Teleprompter App Checklist: Watermarks, Limits, Offline

If you are new to prompters, start with how to use a teleprompter and come back with this list.

Why a free app is not always free of limits

“Free” on a store page means you pay nothing to install. It does not say what the free version lets you do. A free recorder can cap the length of a take, put a mark across the picture or hide a feature behind an upgrade. None of that is wrong, because makers have to earn a living. It only becomes a problem when you find out after you have recorded something.

That is why a checklist helps. Run the six checks below on every app you consider, and write the answers down. Keep the ones you cannot find on the listing for the first launch.

The six checks

1. Watermark

A watermark is a logo or text stamped on your video. An app may add one to free recordings and remove it with an upgrade. Look in the description, the in-app purchase list and the first screenshots. If a listing never mentions it, record a short test and play it back before you rely on the app.

2. Free take length

An app may limit how long a single recording can run on the free plan. For a short vertical clip that may not matter. For a lesson, a talk or a long product video it matters a lot. Find the number, then compare it with the longest script you expect to read. If you cannot find it, treat it as unknown and test.

3. Offline use

Writing a script, scrolling it and recording a take can all happen on the phone, so they need no connection in principle. Importing a document from the web or buying an upgrade does. Check which features depend on a connection. Then try the app with the connection switched off, because that is where a recording on location can fail.

4. Mirroring

Mirroring flips the text, horizontally or vertically. You need it if you plan to use a glass rig, where a reflection carries the script in front of the lens. Check that mirroring exists, that it is easy to switch on and, if you care, whether it is part of the free app.

5. Where the text sits relative to the lens

If the same phone shows the script and records you, the position of the text decides where your eyes go. Text far from the lens makes you look away. Text next to it keeps your gaze close. Look at the screenshots to see where the text window sits in portrait and landscape.

6. What it asks you to sign up for

Some apps need an account before the first use, and some do not. Check whether a sign-up is required to open, record or export, and what it asks for. Also check which permissions it requests: camera, microphone, photos. We say more about those below.

A checklist you can copy

Copy this into your notes and fill in a row for each app you try.

Android, iPhone and web prompters

The same checks apply wherever you read your script, but a few details differ.

• Phone apps. An app lives on one phone, and it can usually reach the camera and microphone directly. Check that the app is available for the device you own, because an app can be offered for one kind of phone before another. The Store page of an app shows the platforms it is offered for.
• Browser-based prompters. A prompter that runs in a browser needs no install. Check whether it only scrolls text or also records, whether it needs a connection and whether it can mirror.
• A second device. Some people read from one device and record on another. That can work, but the text is then far from the lens, which is the point of check five.

None of these is better for everyone. Pick the one that matches how you film.

Privacy: what a prompter needs, and nothing else

A teleprompter that records needs three things at most: the camera, the microphone and, if it saves takes to your library, access to photos. A prompter that only scrolls a script needs none of them.

Apple’s guide says that the first time an app wants to use information from another app, such as your photos, you receive a request with an explanation, and you can change the choice later under Settings, then Privacy & Security. Android’s developer documentation tells app makers to request a minimal number of permissions, and to ask only for what is needed for the action the user has chosen. It also describes the camera and microphone as particularly sensitive.

Use that as a test. If a prompter asks for contacts, location or something with no link to reading or recording, ask why before you say yes. Our post on how to read app privacy labels shows where to look before you install.

How Cuelift answers the six

Cuelift is our teleprompter app for video. Its page gives these answers:

A few more facts that matter when you compare. Recording goes up to 1080p, and Pro adds 4K recording on supported devices. You can paste text or open a .txt file, and Pro adds .docx files and public Google Docs links. Each take is kept in the Takes list and, unless you switch that off in Settings, saved to Photos. Pro is optional: monthly, yearly with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers, or a one-time lifetime purchase. The app shows its price before you buy, and prices vary by region.

On privacy, Cuelift has no account and no ads. From version 1.0.7 it can send usage statistics and crash reports, each with its own switch in Settings. From version 1.0.8 they stay off until you agree in the EU and EEA, Quebec and a few related places. The privacy policy has the full wording, and we suggest reading it, as you would for any app.

What our answers do not promise

A checklist should be honest about limits, ours included. Free takes stop at 3 minutes, so a long script needs Pro or a script split into parts. 4K recording depends on your device. Importing from a document service needs a connection. And the app is one way to read from a script, not the only one: a notes app, a printed page and a prompter app all work, and our post on a DIY phone teleprompter shows another route. If you want to pace your script, teleprompter speed in words per minute gives you the arithmetic.

Questions

What is the best free teleprompter app?

No single app suits everyone, and we do not rank any. Judge each one on six points: watermark, free take length, offline use, mirroring, where the text sits beside the lens, and what it asks you to sign up for. Try the free version before you pay.

Can I use my phone as a teleprompter?

Yes. A teleprompter app shows your script on the phone’s screen and scrolls it at your pace. If the same phone records you, look for an app that keeps the text close to the lens, so your eyes stay near the camera while you read.

Is there a free teleprompter app without a watermark?

Some apps put a watermark on free recordings and some do not, so check before you record anything important. Cuelift adds no watermark to recordings in the free app or in Pro, and says so on its Store page.

Do teleprompter apps work offline?

Some do and some do not. Writing and scrolling a script can need no connection, but importing a document or buying an upgrade usually does. Check which features need a connection, and test the app with the connection off.

What permissions does a teleprompter app need?

To record, an app needs your camera and microphone, and photos if it saves takes to your library. A prompter that only scrolls text should not need them. Apple’s guide says an app’s first request for something like your photos comes with an explanation, and you can change the choice later in Settings.