Best apps to run lines in 2026 (we make one of them)

There is no single best app to run lines: the right one depends on whether you need a self-tape camera, an Android phone, a real partner's voice or a check on the words you actually said. We make MasteringTheatre, one of the ten below. Every fact about the other nine comes from their own site or store listing, checked on 6 October 2026.

Actors · drama students · 7 min read · checked 6 Oct 2026

The criteria we used

Six questions: does it listen to you, or only play audio? Does it check your words, or only detect that you stopped? Does it run on Android, iOS or the web? Can it film a self-tape? Can a castmate record a real voice for you? And what is the price the maker publishes? The second question is unpacked in apps that listen to your lines.

Comparison table (checked 6 Oct 2026)

“Not stated” means the maker did not say, not that the feature is missing.

The ten apps, and what each does better

MasteringTheatre (our app)

It speaks the other roles, listens with on-device recognition and scores each line for text accuracy: 90 % and above green, 70 % and above gold, below that red. At the end, a review colours the words you missed or changed. Free: step-by-step mode (tap Validate), system voices, imports up to 5,000 characters. Pro (€2.99/month): fluid mode, where a silence of 0.5 to 10 seconds validates the line. Memorisation hides 20 % of your words free, 50 and 80 % on Pro. A castmate can record their lines into a voice pack; recording is free, rehearsing with it needs Pro. 10 languages on Android, 5 on iOS.

ScenePartner

Web and iOS. Reads the other lines on cue, films your self-tape, and lets friends record their lines once so you rehearse with their real voice. Its memorisation mode hides, fades or shows the first letter of your lines. Better than us at: self-tapes, long scripts (up to 150 pages on Pro). More in ScenePartner alternatives.

Linus

iPhone, iPad, Android and web. Listens and “knows when you have finished”, includes a self-tape teleprompter, and its App Store listing says the voices are real actors who get paid each time you rehearse with them. Better than us at: self-tapes, a short paid pass instead of a subscription, OpenDyslexic font.

blablabla

iOS and Android. Imports PDF, photos, Fountain and Final Draft; Practice mode “listens for your line and advances automatically”; Selftape mode films with a teleprompter overlay; 80+ voices, and an interface in 39 languages per its listing. Better than us at: self-tapes, screenplay formats, one-off voice packs with no subscription.

ActingPal

iOS and Android, web announced. 106 AI voices across 20 accents and a timed rehearsal mode. Its site lists advanced self-tape recording and the teleprompter as Android-only. Better than us at: voice and accent choice, self-taping on Android.

ActOnCue

iOS and web, Android announced. Line learning, listening and table reads are free; interactive self-tape sessions cost $0.35 an hour and generated voices $0.19 a minute. Own recordings accepted; mainly English. Better than us at: pay-as-you-go pricing, self-tapes.

Rehearsed

iPhone and web. Hands-free cue detection, “hundreds” of voices with emotional direction, stage directions read or skipped, and a hint counter. Better than us at: expressive partner voices (ours has no emotion setting), self-tapes.

Understudy

iOS. Listens, detects when your line is complete, and shows “how close you are to being off book at the line level after every rehearsal”. 50+ voices you can give direction to; available in English, Spanish, French and Brazilian Portuguese. Better than us at: directing the voices. Closest to our scoring idea.

coldRead

iPhone, iPad, Apple silicon Macs, with an Apple Watch remote. You record each line; it listens for the last word of yours, then plays the next. On-device recognition, no account. Last App Store update: 3 December 2022. Better than us at: Mac and Watch support, offline privacy with your own recordings.

LineLearner

iOS, $3.99 once. You record the scene; it plays it back with gaps for your part and a prompt button. Castmates can record their lines and send them back. Its listing mentions no speech recognition. Last update: 13 July 2024. Better than us at: no subscription, the whole cast's real voices.

What MasteringTheatre does not do

Sources

All checked on 6 October 2026. Out of date? Tell us at contact@masteringtheatre.com.

• ScenePartner: scenepartner.club (plans, platforms, memorisation, friend recordings); App Store listing id6737419907.
• Linus: getlinus.app (platforms, languages, prices); App Store listing id6742599484 (real actor voices, teleprompter).
• blablabla: sayblablabla.com (Google Play and App Store links); App Store listing id6760597750 (modes, 80+ voices, 39 languages, prices).
• ActingPal: actingpal.com (platforms, 106 voices, Android-only self-tape, $9.99); App Store listing id6736730265.
• ActOnCue: actoncue.com (Android coming soon, English); App Store listing id6749001366 (prices).
• Rehearsed: rehearsed.app (iPhone and web); App Store listing id6766136848 (features, prices).
• Understudy: get.understudy.app (features, languages, free tier); App Store listing id6535692453.
• coldRead: coldreadapp.com (prices); App Store listing id1264354117 (devices, last update).
• LineLearner: App Store listing id368070258 (price, features, last update).
• MasteringTheatre: our own product documentation.

This page describes the app as it was on 2026-10-06. A score measures text accuracy, not talent. Published 2026-10-06.