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Free Teleprompter Online: Read Your Script While Looking at the Camera
A free teleprompter online for videos, live streams and presentations: paste your script, pick your pace and the text scrolls on its own. No signup, nothing to install.
0Words
0Estimated time
Keyboard shortcuts
- Space play or pause
- ↑↓ faster or slower
- ←→ back or forward
- +− text size
- Esc exit
Your script and settings are saved only in this browser: nothing is sent to any server. The time is an estimate at the pace you pick (it starts at 140 words per minute): time yourself reading one paragraph out loud and match it to your voice.
This teleprompter online reads your script for you: paste the text, pick how many words per minute you want to say, and it scrolls up on its own, always lined up with the reading guide. It works as a free teleprompter on a laptop, tablet or phone, with mirror mode for glass, full screen and keyboard shortcuts.
How to use the online teleprompter, step by step
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Paste your script
Type or paste it into “Your script.” You’ll see right away how many words it has and how long it will take to read. It’s saved only in your browser, so it’s still there if you close the tab.
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Set up the read
Choose the speed in words per minute, the text size, the side margin and the line spacing. If you’re filming a few feet from the screen, bump up the size; if your eyes keep drifting sideways, raise the margin.
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Press Start
After the 3-2-1 countdown, the text scrolls at a steady pace. Read whatever line sits in the guide band and let the rest come to you.
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Adjust on the fly
Too fast? Press the down arrow. Stumbled? The left arrow jumps back two lines. The bar at the bottom shows time elapsed and time left.
Teleprompter speed in words per minute
Most free online teleprompter tools measure speed on a vague 1 to 10 scale. This one uses words per minute, and the scroll is worked out so the text ends exactly when the estimate says it will:
Time = words in the script ÷ words per minute
| Script | Words | At 120 wpm | At 140 wpm | At 160 wpm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reel or TikTok | 70 | 35 sec | 30 sec | 26 sec |
| Short YouTube video | 420 | 3 min 30 sec | 3 min | 2 min 38 sec |
| 10-minute presentation | 1,400 | 11 min 40 sec | 10 min | 8 min 45 sec |
If your script has to fit a hard time slot, the word counter helps you trim it before you film. And to hype a live stream, the countdown timer gives you a link that shows the start time in each viewer’s time zone.
Teleprompter mirror mode and full screen for glass rigs
A studio teleprompter reflects the screen onto slanted glass, so the text comes out backwards. The teleprompter mirror option flips it horizontally so it reads normally on the glass. Turn it on, go full screen and slide your tablet or monitor under the glass.
No glass, no mirror. Using it as a teleprompter for video calls or webcam recordings? Put the window right under your webcam. Filming on your phone? Read from a tablet or laptop set up behind it, level with the lens. That way your eyes point at the camera, not down at your notes, and you get the polish of a pro teleprompter app without paying for one.
In full screen, the controls live in the bottom bar: speed, text size and exit. If your browser blocks full screen, the reader still fills the whole window.
DIY teleprompter: how to build one with glass and a tablet
A DIY teleprompter takes a sheet of clear glass or acrylic, black card, a tablet and a tripod. The glass from an 8 by 10 inch photo frame works. Then:
- Lay the tablet face up, with the script facing the glass.
- Tilt the glass at 45 degrees between the tablet and the camera, so the text reflects toward you.
- Close the sides with black card so stray light doesn’t show in the recording.
- Turn on mirror mode, full screen and maximum brightness.
- Do a test take: the camera films through the glass and you read the reflection.
Plain glass reflects only part of the screen’s light, so keep strong light off it. Filming with a laptop webcam? Skip the build: put this page right under the lens and read.
Teleprompter app vs online teleprompter: which to use
A teleprompter app and an online teleprompter do the same job: scroll your script while you talk. The difference is everything around it.
| Online teleprompter | Teleprompter app | |
|---|---|---|
| Install | None, just open the page | Download for iPhone, iPad or Android |
| Devices | Any modern browser | Whatever the app supports |
| Recording | You use your own camera | Some record inside the app |
| Hands-free control | Keyboard | Some offer Bluetooth or voice |
| Cost | Free here | Many charge for advanced features |
So what is the best teleprompter app? The one that fits how you film. If you shoot on a phone, read from a tablet or laptop behind it and record with your normal camera app. If you must read and record on one device, or want the text to follow your voice, an app earns its place. For a 70-word script, installing one is overkill.
Teleprompter keyboard shortcuts
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| Space | Start or pause |
| Up or down arrow | 10 words per minute faster or slower |
| Left or right arrow | Back or forward two lines |
| + or − | Bigger or smaller text |
| Home | Back to the start |
| Esc | Exit full screen and pause |
Shortcuts only kick in while the reader is active, so they won’t mess with the rest of the page. If you make videos for social, check the best time to post on TikTok so they don’t sink on day one.
Frequently asked questions about this teleprompter
Are there free teleprompter apps?
Yes, and you don’t even need to download one. This free online teleprompter runs in any modern browser on a laptop, tablet or phone, with no account, no watermark and no time limit. Phone app stores also have teleprompter apps with free plans, but many lock mirror mode, remote control or recording behind a subscription. If all you need is to read a script smoothly, the browser covers it.
What is a teleprompter?
It’s a screen that shows your script while you talk, so you can read without breaking eye contact with the camera or the audience. Studio rigs put a slanted piece of glass in front of the lens: you see the text reflected, and the camera films straight through the glass without picking it up. An online teleprompter does the same job on your own screen when you film up close.
How do you mirror text for a teleprompter?
Turn on “Mirror mode” and the script flips horizontally, so it reads the right way once it bounces off the glass. Then hit full screen and lay your tablet or monitor under the beam splitter. You only need the mirror when there’s glass involved: if you’re reading straight off a laptop placed under your webcam, keep it off or the text will look backwards to you.
How many words per minute should you read on a teleprompter?
There’s no single right number: it depends on your voice, the language and the kind of video. A tutorial needs room to breathe; a 20-second ad needs punch. The reliable way is to measure yourself: read one paragraph of your script out loud with a stopwatch, count the words and divide by the minutes. Put that number in “Speed” and the estimated time will match you.
How do you use a teleprompter without looking like you’re reading?
Keep the text close to the lens and narrow. Place the window right under the webcam, raise the side margin so your eyes travel less, and read only the line inside the guide band. Write your script the way you talk, with short sentences and a line break wherever you want to pause. Then rehearse it twice: by the third take, you’ll be talking, not reading.