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Beam-splitter glass costs light, and the reflection has to be controlled

The best teleprompters for 2026

A teleprompter lets someone read while looking straight down the lens, using a sheet of beam-splitter glass set at an angle: the lens sees through it, and the speaker sees a screen reflected in it. The glass is the component that separates this shelf. A true beam splitter has a coating with a stated reflection-to-transmission ratio, and that ratio is a trade — more reflection gives brighter text and takes more light from the camera. Plain glass or acrylic produces a double image from its two surfaces, which is the fault most visible on a cheap unit. The second specification is what the prompter accommodates: a tablet of a stated size range, a phone, or a dedicated monitor, and separately the lens opening, since a large lens barrel has to reach through the aperture to avoid seeing the frame. The hood is what stops room light falling on the glass and washing the text out; a collapsible fabric hood is the part that gets left behind and then missed. Mounting is usually between the tripod and the camera, which means the tripod now carries the camera, the glass, the frame and the tablet — worth totalling before choosing a head. Then assembly time, and whether the software is included, subscription-based or left to the user. We compare glass type and stated ratio, device sizes accommodated, lens opening, hood design, mounting arrangement, assembly and software.

The bodies and lenses we compare here

  1. Leeventi Version 5.0, 28 by 19 cm glass, 600 g

    A REFLECTION SCREEN of 28 by 19 cm, called a TV-studio size · no split ratio published · takes smartphones, tablets, still cameras and video cameras · lens opening not dimensioned · hood not described · fits all tripods, per the third bullet · aluminium, 600 g · text readable at 2 to 3 m · a FOOT PEDAL remote plus the Leeventi "voice-teleprompter" software with a ONE-YEAR LICENCE

    Thirty-five euros for a 28 by 19 cm aluminium prompter at 600 g, with a foot pedal and a one-year software licence — and no split ratio anywhere on the page.

    Best for: A tripod-mounted phone or camera where a foot pedal matters more than a published mirror specification.

    ≈ 35 €

    Check price on Amazon Read the review

  2. Desview T5, devices to 11 inches, rings 49 to 82 mm

    HD-COATED anti-glare glass, described as anti-reflective, with NO split ratio published · smartphones, tablets to 11 INCHES and DSLR cameras · ADAPTER RINGS SUPPLIED for lens threads from 49 to 82 mm · hood not described · tool-free adjustable mount, switching between landscape and portrait · BLUETOOTH REMOTE for play, pause, speed, page turn and power · free Desview app for iOS and Android · one-year warranty with lifetime technical support

    Adapter rings for every lens thread from 49 to 82 mm, an 11-inch tablet capacity and a Bluetooth remote — the prompter that fits whatever is already in the bag.

    Best for: A bag with several lenses and a full-size tablet, shooting both landscape and vertical.

    ≈ $99 / £99 / 109 €

    Check price on Amazon Read the review

  3. NEEWER Basics X12B, 12 inches, 75 per cent transmission

    A BEAM SPLITTER with a special coating and a PUBLISHED 75 PER CENT LIGHT TRANSMISSION — the only ratio figure on this shelf · 12 inches, for tablets and cameras, text readable to 10 ft / 3 m · an ADJUSTABLE APERTURE that reduces glare · a flip-up platform keeping the lens centred · aluminium alloy, folds flat into a rigid carry case · the RT113 remote plus the NEEWER Teleprompter app for iOS 11 and Android 6 or later, controlling play, pause, scroll speed, page turns and font size · AAA battery NOT included · THE PAGE STATES TWICE THAT IT IS NOT SUITABLE FOR SHOOTING WITH A SMARTPHONE, and not for use as a monitor or for self-view

    The only prompter on this shelf that publishes its mirror — 75 per cent transmission on a 12-inch beam splitter — and the only one that twice states what it cannot do.

    Best for: A tablet and a camera on a tripod, for courses and tutorials, where the mirror’s light loss has to be known in advance.

    ≈ $100 / £110 / 109 €

    Check price on Amazon Read the review

  4. Elgato Prompter, with its own built-in screen

    A BUILT-IN DISPLAY: no tablet or smartphone required, alone on this shelf · glass type not named and NO split ratio published · device sizes not applicable — the screen is part of the unit · lens opening described only as supporting more cameras than any other, "even the widest lenses" · hood not described · mounting arrangement not described · setup by plugging the camera in, driven from a PC or Mac desktop with no third-party mobile app · the Camera Hub app customises text and chat appearance, works with Stream Deck · DisplayLink software required on Mac, DisplayLink Presenter on Android, both free downloads

    Two hundred and forty-eight euros for the only prompter here with its own screen — driven from a desktop, showing a script or a live Twitch chat while you look down the lens.

    Best for: A desk-based streamer or presenter on a PC or Mac who wants eye contact on calls and a chat window under the lens.

    ≈ $250 / £247 / 248 €

    Check price on Amazon Read the review

Each amount in a write-up is what the listing showed when that page was written. The figure next to the product is pulled in as you read, and it is the one that counts.