The best teleprompter app for iPhone is the one that puts your script right under the front camera, records the video in the same app, and doesn't add a watermark or a short time limit on its free plan. Check speed and font controls, pause and resume, how scripts get in, what happens after you record, and where your video goes.
There are many teleprompter apps for iPhone, and their feature lists look alike. This guide gives you the eight things that make a real difference, what to check before you trust a free plan, and a 10-minute test you can run on any app before you commit.
8 things to look for in a teleprompter app for iPhone
Score any app against these eight. Most fail at least two.
1. The script sits right under the front camera
This matters more than anything else. The closer the line you're reading is to the lens, the more it looks like eye contact. Apps that show the script in a box lower on the screen make your eyes visibly drop. If you're not sure why, see how a teleprompter works.
2. It records the video too
Some apps only scroll text, so you need a second device to film. For talking-head videos on one phone, choose an app that records in a full-screen vertical camera while the script scrolls.
3. The free plan has no catch you'll hit on day one
Look for a watermark on exported video, a cap on recording length, a limit on how many scripts you can save, and a lower export quality. Export a 10-second test clip before you write a long script in any app.
4. Speed, font size and mirror mode
You need a speed you can set finely, a font big enough to read at arm's length, and mirror mode if you'll ever use a glass hood. Our teleprompter speed guide shows how to pick the right speed.
5. Pause and resume into one video
Everyone slips. A good app lets you pause, gather yourself and carry on, and still gives you one video at the end, instead of a folder of clips or a restart from the top.
6. Getting scripts in is easy
Can you paste from your notes, edit inside the app and reuse scripts? Some apps also help you write the script. That saves time if a blank page is what slows you down.
7. What happens after you record
A raw take still needs pauses cut and captions added. Check whether the app does that, or whether it exports cleanly to the editor you already use.
8. Where your video goes
Read the privacy details. Does the app upload your video to a server to edit or caption it, or does it work on the phone? Do you need an account just to record? Every App Store listing has a privacy label showing what data the app collects, and Apple explains how to read them (Apple privacy labels).
Free or paid: what should you pay for?
Scrolling text on a screen costs an app developer almost nothing to run, so a teleprompter itself shouldn't need a subscription. What can justify paying is the work that costs money behind the scenes: AI that writes scripts, transcription for captions, and automatic editing. When you compare plans, separate the two:
- Should be free or cheap: recording, scrolling, speed and font controls, export without a watermark.
- Reasonable to pay for: AI scripts and ideas, caption minutes, automatic editing.
- Read the limits: paid plans often come with a monthly allowance, not a blank check. Check the numbers before you subscribe.
Voice-following scroll: do you need it?
Some apps listen to you and scroll as you speak. It's handy if your pace varies a lot, but it can stall when you ad-lib or pause. A fixed speed that you set, with a test take to tune it, works well for short scripted videos.
A 10-minute test to run on any teleprompter app
Don't decide from screenshots. Run this test on your shortlist, using the same 30-second script in each app.
Same script, same room, same light. Then compare.
| Test | How | Pass if |
|---|---|---|
| Eye-line | Record 15 seconds reading the script | You look like you're talking to the viewer, not reading |
| Export | Save the clip to Photos | No watermark, full quality, vertical |
| Long take | Record your longest normal video | No time limit cuts you off |
| Slip | Pause mid-take, then resume | You end up with one video |
| Import | Paste a script from your notes app | It keeps your line breaks |
Need a script for the test? Use the practice script in our teleprompter script examples.
Where SpeakHead fits (and where it doesn't)
We make SpeakHead, so here it is measured against the same checklist, including what it doesn't do.
| Checklist item | SpeakHead |
|---|---|
| Script under the front camera | Yes, in a full-screen vertical camera |
| Records in the app | Yes. You can also import a video you already filmed |
| Free plan | Recording, the teleprompter, trim, clean up and export are free forever, with no watermark |
| Speed, font size, mirror | Yes. Speed is a fixed setting from 1 to 10, with no voice-following scroll |
| Pause and resume | Yes: pause, switch camera, resume, one video of up to 3 minutes |
| Scripts | Write your own, or have AI write one timed for 15, 30 or 60 seconds (needs a free sign-in) |
| After recording | A free silence remover; auto captions (a taste on Free, 120 minutes a month on Pro); or one-tap Auto edit (3 free, then Pro) |
| Privacy | Videos stay on your iPhone. AI features read the words, never the video. No account needed to record |
| Not for | Android, landscape video or livestreaming, for now |
App Store screenshot. Project names are example text.
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.
Run the 10-minute test on SpeakHead.
Recording and the teleprompter are free, with no watermark.
Get SpeakHeadiPhone teleprompter app questions
The iPhone Camera app doesn't show a script while you record. For that you need a teleprompter app from the App Store that displays your script near the front camera, ideally while recording in the same app.
The best free one is the app whose free plan you won't outgrow on day one. Check for a watermark, a recording time limit and lower export quality by exporting a 10-second test clip. Then run the eye-line test to see how natural you look.
Many can. Look for an app that records in a full-screen vertical camera while the script scrolls under the front lens, so you need only one phone. Apps that only scroll text need a second device or camera to film.
Some do on their free plans. Export a short test clip before committing to any app. In SpeakHead, recording, the teleprompter and export are free with no watermark.
It depends on how you speak. Voice-following scroll helps if your pace varies a lot, but it can stall when you pause or ad-lib. For short scripted videos, a fixed speed tuned with one test take works well.
Last updated 13 October 2026 by Niko Julius, maker of SpeakHead. This guide names no other apps on purpose: features and prices change often, so run the 10-minute test yourself on the current versions.
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