Camera mode, Prompter mode, and Voice mode: what's the difference?

Camera mode: record and read on the same device

Camera mode is designed for creators who want a single-device recording workflow. When you switch to Camera mode in Teleprompter-Scrolling Scripts, the app opens the built-in camera on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac and places your scrolling script directly over the live camera preview. You see both the camera view and your script text on the same screen simultaneously.

The script scrolls at the speed you set, and you read while the camera records. The saved video contains only what the camera captured — no text overlay, no watermark. The teleprompter text is composited onto the preview for your eyes only during recording and is not burned into the output file.

This setup is ideal for YouTube videos, TikToks, Instagram Reels, UGC content, talking-head recordings, and any workflow where your iPhone, iPad, or Mac is the recording device. Camera mode handles recording, script display, and scroll control in one interface so you never have to switch between apps mid-take.

Prompter mode: script display for external camera setups

Prompter mode turns your device into a dedicated script display without activating the camera or recording anything. The script fills the screen, scrolls at your chosen speed, and the app does nothing else — no camera feed, no video file. This is the right mode when a different device handles recording.

Common Prompter mode setups include: Zoom calls and webinars where your webcam captures you and an iPhone or iPad beside it shows the script; teleprompter for Zoom presentations where you need to reference talking points accurately; Loom recordings where your Mac records through its built-in camera while a phone or tablet beside you shows the script; and DSLR or mirrorless camera setups where the camera is on a tripod and an iPad propped between you and the lens serves as the teleprompter display.

Prompter mode is also the mode with voice commands. Because it records nothing, the microphone is free to listen for words like "next" and "pause", while Camera mode and Voice mode use it for the recording. Prompter mode works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. On Mac, the floating window keeps the script on top of Zoom, Teams, Meet or OBS while the call app stays in front of you; see how it stays on top of Zoom.

Voice mode: audio only, no camera

Voice mode records sound without opening the camera. The script scrolls exactly as it does in the other two modes, but what gets saved is an audio file rather than a video.

The use cases are the ones where a camera was always dead weight. Podcast episodes recorded solo, where the script is a running order rather than a word-for-word read. Voiceover and narration passes for a video that gets edited later. Singers recording vocals while reading their own lyrics.

Voice mode puts the words and the recorder on one screen. The scroll and the recording start together, so an audio-only take needs one device and skips the sync step.

See the podcast teleprompter guide for how to structure a script that reads as speech rather than as prose.

Which mode should you choose?

Two questions settle it. First: do you want a file at the end, and if so, video or audio? Second: if it is video, which device is holding the camera?

• Your iPhone, iPad, or Mac is the camera — use Camera mode. It handles recording and script display in one workflow with no switching between apps.
• A separate webcam, DSLR, or external camera is recording you — use Prompter mode. Your phone or tablet becomes the teleprompter display while the other device handles video capture.
• Zoom, Loom, or video call software is recording — on Mac, open the floating window so the script stays on top of the call app. On another computer, run Prompter mode on an iPhone or iPad beside the webcam, or open the free online teleprompter in a browser window.
• You want audio and no video at all — use Voice mode. Podcast episodes, voiceover takes, and vocal recordings over your own lyrics all fall here, and it saves you from recording video you would only delete.

For a full breakdown of both options and their use cases, see the complete guide to choosing teleprompter modes.

How to switch between modes

Open Teleprompter-Scrolling Scripts on iPhone, iPad, or Mac and open a project. The project screen shows three cards: Camera, Prompter, and Voice. Tap or click one to start. Camera mode shows a live camera preview with the script overlaid; Prompter mode shows the script on its own; Voice mode shows the script with audio recording controls.

Your script stays the same in every mode, so you can rehearse in Prompter mode and then record the same text in Camera mode or Voice mode.