License & Deployment Mix: 11 tools – 0 OSS, 5 SaaS. (OSS and SaaS counts can overlap when an open-source tool also offers a vendor-hosted edition.)
What Is a Teleprompter?
A teleprompter is a device or software that displays a script – typically scrolling vertically at a controlled rate – positioned so the speaker can read it while still appearing to look directly into a camera. The result: a recorded or broadcast performance that sounds prepared but feels natural, with the speaker’s gaze fixed on-camera rather than darting toward notes.
The category covers two distinct product types that are typically purchased together:
- Teleprompter software – the application that displays the scrolling script. Runs on iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, or in the browser. Some are free; some are paid; some are bundled with hardware.
- Teleprompter hardware – the physical rig that sits in front of the camera lens. The mirror, hood, mount, and (for studio units) the dedicated monitor that the software runs on. Hardware can be as simple as an iPad-and-mirror beam-splitter for a solo content creator or as elaborate as a studio rig with motorized prompter monitors and presidential / podium / stand-up formats for broadcast.
Both halves of the category matter. Software without a properly aligned mirror rig produces a visible eye-line shift; hardware without purpose-built software (or with poor software) produces stuttering scrolls and operator pain. Most working teleprompter setups pair a known- good mirror rig with software the operator trusts.
The information on these pages was researched by a combination of human review and large language models. To suggest an addition or correction, please contact us. Prepared by Rhodium Systems Inc., author of the ResorsIT platform — a unified IT operations management platform for IT teams and MSPs that integrates a curated suite of open-source, commercial, and SaaS applications into a single system with shared identity, single sign-on, access control, and a common audit trail. Use this catalogue only as a starting point for your own research, and review any tool carefully against your own requirements before relying on it. Catalogue data version 2026.197.
Comparison
Category and Form Factor
| Tool | Form Factor | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Autocue | Studio / presidential / stand-up / on-camera hardware + Windows software | Broadcast newsrooms |
| CueScript | Studio / presidential / stand-up / on-camera hardware + Windows software | Broadcast newsrooms; Autocue alternative |
| Magicue | Studio / presidential / stand-up / on-camera hardware + Windows software | US broadcast / sports / large houses of worship |
| Prompter People | Mid-range to broadcast hardware + free Windows software | Corporate, education, mid-tier studios |
| Datavideo dvPrompter | Tablet / studio hardware + free Windows software | Budget-constrained broadcast-style ops |
| Ikan Elite | Mid-range studio / on-camera hardware + free apps | Corporate video, agencies, university AV |
| PromptSmart Pro | iOS app (no proprietary hardware) | Solo creators wanting voice-tracking |
| Parrot Teleprompter | iOS / Android app + Padcaster hardware | Portable / DIY content creation |
| BIGVU | Cloud + iOS / Android / Web | Marketing teams; all-in-one creator suite |
| Teleprompter Premium+ | iOS / Android app | Polished mobile prompter, paid one-time |
| CuePrompter | Browser only | One-off / emergency use; zero install |
License & Pricing
| Tool | Software License | Software Pricing | Hardware Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autocue | Proprietary | Bundled with hardware | US$1,500–US$25,000+ |
| CueScript | Proprietary | Bundled or licensed | Comparable to Autocue |
| Magicue | Proprietary | Bundled or licensed | US$2,000–US$15,000+ |
| Prompter People | Proprietary | Free with hardware | US$500–US$8,000+ |
| Datavideo dvPrompter | Proprietary | Free Windows software | US$300–US$5,000+ |
| Ikan Elite | Proprietary | Free apps | US$300–US$3,500+ |
| PromptSmart Pro | Proprietary | ~US$20 one-time (iOS) | n/a (software only) |
| Parrot Teleprompter | Proprietary | Free | Padcaster Parrot ~US$50 |
| BIGVU | Proprietary SaaS | Subscription tiers | n/a (software only) |
| Teleprompter Premium+ | Proprietary | Paid app or sub | n/a (software only) |
| CuePrompter | Proprietary | Free (web) | n/a (software only) |
Free options: Prompter People software, Datavideo dvPrompter Plus, Ikan Elite Remote, Parrot Teleprompter, CuePrompter, BIGVU (free tier).
Best value at hardware scale: Datavideo (free Windows software with broadcast features), Prompter People (free software bundled).
Best value for solo / mobile: Parrot Teleprompter (free), CuePrompter (free), PromptSmart Pro (paid but voice-tracking).
Voice Tracking
| Tool | Voice Track | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PromptSmart Pro | Yes | On-device ASR; the category leader |
| BIGVU | Partial | “Smart prompter” with speech-assisted advance |
| Autocue | – | Manual scroll only |
| CueScript | – | Manual scroll only |
| Magicue | – | Manual scroll only |
| Prompter People | – | Manual scroll only |
| Datavideo dvPrompter | – | Manual scroll only |
| Ikan Elite | – | Manual scroll only |
| Parrot Teleprompter | – | Manual scroll only (deliberate) |
| Teleprompter Premium+ | – | Manual scroll only |
| CuePrompter | – | Manual scroll only |
Voice-tracking is the clearest functional differentiator in the category. For solo operation without a foot pedal, it changes the workflow significantly.
