Phone Teleprompter App vs Hardware Teleprompter: What You Need

A teleprompter used to mean expensive studio hardware. Today, many people use an app on the same phone they are recording with. Both approaches work. The right one depends on your camera, budget and how much eye contact precision you need.

Phone app on the recording phone

The script appears on screen near the front camera while you record.

Pros:

• No extra equipment
• Portable, works anywhere
• Fast to set up
• Script and recording in one place

Cons:

• Text sits near, not over, the lens
• Small screen limits text size
• Front cameras are usually lower quality than rear ones

For talking head social videos, calls and quick updates, this is often all you need.

Phone or tablet as a prompter for another camera

The script runs on a phone or tablet placed just below or beside a separate camera.

Pros:

• Use a better camera
• Larger screen for text

Cons:

• Eyes are further from the lens
• Two devices to manage

Keep the screen as close to the lens as possible to reduce visible eye movement.

Beam-splitter hardware rig

A frame holds angled glass in front of the camera. A screen below displays the script, which reflects in the glass. The camera sees through the glass. You read directly over the lens.

Pros:

• Best eye contact
• Works with any camera
• Professional look

Cons:

• Cost and bulk
• Setup time
• Needs mirrored text

Our mirror mode and beam-splitter guide explains how it works. In Cue, mirror mode is a single toggle in the presenter settings, so a phone can drive a rig.

Which should you choose?

Start simple

Most people should start with an app on the phone they already own. If you find that eye contact is the limiting factor and you use a separate camera, a beam-splitter rig is a worthwhile upgrade.

Software matters either way

Whatever the hardware, the software decides how readable your script is: pace control, text size, voice following and formatting. A good app with a simple setup beats an expensive rig with poor text settings. See voice-controlled teleprompters.

Privacy

Many teleprompter apps sync scripts to the cloud. If your scripts are confidential, check where they are stored. Cue keeps scripts on the device. See offline teleprompter privacy.