Best Free Teleprompters, and When You Outgrow Them
You can run a teleprompter for free. The best free options are CuePrompter (browser), QPrompt (open-source desktop), Textream (Mac, open source) and the free plans of Teleprompter.com and SpeakFlow; Imaginary Teleprompter is now legacy. Most of them share a set of limits: fixed-speed scrolling, a window that shows on a screen share, or a watermark. Here's each one honestly, and when it's worth $14.99 to move up.
Updated: October 2026 · sources checked on each vendor's site
Disclosure: ShareSpeak is our own app: the desktop app is paid ($14.99 once) and our iPhone app is free. The other free tools below are genuinely good and we recommend them where they fit — we've been straight about exactly where free stops being enough.
The best free teleprompters
CuePrompter
Web · freePaste a script into your browser and it scrolls: no signup, no watermark, mirror mode. It's now made by Teleprompter.com.
The catch: You set the speed (its FAQ points to Teleprompter.com for voice scrolling), and as a browser tab it shows on a screen share.
ShareSpeak for iPhone (our app)
iPhone + iPad · freeOur free phone app: voice-activated scrolling and built-in camera recording, unlimited scripts, no ads.
The catch: It's a phone app, so there's no screen-share overlay; that's the desktop ShareSpeak app ($14.99 once).
QPrompt
Desktop (open source) · freeFree desktop teleprompter for Windows 10+, macOS and Linux, with a rich-text editor and output to several screens. Imaginary Teleprompter's site now recommends it.
The catch: No voice-following, and its opacity slider makes the window see-through rather than hidden, so it shows on a screen share.
Textream
Mac (open source) · freeHighlights each word as you say it in an overlay just below the MacBook notch, with a toggle to hide it from screen sharing.
The catch: Mac only, and it needs macOS 15 or later.
OpenTeleprompter
Mac + Windows (open source) · freeA notch-style overlay with a hide-on-screen-share toggle and voice-activated scrolling.
The catch: Its voice mode reacts to sound rather than recognizing your words, and the Windows build is still on v2.2.1.
VoicePrompter (web app)
Web (open source) · freeA free browser prompter that follows your voice and can scroll back when you re-read a line.
The catch: As a browser tab it shows on a screen share; the hidden Mac app's free tier keeps 3 custom scripts.
Teleprompter.com (free Starter)
Web + iOS/Android/macOS · free tierVoice-activated scrolling on the free plan, plus remote control and 1080p export.
The catch: Recordings carry a watermark until Pro ($19.99/mo or $7.50/mo billed yearly), and it doesn't claim to hide from screen capture.
SpeakFlow (free plan)
Web · free tierA taste of voice-activated Flow scrolling plus 7-day script history, no card needed.
The catch: Free accounts are limited to 2 minutes per take in Flow, there's no video recording, and the browser version shows on a screen share.
EasyPrompter (free plan)
Web · free accountA browser teleprompter for creators and production teams.
The catch: You need an account; the free plan keeps 2 scripts of up to 500 words and one viewer display, paid plans start at $129 a year, and there's no voice-following.
Imaginary Teleprompter
Desktop (open source) · free, legacyThe long-running free open-source desktop teleprompter.
The catch: Its own site now calls it legacy software that will only get limited updates and points users to QPrompt.
Loom Speaker Notes
Loom desktop app · freeIf you already record in Loom, its free Speaker Notes shows your script to you and hides it from viewers.
The catch: It's a static notes window — no auto-scroll, no voice-follow — and it only works inside Loom's recorder.
What free teleprompters can't do
Most don't follow your voice
Most free teleprompters scroll at a fixed speed you set in advance. The free ones that do follow your voice come with a catch: Mac-only (Textream), a browser tab (VoicePrompter's web app), a watermark (Teleprompter.com) or 2-minute takes (SpeakFlow).
Most show up on a screen share
Browser tabs and see-through windows are captured like any other window, so on Zoom, Meet, Teams or OBS your audience can see you reading. The free apps that hide are Mac-only (Textream) or react to sound rather than words (OpenTeleprompter).
Your scripts aren't always safe
Some browser tools keep nothing once you close the tab, and free plans often cap how many scripts you can save.
Watermarks and caps
Some free tiers add a watermark or limit length and features to nudge you toward a subscription.
When free is genuinely enough
If you're reading a short script off your screen for a quick recording — and nobody sees your display — a free teleprompter is all you need. Grab CuePrompter or QPrompt and you're done; don't pay for something you won't use. Free stops being enough only when its limits start costing you time or polish.
When you outgrow free — ShareSpeak, $14.99 once
If you're re-recording because the fixed scroll got ahead of you, or your script showed up on a shared screen, or you're pasting the same text in every session, that's the moment a one-time app pays for itself. ShareSpeak follows your voice, stays invisible on screen share, saves your scripts, and runs on Mac and Windows — for $14.99, once, no subscription. Compare it in the best teleprompter for Mac and Windows roundups.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the best free teleprompter?
It depends on the job. For a quick browser prompter, CuePrompter (no signup, no watermark). For a free desktop app, QPrompt (open source, Windows, Mac and Linux); Imaginary Teleprompter is now legacy and its site points to QPrompt. On a Mac, Textream (macOS 15+) highlights your words and can hide from screen sharing. For voice scrolling in a browser, VoicePrompter's free web app or Teleprompter.com's free plan (watermarked). On an iPhone, ShareSpeak's own app is free.
Is there a free teleprompter that follows your voice?
Yes, a few, each with a catch: Textream (Mac, macOS 15+), VoicePrompter's free web app (a browser tab), Teleprompter.com's free plan (watermarked recordings) and SpeakFlow's free plan (2-minute takes). OpenTeleprompter's voice mode reacts to sound rather than words. ShareSpeak's free iPhone app also scrolls by voice; on a desktop, ShareSpeak follows your words on Mac and Windows for $14.99 once.
Is there a free invisible teleprompter for screen sharing?
On a Mac, yes: Textream (macOS 15+) and NotchPrompter are free and say they hide from screen sharing, and Tellie's free plan hides too but scrolls at a fixed speed. On Windows, OpenTeleprompter is free with a hide-on-screen-share toggle, but its voice mode reacts to sound rather than words. A teleprompter in a normal browser tab shows on a share. ShareSpeak hides on both Mac and Windows, follows the words you say and costs $14.99 once.
Do I actually need to pay for a teleprompter?
Not always. If you just read a script off your screen for a quick recording where nobody sees your display, a free tool does the job. You only need to pay when a free tool's limits start costing you — fixed-speed scrolling forcing retakes, the script visible on a shared screen, or no way to save and reuse scripts. That's the point where a one-time $14.99 app pays for itself.
Is ShareSpeak free?
The desktop app isn't: it's a one-time $14.99 purchase (no subscription), with a 21-day refund window. ShareSpeak's iPhone app is free. The desktop app is the upgrade for when free tools stop being enough: it follows your voice, stays hidden when you share your screen on Mac and Windows, and saves your scripts in a library.