How to use a teleprompter for YouTube videos
Read your script without looking like you are reading. Here is a free setup, the apps that record and prompt in one, and tips for natural delivery.
Open the free teleprompter No sign-up. Works in your browser.
Transparency: we make Best Free Prompter, so it is listed first as the free, no-download option. Everything about the other apps comes from their official websites and app store listings, checked 3 November 2026, and we say where another app is the better choice.
Two ways to set it up
1. Browser teleprompter + your usual camera
Run Best Free Prompter on the screen next to your camera, or on a tablet behind teleprompter glass with Mirror text on, and record with your camera, OBS or phone camera app. It follows your voice, so you never have to set a scroll speed, and it costs nothing.
2. An app that records and prompts
If you film on your phone and want everything in one app, these record while showing the script:
| App | Price | Follows your voice | Records video | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teleprompter.com | Free Starter (watermarked exports); Pro $19.99/month or $7.50/month billed yearly | Yes ("VoiceGlide"), listed on all plans including free | Yes, up to 4K, plus audio-only | recording on a phone |
| BIGVU | Free (720p, watermark); Starter from $12/month, AI Pro from $19/month | Not listed (speed-based scrolling, remote can pause and change speed) | Yes, vertical, square and landscape | Shorts with captions |
| Captions | Free tier; Pro $9.99/month or $64.99/year (iOS) | Scrolls while you record; speed is adjustable | Yes | AI captions and edits |
| Descript | Free plan (watermark, 720p); paid plans from $16/person/month | No (time-based scrolling) | Yes, it is a recorder and editor | editing long videos |
Prices in USD as listed on official sites and the US App Store, checked 3 November 2026. Prices change, so check before you buy.
Tips for natural-sounding YouTube videos
- Keep the text close to the lens. Small text, wide margins, top of the screen or a glass prompter.
- Write for the ear. Contractions, short sentences and the words you would actually say.
- Plan the pace. Many people speak comfortably at around 130 to 160 words a minute; a 1,000-word script is roughly 7 minutes.
- Mark pauses and emphasis. Blank lines for pauses, bold for words to stress; formatting from Word and Google Docs is kept.
- Do short takes. Press Esc to jump back to the start, or scroll back a paragraph; voice follow picks up where you are.