Hi!
I'm Steve. Even though I spent 30 years in tech (Apple in the Jobs era, then Cisco and Salesforce among a bunch of startups) I never wrote production code. Last spring I built a Mac teleprompter in 3 days by pair-programming with AI, named it after my granddaughter, and it quietly found 500+ users, paying customers, and some working actors before I ever marketed it. It's evolved into something I'm strangely proud of, and now want to share it with everyone.
But here's my fear: there are at least seven Mac notch teleprompters now. Mine has a real differentiator (it tracks the actual words you say, not just scroll-on-sound and a free developer surface), but I know how "oh boy, another one of those" reads in a feed.
Tellie
I hate teleprompters.
Not the idea. The experience.
They make you follow them. Pause and it keeps scrolling. Go off-script and you’re suddenly lost on a screen. Worst of all, you end up sounding like you’re reading instead of speaking from the heart.
I thought, why can’t the prompter follow you?
So I built Tellie.
People don't want to read a script, they want to tell a story. They skip sentences. Rearrange things. Go off script. Say the same idea in completely different words.
Tellie listens (on-device) to the actual words you’re saying and follows you. Pause, skip, ad-lib, say it your way. Tellie keeps up. With 1.5's new Stagehand feature, it now understands what you’re trying to accomplish, even when you use your own words.
Tellie can tell you:
You’re missing an important point
You’re running long
You covered the things you needed to cover
You finished the take but skipped something
You went off script… and that’s probably okay
Every teleprompter answers one question: where am I in the script? Tellie answers it by following the words you actually speak, and knows what you still need to say. That's why I call it an unprompter.
It's only 3 MB. Completely local. Your voice never leaves your Mac. Invisible to Zoom and screen recorders.
Tellie 1.5 is $19 today with code PRODHUNT10 (normally $29). One-time purchase, never a subscription. Each download comes with 10 days free.
If you make videos, pitch, teach, interview, or just need to sound like yourself instead of a script, try it.
And if you need a feature I haven’t thought of yet, tell me. That’s how most of the good stuff got built.
Product Hunt Wrapped 2025
@steve_chazin awesome product, wish you a great launch day!
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
Interesting. I would say that it is more for already experienced and know how to improvise. I remember when I started and completely relied on the text written on paper (yeah, back then I didn't have such cool technology) :D
Tellie
@busmark_w_nika Thanks! It works just like a regular teleprompter for the less experienced too! It’s just a lot more forgiving AND it can coach you. I’ve heard from users who used to rely on paper - the fact that your notes float right by your camera helps maintain eye contact so you don’t have to glance away.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@steve_chazin I used to have only Wordpress back then :D
Tellie
@busmark_w_nika me too! I moved to Ghost and love it.
Happy to pay, but I could not find any info on what the difference is between the free version and the pro version
Tellie
@jay_janarthanan1 Good point, Jay! The free version is a basic teleprompter and Pro has all the good stuff. And each download gives you Pro for 10 days so you can try everything. More here, about midway down the page: https://tellieapp.com/pro
Tellie
@jay_janarthanan1 also what happens after 10 days: https://tellieapp.com/after-10-days
I really liked this product. Well done to you. I always wondered why there wasn't a product like this. Bingo! And the question is why isn't it available for Android?
Tellie
@shahriar_johari1 I'm working on a version that will work on any web browser, including Android. Just not ready yet. Thanks so much for the comment and upvote, Shahriar!
Tellie
@ankur_bolia Coming soon! Actually, it will run on any web browser, phone, etc. My idea is to have it run on your main computer and use your devices to control it when on camera. Love any feedback!
Wow, this is a dream! I’m always stumbling over my words when I record videos, and this thing actually adjusts to me!
Tellie
@lilamoreau Thank you so much, Lila! That's exactly right! Tellie is the teleprompter that understands. No longer do you follow a script. Tellie follows you! Thanks again for your feedback!!
I was literally recording a presentation video for Product Hunt yesterday and thinking how useful it would be to read the script from somewhere while recording :) Great product!
Tellie
@natalia_iankovych OMG thanks so much!! Glad Tellie helps - any feedback on features and I’ll build it for you! That’s how many of its features were designed - by early users. Thanks again!!
Tellie
@natalia_iankovych BTW, I'm building this in public so others can see how much they contribute simply by sending me an email asking for features: Feel free to ask here: https://tellieapp.com/#public