Newsroom / Broadcast Integration
| Tool | MOS Protocol | iNews | ENPS | Run-of-Show |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autocue | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CueScript | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Magicue | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Prompter People | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Datavideo dvPrompter | Limited | Limited | Limited | Yes |
| Ikan Elite | – | – | – | Limited |
| PromptSmart Pro | – | – | – | Local only |
| Parrot Teleprompter | – | – | – | Local only |
| BIGVU | – | – | – | Cloud script library |
| Teleprompter Premium+ | – | – | – | Local only |
| CuePrompter | – | – | – | Paste-and-go |
Best newsroom integration: Autocue, CueScript, Magicue, Prompter People (all broadcast-grade).
SSO / Identity (Authentik)
Most prompter tools have minimal identity layer – broadcast hardware operators authenticate via the host Windows / AD environment, mobile apps are consumer-grade, and only the SaaS tools (BIGVU primarily) have meaningful SAML / OIDC support.
| Tool | SAML | OIDC | LDAP/AD | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autocue | – | – | via OS | Operator station Windows / AD |
| CueScript | – | – | via OS | Operator station Windows / AD |
| Magicue | – | – | via OS | Operator station Windows / AD |
| Prompter People | – | – | via OS | Operator station Windows / AD |
| Datavideo dvPrompter | – | – | via OS | Operator station Windows / AD |
| Ikan Elite | – | – | via OS | Mobile or Windows |
| PromptSmart Pro | – | – | – | Apple ID / iCloud |
| Parrot Teleprompter | – | – | – | None |
| BIGVU | Yes* | – | – | SAML on enterprise tier |
| Teleprompter Premium+ | – | – | – | None |
| CuePrompter | – | – | – | None |
* = enterprise tier only
Recommendation Shortlist
For broadcast newsrooms
- Autocue – if Autocue is the incumbent or the customer wants the category-defining brand
- CueScript – modern alternative, same operator skills transfer
- Magicue – US-domestic vendor preference
For corporate / education / worship video
- Prompter People – mid-range hardware with free software bundle
- Datavideo dvPrompter Plus – the most cost-effective path into broadcast-style operation
- Ikan Elite – mid-range with strong US dealer support
For marketing teams
- BIGVU – all-in-one prompter + capture + caption + publish; SAML SSO on enterprise tier
For solo customer users (executives, sales, trainers)
- PromptSmart Pro – voice-tracking
- Parrot Teleprompter – free
- Teleprompter Premium+ – alternative paid mobile app
Tools
11 tools.
Autocue
Autocue is the original commercial teleprompter company. Founded in the UK in 1955, Autocue literally introduced the modern in-camera teleprompter to broadcast television, and the generic British noun “autocue” (used by BBC and ITV staff to…
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: hybrid · Deploy: native, saas · SSO: none
BIGVU
BIGVU is a cloud-native teleprompter platform that bundles prompter, in-app recording, auto-captioning, AI script-writing, and publish-to-social workflows into a single mobile + web experience.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
CuePrompter
CuePrompter is the most widely used free web-based teleprompter. The site does one thing: paste your script into a textarea, hit “start prompter”, and a black browser window scrolls white text at a configurable speed, with mirror, font-…
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
CueScript
CueScript was founded in 2013 by senior ex-Autocue staff – including former Autocue managing director Michael Accardi – and has since become Autocue’s most aggressive broadcast competitor.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: hybrid · Deploy: native, saas · SSO: none
Datavideo dvPrompter Plus
Datavideo is a Taiwan-headquartered video production equipment manufacturer with a broad catalogue spanning switchers, cameras, recorders, IP video, mixers, and teleprompters.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: hybrid · Deploy: native, saas · SSO: none
Ikan Elite
Ikan is a US video equipment manufacturer with broad coverage across LED lighting, camera support, monitors, and teleprompters.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: hybrid · Deploy: native, saas · SSO: none
Magicue
Magicue is the prompter brand of Listec Teleprompters, a long-established US manufacturer headquartered in California.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: hybrid · Deploy: native, saas · SSO: none
Parrot Teleprompter
Parrot Teleprompter is the mobile prompter app produced by Padcaster, the company that also sells the popular Parrot hardware – a small, portable, single-piece beam-splitter prompter rig that mounts to a camera lens and accepts a s…
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: hybrid · Deploy: native, saas · SSO: none
Prompter People
Prompter People is a US prompter manufacturer known for covering an unusually wide price range – from mobile DSLR / mirrorless rigs under US$500 to broadcast-grade studio prompters – with consistent industrial design and a single software…
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: hybrid · Deploy: native, saas · SSO: none
PromptSmart Pro
PromptSmart Pro is the leading voice- tracking teleprompter app on iOS. The distinguishing feature – VoiceTrack – uses on-device speech recognition to detect what the speaker is currently saying and advance the script in real time to…
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: hybrid · Deploy: native, saas · SSO: none
Teleprompter Premium+
Teleprompter Premium+ (alongside its sibling “Teleprompter+” / “Teleprompter Premium”) is a long-running mobile prompter line aimed at solo creators, students, and small studios who want a polished manual-scroll prompter without committing…
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: hybrid · Deploy: native, saas · SSO: none
