What is a teleprompter? A teleprompter is a screen that shows your script, usually scrolling, placed so you can read it while looking at the camera. Studio teleprompters reflect the words onto a sheet of glass in front of the lens. Phone teleprompter apps show them at the top of the screen, right under the front camera.
If someone told you to "just use a teleprompter" for your videos, this guide explains what that means, how teleprompters work, which kind fits you, and how to set one up on your phone in about five minutes.
What is a teleprompter, in plain words?
A teleprompter (also called an autocue) is a display that prompts the person speaking with the text they're about to say. It lets you deliver a script word for word without memorizing it and without looking down at notes. The words scroll at a speed you set, so the line you need is always where your eyes already are.
News anchors, politicians giving speeches, and people making videos for YouTube, Instagram or TikTok all use teleprompters. So do coaches, agents and business owners who want to say their point clearly in one take.
How does a teleprompter work?
A studio teleprompter works with a sheet of clear glass set at an angle in front of the camera lens. A screen underneath shows the script, the glass reflects it toward your eyes, and the camera films straight through the glass without seeing the words. A phone app is simpler: it shows the script on the screen just below the front camera.
Two ways to get the words next to the lens.
Why studio text is mirrored
Because the glass reflects the screen, the text would appear back to front. Teleprompter software has a mirror setting that flips it, so the reflection reads normally. You only need mirror mode if you put a phone or tablet under a glass hood. Reading straight off a phone screen, you leave it off.
A short history
The first teleprompter was built in 1950 by Hubert Schlafly. It was a mechanical device run by a hidden technician near the camera, and the TelePrompTer Corporation was founded around it in the 1950s (Wikipedia). Today the same job fits in a free app on the phone in your pocket.
The four main types of teleprompter
| Type | How it works | What you need | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio (beam-splitter) | Glass in front of the lens reflects a screen below it | A camera, a glass hood, a monitor or tablet | Studios, news, high-end shoots |
| Glass hood for a phone or tablet | The same idea, smaller: your phone sits under the glass and shows mirrored text | A hood, a second phone or a separate camera | Creators with a camera setup |
| Speech (presidential) | Clear panels on both sides of a podium reflect text from screens below | A stage setup | Live speeches |
| Phone or web app | Text scrolls on the same screen you record with, under the front camera | Just your phone | Short videos for social media, and anyone starting out |
For a 30 to 60-second talking-head video, a phone app is enough. The text sits a few centimeters from the lens, so your eyes barely move. On a laptop, you can try one in your browser with our free online teleprompter.
Will a teleprompter make it look like I'm reading?
Only if the words are far from the lens or scrolling too fast. The closer the line you're reading is to the camera, the more it looks like eye contact. Short lines help too, because your eyes don't have to sweep from side to side.
The 20-second eye-line test
- Prop your phone up at eye level, about an arm's length away.
- Record 10 seconds reading text from the very bottom of the screen.
- Record 10 seconds reading text from just under the camera.
- Watch both. The first looks like you're reading a message. The second looks like you're talking to the viewer.
That's the whole reason a teleprompter app puts your script at the top of the screen.
How to use a teleprompter on your phone in 5 minutes
Do this once and your next video takes one take, not ten.
- Write short lines. One thought per line, 3 to 7 words. Our video script template shows how to lay it out.
- Make the font big. You should read it easily at arm's length without leaning in.
- Put the phone at eye level, about an arm's length away. Stack books or use a small tripod. Looking down into the lens is less flattering and less natural.
- Start slow. Set the speed a little slower than feels right. Most people speed up on camera.
- Do a 15-second test take and watch it. Adjust the speed and font size once.
- Leave mirror mode off unless the phone is under a glass hood.
Teleprompter, cue cards or memorizing?
A teleprompter gives you the most eye contact for the least preparation. Cue cards are fine for a few bullet points. Memorizing sounds the most natural only if you have time to rehearse.
For short videos you film often, a teleprompter usually wins.
| Teleprompter | Cue cards | Memorizing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eye contact | High, if text is near the lens | Low: you look away to read | High |
| Preparation | Write the script | Write bullet points | Write and rehearse |
| Sounds natural | Yes, with practice and a script written to be spoken | Yes, but you may ramble | Yes, once you know it well |
| Best for | Exact wording, filming often | Loose talks, interviews | Talks you give again and again |
The fastest way to use a teleprompter on an iPhone
With any phone: paste your script into a teleprompter app, follow the five-minute setup above, and record.
With SpeakHead: the script scrolls right under the camera lens in a full-screen camera, and you choose the font size and speed, with mirror mode if you need it. You can pause, switch camera and resume, and it's still one video. The teleprompter never appears in the exported video.
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.
Look at the lens. Your script is already there.
The teleprompter is free, with no watermark.
Get SpeakHeadTeleprompter questions
A teleprompter lets you read a script while looking at, or very close to, the camera. It's used by news anchors, speakers at events, and anyone making videos who wants to say their point clearly in one take without memorizing it or looking down at notes.
None in practice. Autocue is another name for a teleprompter, more common in the UK. Both describe a display that shows the speaker their script near the camera lens.
No. In a studio rig the camera films through the glass and doesn't see the reflected words. In a phone app the script is shown on your screen, not recorded into the video. Viewers only notice a teleprompter if your eyes move a lot while reading.
You don't need one, but it helps if you lose your place or want exact wording. For short vertical videos, a phone teleprompter app that shows the script under the front camera is usually all you need.
Yes. Several apps offer a free teleprompter. In SpeakHead, recording and the teleprompter are free forever, with no watermark. Check what each app limits on its free plan, such as watermarks or recording length.
Keep the text close to the lens, use short lines, make the font big enough to read without squinting, and set the speed slightly slower than you think. Then do one test take and watch it back before recording for real.
Last updated 13 October 2026 by Niko Julius, maker of SpeakHead. History from Wikipedia's teleprompter article, checked 13 October 2026. The eye-line test is one you can repeat on any phone.
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