The short answer
Build one for fun, or if you already own the parts. Otherwise buy one. A basic teleprompter costs about as much as the glass and the frame for a good home-made one, and it comes with the parts that are hardest to get right: a hood, a lens ring and a stable fold.
How a DIY teleprompter works
The idea is simple: a sheet of glass at about 45 degrees in front of the lens, a phone or tablet lying under it, and a screen that shows the text mirrored. The glass reflects the text toward you while the camera films straight through it. The principle is explained here, and EasyPrompter's Mirror mode does the flipping.
What makes it harder than it looks
- The glass. A proper beam-splitter glass reflects part of the light and lets the rest through: the NEEWER X12B lets 75% through and reflects 25%, the Elgato Prompter 70/30. Plain picture-frame glass reflects only a few percent, so the text is dim unless the room is dark, and both surfaces of ordinary glass reflect, which makes double letters.
- Stray light. Light from behind you shines into the glass and competes with the text. Ready-made teleprompters have a hood for this.
- Fit to the lens. A gap between the glass hood and the lens shows reflections in your video. Lens rings (58 to 82 mm on the Ulanzi RT02) close it.
- Stability. The rig has to hold the glass at a fixed angle and survive a tripod move.
- Your time. Cutting, aligning and testing takes longer than an evening for most people.
What a ready-made one costs
The Ulanzi RT02 is about $50 at its maker's US store, and about €55 in Europe. It has a 19 × 12 cm glass, five lens rings, a hood that folds flat, a phone holder, three cold shoes and a Bluetooth remote. For a similar price, you rarely come out ahead by building your own. Read the RT02 review.
When DIY makes sense
- You already have the glass, the frame and the tools.
- You want a specific size, such as a big prompter for a presenter standing far from the camera.
- You enjoy building, and a few attempts are part of the fun.
Whatever you choose, the software is the same: open EasyPrompter, turn on Mirror, and pick a large, bold text size.
Watch
Best Teleprompter UNDER $50!! (Ulanzi Universal Teleprompter Review), Ralph Mayhew Photography, October 2023. What a $50 ready-made teleprompter does.
NEEWER X12B Teleprompter Unboxing & Setup for Creators, I Tested It, April 2025. A full setup guide to a ready-made 12-inch teleprompter.
Thumbnails are stored on our site. A video loads from YouTube only when you press play.
Where to buy
Ulanzi RT02
See price on Amazon
NEEWER Basics X12B
See price on Amazon
Opens Amazon in your country: amazon.fr, amazon.de, amazon.pl, amazon.es and more.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
About our reviews and guides: they bring together the makers' specifications and independent video and written reviews, checked on 20 October 2026. We haven't tested these products ourselves.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use ordinary glass for a DIY teleprompter?
It works, but plain glass reflects only a few percent of the light, so the text is dim unless the room is dark, and the reflections of both surfaces make double letters.
Do I need to mirror the text?
Yes. A reflection reverses the text, so turn on Mirror in EasyPrompter so it reads the right way round in the glass.
How much does a ready-made teleprompter cost?
About $50 for the Ulanzi RT02 at its maker's US store, and about €55 in Europe.