A free macOS teleprompter with real-time word tracking, classic auto-scroll, and voice-activated scrolling.
Built for streamers, interviewers, presenters, and podcasters.
Download · Features · How It Works · Build
Textream is a free, open-source macOS app that guides you through your script with three modes: word tracking (highlights each word as you say it), classic (constant-speed auto-scroll), and voice-activated (scrolls while you speak, pauses when you're silent). It displays your text in a sleek Dynamic Island-style overlay at the top of your screen, a draggable floating window, or fullscreen on a Sidecar iPad — visible only to you, invisible to your audience.
Paste your script, hit play, and start speaking. When you're done, the overlay closes automatically.
Download the latest .dmg from Releases
Or install with Homebrew:
brew install f/textream/textreamRequires macOS 15 Sequoia or later. Works on Apple Silicon and Intel.
Since Textream is distributed outside the Mac App Store, macOS may block it on first open. Run this once in Terminal:
xattr -cr /Applications/Textream.appThen right-click the app → Open. After the first launch, macOS remembers your choice.
- Word Tracking (default) — On-device speech recognition highlights words as you say them. No cloud, no latency, works offline. Supports dozens of languages.
- Classic — Auto-scrolls at a constant speed. No microphone needed. Adjust scroll speed with a slider.
- Voice-Activated — Scrolls while you speak, pauses when you're silent or muted. Perfect for natural pacing.
- Mouse scroll to catch up — In Classic and Voice-Activated modes, scroll with your mouse to jump ahead or back. The timer pauses while you scroll and resumes from the new position.
- Dynamic Island overlay — A notch-shaped overlay at the top of your screen, inspired by the MacBook Dynamic Island. Sits above all apps.
- Notch display selection — Choose "Follow Mouse" to move the notch to whichever display your cursor is on, or "Fixed Display" to pin it to a specific screen.
- Floating window mode — Switch from the pinned notch to a draggable floating window you can place anywhere on screen.
- Glass effect — Enable a translucent frosted glass background for the floating window with adjustable opacity.
- External display / Sidecar — Show a fullscreen teleprompter on an external display or Sidecar iPad.
- Configurable mirror mode — Flip the external display horizontally, vertically, or both for prompter mirror rigs.
- Adjustable size — Resize the overlay width and text height from Settings (⌘,) to fit your screen.
- Font family — Choose from Sans, Serif, Mono, or a dyslexia-friendly OpenDyslexic font.
- Font size — Four size presets: XS, SM, LG, XL.
- Highlight color — Six color presets: white, yellow, green, blue, pink, orange.
- Scroll speed — Adjustable words-per-second for Classic and Voice-Activated modes (0.5–8 w/s).
- Language selection — Choose your preferred speech recognition language for Word Tracking mode.
- PowerPoint notes import — Drop a .pptx file to extract presenter notes as pages. For Keynote or Google Slides, export to PowerPoint first and Textream will handle the rest.
- Save as .textream files — Save your scripts as .textream files to reuse anytime. Keep your notes organized across presentations.
- Live waveform — Visual voice activity indicator so you always know the mic is picking you up.
- Tap to jump — Tap any word in the overlay to jump the tracker to that position.
- Pause & resume — Go off-script, take a break, come back. The tracker picks up where you left off.
- Completely private — All processing happens on-device. No accounts, no tracking, no data leaves your Mac.
- Auto update checker — Checks GitHub Releases for new versions on launch and from the Textream menu.
- Open source — MIT licensed. Contributions welcome.
| Use case | How Textream helps |
|---|---|
| Streamers | Read sponsor segments, announcements, and talking points without looking away from the camera. |
| Interviewers | Keep your questions visible while maintaining natural eye contact with your guest. |
| Presenters | Deliver keynotes, demos, and talks with confidence. Never lose your place. |
| Podcasters | Follow show notes, ad reads, and topic outlines hands-free while recording. |
- Paste your script — Drop your talking points, interview questions, or full script into the text editor.
- Hit play — The Dynamic Island overlay slides down from the top of your screen.
- Start speaking — Words highlight in real-time as you read. When you finish, the overlay closes automatically.
- macOS 15+
- Xcode 16+
- Swift 5.0+
git clone https://github.com/f/textream.git
cd textream/Textream
open Textream.xcodeprojBuild and run with ⌘R in Xcode.
Textream/
├── Textream.xcodeproj
├── Info.plist
└── Textream/
├── TextreamApp.swift # App entry point, deep link handling
├── ContentView.swift # Main text editor UI + About view
├── TextreamService.swift # Service layer, URL scheme handling
├── SpeechRecognizer.swift # On-device speech recognition engine
├── NotchOverlayController.swift # Dynamic Island + floating overlay
├── ExternalDisplayController.swift # Sidecar / external display output
├── NotchSettings.swift # User preferences and presets
├── SettingsView.swift # Tabbed settings UI
├── MarqueeTextView.swift # Word flow layout and highlighting
├── PresentationNotesExtractor.swift # PPTX presenter notes extraction
├── UpdateChecker.swift # GitHub release update checker
└── Assets.xcassets/ # App icon and colors
Textream supports the textream:// URL scheme for launching directly into the overlay:
textream://read?text=Hello%20world
It also registers as a macOS Service, so you can select text in any app and send it to Textream via the Services menu.
MIT
Original idea by Semih Kışlar — thanks to him!
Made by Fatih Kadir Akin