentations, anyone who wants a prompter and nothing else.
- Keep in mind: it's a prompter first. Editing and captions are paid features.
The same maker also has Teleprompter Pro, which was called Teleprompter Premium until late 2023 (4.7 stars, about 15,700 ratings). It's built for studio setups with remotes and second-screen control.
2. SpeakHead: best for recording a finished short for free
Our app, so read this one with that in mind. SpeakHead is built for talking-head videos on iPhone: the script scrolls right under the camera lens in a full-screen 9:16 camera, and you can pause, switch camera and resume into one video of up to 3 minutes. Recording, the teleprompter, trim, clean up (a silence remover) and export are free, with no watermark. Auto edit, which cuts pauses and adds captions and zooms in one tap, has 3 free tries; Pro is $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year.
- Good for: coaches, agents and business owners making Reels, TikToks and Shorts.
- Keep in mind: iPhone only, vertical videos, and it's new, so it has no App Store ratings yet.
3. Teleprompter for Video: best for free one-minute clips
4.9 stars from about 15,100 ratings. The listing includes voice-assisted scrolling (the script moves as you speak; the listing doesn't say which plan includes it), plus a remote and Apple Watch control, and after-recording edits such as captions and a green-screen background. The free version works for scripts up to 750 characters, which the maker says is about 1 minute of video with no watermark. Longer scripts need Premium.
- Good for: one-minute videos, self-tapes, quick social clips.
- Keep in mind: 750 characters is roughly 120 to 150 words, so anything over a minute means paying.
4. Teleprompter.com: best for remote control across devices
4.8 stars from about 29,600 ratings. Its strength is control: a second device can run and preview the prompter, and it works with remotes, Apple Watch, foot pedals and game controllers. It runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and the web. Its pricing page lists the free plan as recording with a watermark. Removing it is part of Pro, which the listing prices from $89.99 a year with a 7-day free trial.
- Good for: rigs where someone else drives the prompter, or switching between phone and computer.
- Keep in mind: free recordings carry a watermark.
5. BIGVU: best for an all-in-one AI marketing suite
The most-rated app in the category (4.7 stars from about 36,000 ratings). It's more than a teleprompter: AI scripts, captions, background replacement, eye-contact correction and scheduling to social channels. Its pricing page lists the free plan as 720p and watermarked, with recordings up to 9 minutes per video. Paid plans in the App Store run from $24.99 to $139.99.
- Good for: marketers and teams who want writing, editing and posting in one subscription.
- Keep in mind: the free plan is a trial of the workflow rather than a way to publish clean videos.
6. PromptSmart Lite: best for trying voice tracking
PromptSmart's VoiceTrack follows your speech and scrolls at your pace, working offline. Lite is described as a free trial version of PromptSmart Pro, a $29.99 app. Voice tracking is English-only, and the Lite app was last updated in August 2023, so check it works on your iOS version.
- Good for: testing whether voice-following scrolling suits you before paying for it.
- Keep in mind: it's a trial version, and it hasn't been updated in a while.
How to test a free teleprompter app in 10 minutes
Ratings can't tell you whether an app suits your face, your phone and your script. Run this quick test on any two apps before you commit.
Ten minutes, two apps, one clear winner.
- Paste a real script of about 150 words, a one-minute video. Our teleprompter script examples have ready ones.
- Check where the words sit. The closer they are to the camera lens, the less you look like you're reading.
- Set the speed and font size to what feels natural. See how to use a teleprompter for a starting speed.
- Record a full minute in the app.
- Export it to Photos and watch it back.
- Check three things: is there a watermark, did it stop you because of length, and did your eyes look at the viewer?
Why it works: the watermark and the length limit only show up when you export, which is exactly when most people find out they need to pay.
Free teleprompter app or a website?
A browser teleprompter works on a laptop and needs no install, which is handy for reading on a video call. We made one you can use right now: our free online teleprompter, with the speed set in words per minute and nothing uploaded. On a phone, an app is better: it can show the text next to the front camera and record at the same time. If you're new to prompters, start with what a teleprompter is and how it works.
Common mistakes when choosing a free teleprompter app
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Choosing by rating alone | Choose by what the free plan lets you export. |
| Finding the watermark after recording | Do a one-minute test export first. |
| Starting a free trial you forget | Note the end date, or cancel in iPhone Settings right after starting it. |
| A script too long for the free limit | Count the words first. 150 words is about one minute (words per minute guide). |
| Paying for features you won't use | Remote and studio features matter for rigs, not for phone videos. |
The fastest way to go from script to posted video
With any free teleprompter app: write your script with our video script template, record two takes, then edit and caption in any editor.
With SpeakHead: the script, the prompter under the lens, recording and the cleanup happen in one app, free and with no watermark. When you want it finished for you, Auto edit cuts the pauses and captions every word in one tap.
SpeakHead is an iPhone app for talking-head videos: it writes ideas and scripts, shows the script right under the camera lens while you record, and turns the raw take into a finished short with captions, cuts and zooms in one tap. Recording and the teleprompter are free, with no watermark.
A free teleprompter with no watermark.
Recording and the teleprompter are free, forever.
Get SpeakHeadFree teleprompter app questions
It depends on what you need free. For free scripts with no length limit, Teleprompter by Teleprompter Apps Ltd. For recording and finishing short videos with no watermark, SpeakHead. For clips up to about a minute with no watermark, Teleprompter for Video. Checked 20 October 2026.
According to their own pricing pages (checked 20 October 2026), BIGVU's free plan exports 720p videos with a watermark, and Teleprompter.com's free plan records with a watermark. SpeakHead and Teleprompter for Video (within its 750-character free limit) don't add one.
Several apps let you read scripts and record for free. The difference is in the limits: some cap script length, some add a watermark, and some lock features like captions or remotes behind a paid upgrade. Do a one-minute test export before you commit.
Teleprompter Premium was renamed Teleprompter Pro from late 2023, according to its App Store listing. It's made by Teleprompter Apps Ltd, the same maker as the free Teleprompter app, and is aimed at studio setups with remotes and second-screen control.
Not necessarily. Voice tracking scrolls the text as you speak, which helps if you pause a lot or vary your pace. A fixed scroll speed works well once you've set it for your natural pace, which for most people is around 150 words per minute.
Last updated 20 October 2026 by Niko Julius, maker of SpeakHead. How we compared: App Store listings, ratings, update dates and in-app purchase lists (US store), and each maker's pricing page, all checked on 20 October 2026. We use SpeakHead daily; the other apps were not hands-on tested for this version. No app paid to be included. Prices and plans change, so check the App Store before you buy.
Share this post