Ear prompter or teleprompter?
A teleprompter scrolls your script on a screen, so you read it; it suits video and broadcasts, where the glass sits in front of the camera. An ear prompter feeds you the words through an earpiece, so you can look at the audience and move freely. Classic ear prompters play a recording or an operator reads to you; CueBud is a listening ear prompter: it follows your voice and only whispers the next words when you stop.
What is a teleprompter?
A teleprompter shows the text in large letters on a screen or on glass in front of a camera lens and scrolls as you go, operated by a person, a remote or by voice. You read it while seeming to look into the camera or at the audience. Phone and tablet teleprompter apps do the same for video.
What is an ear prompter?
With an ear prompter you hear your text instead of reading it. Actors and presenters have long used a simple version: they record their script and play it back through a small earpiece while speaking a moment behind the recording, or someone off stage reads the lines to them. It frees the eyes and the body, but it has to run at exactly your pace, which takes practice.
Side by side
| Teleprompter | Classic ear prompter | CueBud | |
|---|---|---|---|
| You look at | A screen or the glass | The audience | The audience |
| Follows your pace | With an operator or voice scrolling | No, you follow it | Yes, it listens to you |
| When it speaks | Shows everything | All the time | Only when you stall or press the earbud |
| You can move around | No, stay in front of the screen | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Video, broadcasts, reading a script exactly | Actors, presenters with practice | Talks, pitches, toasts, learning a text by heart |
When a teleprompter is the better choice
If you record a video and need every word exactly, read from a screen. For that Everlong makes Followline, a voice teleprompter that scrolls as you speak, with the reading line right under the camera.
When an ear prompter is the better choice
On a stage, in a meeting room, at a wedding or in front of a class you want eye contact and free hands. CueBud is built for that: put one earbud in, put the phone in your pocket and speak. It stays silent while you speak, waits while you answer a question and whispers the next few words of your script, or the next point of your notes, when you pause. You can press the earbud for a cue at any time.
It also helps you need it less: after each practice run a colour map shows where you stalled, and Drill practises just those spots.
Practise with CueBud
CueBud listens while you practise out loud and whispers the next words into your earbud only when you stall. After every run a colour map shows where you got stuck, and Drill takes you straight to those spots. Free to try, CueBud Pro is a one-time 9.99 €.
Questions
Will the audience see the earbud?
A single small earbud is barely noticeable, and many speakers wear one for in-ear monitoring anyway. With long hair it is invisible.
Is using an ear prompter cheating?
In a speech or a presentation, no: it's a prompt, like notes or a teleprompter. In exams it is not allowed; use it only to practise.
Does an ear prompter work for video?
It can, but for recording video a teleprompter like Followline is usually easier, because you see the exact words.
Do I need special hardware for CueBud?
No. Any Bluetooth or wired earbuds work, including AirPods. One earbud is enough.