Search for a teleprompter app and most of what comes back is a free download with a monthly plan behind it. If you only film now and then, paying every month for something that scrolls text is hard to justify. These are the apps I found that are either free outright or that you can own with a single payment.
Disclosure: I make FeatherCue, the first app in this list. I've kept the others to what their own store listings say, and each one links to its source. Prices are the US listings on October 28, 2026, and they do change.
The short answer
- Completely free, with mirror mode: Parrot Teleprompter on iPhone and Android, and Elegant Teleprompter on Android (with ads). Neither listing mentions voice scrolling.
- Cheapest one-time price on both iPhone and Android: FeatherCue. Auto Scroll is free, and Pro is US$4.99 once.
- Cheapest way to own a prompter that follows your voice: also FeatherCue, at US$4.99. PromptSmart Pro is US$29.99, and VoicePrompter's lifetime option is US$99.99.
Side by side
- FeatherCueThe Bearded Vagabond LLC (me) · iPhone, iPad, Android
- Free:
- Auto Scroll, unlimited scripts, the editor and file import. No ads, no account.
- To own it:
- Pro US$4.99 once: Voice Scroll on your own scripts, camera, mirror and flip
- The catch:
- Mirror mode for glass rigs is in Pro. New, so far fewer reviews than older apps.
- Parrot TeleprompterPadcaster · iPhone, iPad, Android
- Free:
- Everything: mirror mode, speed and text size, unlimited scripts. No in-app purchases listed.
- To own it:
- Free
- The catch:
- No voice scrolling. Last updated in 2024 on both stores.
- Elegant TeleprompterAyman Elakwah · Android
- Free:
- Mirror mode, a floating window over other apps, remote support, .txt import.
- To own it:
- Elegant Teleprompter Pro, US$3.99 once (a separate app)
- The catch:
- The free version shows ads. No voice scrolling listed.
- ▶TeleprompterMSDC Technologies · iPhone, iPad
- Free:
- Free download.
- To own it:
- Pro upgrade US$8.99 once (subscriptions are also offered)
- The catch:
- Several subscriptions sit next to the one-time upgrade, so check which one you're buying.
- PromptSmart ProBelleau Technologies · iPhone, iPad, Mac (Apple silicon)
- Free:
- Nothing: it's a paid app.
- To own it:
- US$29.99 up front, with optional “Extended” in-app purchases
- The catch:
- The most expensive here. Its VoiceTrack voice scrolling is English only, per the listing.
- VoicePrompter: TeleprompterKanstantsin Suvorau · iPhone, iPad, Mac
- Free:
- Free download.
- To own it:
- Lifetime US$99.99 (a US$69.99 “Lifetime Promo” was also listed)
- The catch:
- Also sold monthly and yearly, and the lifetime price is the highest one-time cost here.
What free versions usually leave out
Voice scrolling
A basic prompter scrolls at a speed you set and you keep up with it. That's fine for a steady read. A voice-following prompter moves when you talk and waits when you stop, which matters most if you ad-lib or point things out as you go. It's almost always the paid part. If it's what you're after, I compared five teleprompter apps that follow your voice.
Mirror mode
You only need this with a glass, beam-splitter teleprompter, which reflects the screen and reverses the text. If you read straight off the phone, skip it. Parrot and Elegant Teleprompter include it free. FeatherCue puts it in Pro.
Recording
Some prompter apps record video with the script over the camera, and that's where some free versions add a watermark to the video. If you film on a separate camera or phone, you don't need it at all.
Before you pay for anything
- Work out what a subscription costs over twelve months and compare it with a one-time price. A few dollars a month passes most one-time prices within the first year.
- Look for “lifetime” or “upgrade” in the in-app purchase list on the store page. Several apps sell a one-time option alongside their subscriptions without leading with it.
- Check when the app was last updated. An app that hasn't been updated in a couple of years may still work, but problems on newer phones are less likely to get fixed.
- Try the free version with a real script, at the size and distance you'll actually film at, before deciding what you need.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a completely free teleprompter app?
Yes. Parrot Teleprompter lists no in-app purchases on the App Store, and Elegant Teleprompter on Android is free with ads. FeatherCue's Auto Scroll, editor and imports are free with no ads and no script limit; Voice Scroll on your own scripts, the camera and mirror mode are in Pro.
Which teleprompter apps are a one-time purchase?
Of the apps here: FeatherCue Pro (US$4.99), Elegant Teleprompter Pro on Android (US$3.99), the ▶Teleprompter Pro upgrade (US$8.99), PromptSmart Pro (US$29.99 to buy) and VoicePrompter Lifetime (US$99.99).
Do I need a teleprompter rig, or just the app?
Just the app works if you can put the phone right next to the camera lens. A rig puts the words directly in front of the lens, so you look straight down the camera while you read. Here's the two-phone rig I film with.
Try FeatherCue
The teleprompter app I film with. Free on iPhone and Android, and you can try Voice Scroll on the built-in guide. Pro is a one-time US$4.99, never a subscription.
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More teleprompter guides
How to Read a Script on Camera Without Sounding Like You're Reading
Write for the ear, keep your eyes from giving the prompter away, and mark your script so you never stall mid-take.
My Two-Phone Teleprompter Setup for YouTube (It Fits in a Backpack)
The exact rig I film with: one phone films, an old iPhone prompts, and the folding teleprompter fits in a backpack. What works and what I'd change.
Voice-Activated Teleprompter Apps: 5 That Follow Your Voice (2026)
Voice-following prompter apps compared on platforms, price and whether you pay once or every month.