Best Self-Tape Apps and Readers in 2026

A good self-tape setup has three parts: a reader that says the other character’s lines on cue and waits for you to finish, a camera that is framed and lit, and a way to submit, usually the casting platform the request came from, such as Eco Cast on Actors Access. The reader is the hard part, and our pick for it is Offbook: realistic voices read the other lines from your sides, and it waits for you to finish each line. Other options are live human readers over video chat, AI readers that read your sides and listen for your line, phone apps that read and record in one place, and free browser tools that play lines you record yourself.

We compared 9 readers on the same criteria, with prices checked in October 2026, with our pick first.

How We Compared Self-Tape Readers

Casting wants to see you listen and react, so a reader is judged on more than its voice. Every tool below is held to the same five questions.

1. Who reads the other lines? A live person, AI voices, or recordings you or a friend make first.
2. Does the reader wait for you? A reader that hears when your line ends lets you take a beat or pick up fast. A recording with fixed gaps does not.
3. How fast do you get from sides to first take? Importing a PDF or a photo of the sides takes minutes. Recording every cue, or booking a session, takes longer.
4. Which camera films the tape? Some apps record in the app on your phone. Others act as the reader while your best camera does the filming.
5. Where does it run, and what does it cost? Phone, browser, or both; and a flat price, tokens, auditions, or a fee per session.

Facts about each tool come from its own website, help pages, or App Store listing.

Self-Tape Readers Compared at a Glance

The table follows the order of the reviews below: our pick first, then live human readers, then AI readers, then readers you record yourself. Within each group, tools are in alphabetical order.

Our Pick

Offbook

Offbook is a reader app in a laptop or desktop browser, Mac or Windows. Upload the sides as a PDF, photos of the pages, a text file, or pasted text, and it finds the characters and their lines and keeps stage directions apart from the dialogue. You pick your role and choose a voice for each of the others. It listens through the computer’s microphone and gives the next cue when you finish your line, so a held beat or a fast pickup both play naturally.

The laptop sits just off camera, where a reader would stand, while your phone or camera films in the quality you choose. In the scene editor you can set the speed of any line, add a pause before a cue, and keep stage directions from being read on tape. The same scene has the tools to learn the sides first: hidden lines, first-letter cues, and looping.

Price: Starter $9.99 a month, Pro $14.99, and Premium $29.99, or from $7.99 a month billed annually, after a 7-day free trial. One flat price, with no per-scene tokens and no cap on how many scripts you upload; each plan includes a monthly allowance for generating new audio. Students and educators get 50% off with a .edu email. Best for: actors who tape often and want a patient reader at any hour. For a walkthrough, see how to self-tape without a reader.

Live Human Readers

WeAudition

WeAudition is a marketplace of live readers, usually other actors, who read with you over its own video chat in a browser or on iPhone and iPad. You book a 15, 30, or 60-minute session, and it records your camera with only the reader’s audio. Its ScriptScroll teleprompter follows your voice.

Price: Pro membership is $14.99 a month or $149 a year, and each reader sets their own fee. Best for: actors who want a human read and can book before the deadline. See our WeAudition alternative page.

AI Readers

These tools read the other lines with AI voices (or, for Counterpart, your choice of voices) and listen for the end of your line. They differ in where the camera is, how your sides get in, and how you pay.

Counterpart

Counterpart runs on iPhone, iPad, and Mac and listens for a cue word, the last word of your line by default. The reader can be your recording, a friend’s (recorded in a browser), or AI text-to-speech. It imports PDFs, including scanned pages, and records a self-tape while it reads.

Price: $6.99 a month or $58.99 a year. Best for: using a friend’s real voice when they cannot be there.

Linus

Linus runs on iPhone, iPad, Android, and the web, with AI voices based on real actors and a teleprompter that scrolls as you go. It waits for your line, and you can record, edit, and save your favorite takes.

Price: one 1-page scene is free, a 3-day pass is $1.99, and Pro is $9.99 a month. Best for: one audition on an Android phone.

Rafy

Rafy runs on iOS, Android, and the web. You upload a PDF or photo of your sides, give each character an AI voice, and record in HD or 4K. It listens before it gives the next line, and a scene can use up to 7 PDF pages.

Price: plans use tokens, one per scene: Basic is $9.99 a month for 10 scenes, Plus $14.99 for 20, Premium $24.99 for 50. Best for: a few short scenes a month, taped on one phone. See our Rafy alternative page.

ScenePartner

ScenePartner runs in a browser and on iOS. AI voices read the other lines and listen for your cues, and it records your tape with a teleprompter. A recent iOS update added rear-camera recording and an eyeline guide.

Price: 3 auditions free, then Plus at $12.99 a month for 10 or Pro at $29.99 for 100 on the web, with higher in-app prices on iOS. Best for: a few auditions a month. See our ScenePartner alternative page.

