By Vlad, who builds ShareSpeak · Updated October 25, 2026
What Is a Teleprompter? How It Works and Who Uses One
A teleprompter is a device or app that shows your script next to the camera lens, so you can read it while looking at your audience. A classic rig reflects the text onto glass in front of the lens; a software teleprompter shows it on your screen near the webcam. TV news, speeches, YouTube videos and video calls use them.
The name comes from TelePrompTer, a prompter Hubert Schlafly built in 1950 with actor Fred Barton Jr. and Irving Berlin Kahn, who then formed the TelePrompTer Corporation. The first one was a motorized paper scroll in a converted suitcase, run by a stagehand, and was first used on the CBS soap The First Hundred Years in December 1950 (Notre Dame Magazine, Wikipedia). In Britain the same thing is usually called an autocue.
How a Teleprompter Works: Glass, Mirror and Camera
- A screen lies under the lens, facing up, showing the script. The text is flipped, because it will be read in a reflection.
- Beam-splitter glass sits in front of the lens at about 45 degrees. It’s coated so it reflects light from the screen toward the speaker while letting light through to the camera.
- The camera films straight through the glass. From the camera’s side the glass is see-through, so the words never appear in the shot.
- The speaker reads the reflection, which sits right over the lens, so reading looks like eye contact.
Software teleprompters drop the glass: the script appears on the same computer, tablet or phone screen as the webcam, as close to the lens as possible. That’s cheaper and needs no rig, at the cost of a slight downward glance on bigger screens. The trade-offs are laid out in our software vs hardware teleprompter guide.
Who Uses a Teleprompter
News anchors and presenters
Studio cameras carry glass rigs, and an operator scrolls the script live.
Politicians and keynote speakers
Glass panels beside the podium let a speaker read while turning to different parts of the room.
YouTubers and course creators
Scripted videos and screencasts, usually with an app. See the teleprompter for YouTube guide.
Sales reps and remote teams
Talking points on screen during demos and calls. See the teleprompter for Zoom setup.
Operator Scrolling vs Voice Scrolling
| Method | Who moves the text | Needs a second person | When you stop talking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator scrolling | A prompter operator, by hand or controller | Yes | The operator waits for you |
| Fixed speed or remote | The app, at a speed you set; a remote, pedal or keyboard pauses it | No | It keeps scrolling until you pause it |
| Voice scrolling | The app, by listening to the words you say | No | It waits |
Operator scrolling is the broadcast standard; fixed speed is what most apps do; voice scrolling is how ShareSpeak works on Windows and Apple Silicon Macs.
Teleprompter vs Cue Cards
Cue cards are large handwritten cards held next to the camera, a few lines each. They cost nothing and need no power, but they sit beside the lens rather than over it, someone has to flip them, and rewriting a line means a new card. A teleprompter holds the whole script, scrolls it over the lens, and can be edited seconds before you start.
How to Read a Teleprompter Naturally
- Write the way you talk. Short sentences and contractions read as speech, not as a script.
- Keep lines short. A narrow column, a few words wide, keeps your eyes from sweeping side to side.
- Read slightly ahead. Glance at the next line while you finish the current one, so pauses land where you want them.
- Rehearse once. One out-loud pass catches tongue-twisters and sets your pace before you record.
Software Teleprompters on Your Computer Screen
On a phone, many teleprompter apps put the script over the camera preview while you record; our iPhone teleprompter app works that way. On a computer, a teleprompter is an app window placed under the webcam. The catch on video calls is screen sharing: a normal window is captured with everything else. Some desktop teleprompters, ShareSpeak among them, are excluded from screen capture, so you read your script while Zoom, Teams, Meet, OBS or Loom shows only your content. That’s what we mean by an invisible teleprompter for screen sharing.
Want to try one now? Use our free online teleprompter in the browser, the free iPhone teleprompter app, or compare desktop apps in the best teleprompter for Mac and best teleprompter for Windows lists.
Which kind to use: recording into a separate camera, a glass rig; reading on a computer or phone, software. The full buying comparison is in software vs hardware teleprompters.
Teleprompter FAQ
What is a teleprompter?
A teleprompter is a device or app that shows a speaker's script right next to the camera lens or in their line of sight, so they can read it while appearing to look at the audience. TV news, political speeches, YouTube videos and video calls all use them.
How does a teleprompter work?
A classic teleprompter puts a screen under the camera lens, facing up, and an angled sheet of beam-splitter glass in front of the lens. The glass reflects the screen's text toward the speaker while the camera films straight through it, so the text is invisible on camera. Software teleprompters skip the glass and show the script on your computer or phone screen, near the webcam.
What's the difference between a teleprompter and an autocue?
Nothing practical: Autocue is a brand name that became the common British word for a teleprompter, the way TelePrompTer was a company name that became the American word.
Can the audience see the teleprompter?
On camera, no: with a glass rig the camera films through the glass and the text doesn't show up. On a video call, it depends on the app. A teleprompter in a normal window shows up if you share your screen; an overlay like ShareSpeak is excluded from screen capture, so only you see it.
Who controls the speed of a teleprompter?
Traditionally a prompter operator scrolls the text to match the speaker. Many apps let you set a fixed speed or use a remote. Voice-scrolling apps listen to you and move the script as you speak, so nobody has to drive it.
Is there a free teleprompter?
Yes. Our free online teleprompter runs in your browser, ShareSpeak's iPhone app is free, and open-source options such as QPrompt exist too. For video calls and screen recordings on a Mac or Windows PC, the ShareSpeak desktop app is $14.99 once.