Readers You Record Yourself

With these tools, you or a friend record the other characters’ lines before you tape. They cost little or nothing, and the setup takes longer.

AuditionLead

AuditionLead is a free reader in Chrome or Safari on a computer, with no sign-up. You or a friend record the other lines, and it waits for you to finish or uses a timer. It records from your webcam with the reader mixed in, with no watermark.

Price: free. Best for: a $0 tape when you have time to record the lines first.

coldRead

coldRead runs on iPhone, iPad, and Apple silicon Macs. You record the other lines in your own voice, and it plays the next one when you say the last word of yours. It records video with a self-timer and works offline.

Price: free for scripts up to 8 lines; $10.99 a month after that. Best for: very short sides on an iPhone.

Slatable

Slatable runs on iPhone and iPad. You record the other characters’ lines and it plays them back while you tape, with slates, title cards, and audition tracking.

Price: free for 1 audition a month with a watermark; Premium ($9.99 a month) adds a mode that listens to you. Best for: actors who want slates and tracking in one iPhone app.

One more: SelftapePal is a web app where you or a friend record the partner lines and it listens for your cue word. It does not film your tape.

Where You Submit: Eco Cast

Eco Cast is not a reader. It is the Breakdown Services system that casting offices use to send self-tape requests. You get the sides and a deadline, then upload your tape. Sending Eco Cast self-tapes is free with an Actors Access account. Record with your reader and camera, then submit where the request came from.

How to Set Up Your Reader

Wherever the reader comes from, the same rules make a tape look professional.

1. Put the reader beside the lens. Set the laptop or reader just to one side of the camera, at about eye level, so your eyeline lands close to the lens without looking into it.
2. Keep the reader quieter than you. Casting needs to hear the cue, but your voice should carry the tape.
3. Cut what casting does not need. Make sure stage directions are not read aloud.
4. Build in your beats. Add a pause before any cue where you want a moment to land.
5. Follow the request. If casting asks for a human reader or a specific format, do what it says.

Then run the scene a few times before you hit record. The first take is often a warm-up, and a patient reader lets you do as many as you need. Our guide to self-taping alone covers framing and sound.

Which Reader Suits You

• The tape is due tonight: Offbook works from your sides, so you do not record cues or book a session first. Upload the PDF or a photo of the pages and start.
• You want the best picture: film on your best camera and run Offbook on a laptop beside the lens, so the camera does only one job.
• You still need to learn the sides: the same Offbook scene has hidden lines, first-letter cues, and looping, so you learn and tape with one reader.
• Casting asks for a human reader: follow the request and ask a friend to read over a video call. You can learn the scene with Offbook first, then do the final take with a person.
• You are on a budget: Offbook’s 7-day free trial covers your next audition, and students and educators get 50% off any paid plan with a valid .edu email.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an app that reads the other lines while I record a self-tape?

Yes. Offbook reads the other lines from your laptop with realistic voices and waits for you to finish each line, while your phone or camera films the tape. You can learn the sides in the same scene before you record. Some phone apps, such as Rafy, ScenePartner, Linus, and Counterpart, read and record in one app.

Can I use an AI voice as my reader, and will casting mind?

It depends on the casting office. Always follow the instructions in the request; if it asks for a human reader, use one. Keep the reader quieter than you and slightly off camera, so the focus stays on your performance.

How do I self-tape without a reader?

Use something that says the other lines on cue and waits for you. An AI reader does this without another person. A recording with gaps works too, but the gaps do not change if you take a pause. Our page on self-taping without a reader walks through the setup.

What is the cheapest way to get a self-tape reader?

Offbook starts with a 7-day free trial (a card is required), and students and educators get 50% off any paid plan with a valid .edu email. After that, one flat price covers every scene, with no per-scene tokens. A friend on a video call costs nothing, AuditionLead is free in a computer browser if you record the lines yourself, and Linus has a $1.99 pass.

What do I need to self-tape with Offbook?

A laptop or desktop browser, Mac or Windows, for the reader, and the phone or camera you already film with. Chrome is recommended. On your phone you can also listen to the scene before you tape.

The Verdict

Go back to the five questions. For the tape that is due tonight, at any hour, Offbook is the best self-tape reader for most actors.

• It is ready when the sides arrive. Upload the PDF or a photo of the pages and realistic voices read every other role. There are no cues to record and no session to book.
• The timing follows you. It listens for the end of your line before it gives the next cue, so you can hold a beat or pick up fast, the way a good reader lets you.
• Your best camera films the tape. The laptop is the reader and your phone or camera does only the filming, at one flat price with no per-scene tokens.

You learn the sides and tape them in the same scene, and the 7-day free trial lets you try it on your next real audition.

Still learning the lines? See the best line learning apps and free and cheap apps to memorize lines. Want your lines on screen while you tape? See the best teleprompter apps for self-tapes.

Offbook is made by the team behind this blog. Prices as of October 2026.