Avocado vs. Textream
Textream is a free, Dynamic Island-inspired prompter for macOS 15 and newer. Both are free to start, so the comparison is about depth rather than price.
| Feature | Avocado | Textream |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free · $7.99/mo · $79.99/yr | Free |
| Notch placement | Free | Yes |
| Invisible on screen shares | Free | Yes |
| Voice-activated scrolling | Free | Yes |
| Adaptive speed | Free | No |
| Script library, tags & search | Free | No |
| AI Smart Cues (Apple Intelligence) | Pro | No |
| Remote control by a second person | Pro | No |
| Prompt on up to 5 devices | Pro | No |
| Rehearsal history & coaching | Free | No |
- Free
- included in Avocado's free tier
- Pro
- needs Avocado Pro, $7.99/mo or $79.99/yr
- No
- not available
What that looks like
Feature tables flatten everything into a tick. Here is the part that doesn't fit in a cell.
Why professionals choose Avocado over Textream
Works further back than macOS 15
Textream requires macOS 15 or newer. Avocado runs on macOS 14 Sonoma and up, so it covers Macs that haven't been updated — and Floating Mode means it works on machines with no notch at all.
A script library, not just a script
Tags, search, markers you can jump between mid-take, and PowerPoint import that builds a marker per slide. The parts you touch every session rather than the one-off setup.
Adaptive speed and Smart Cues
Avocado learns your natural pace and adjusts the scroll in real time. On Pro, Apple Intelligence marks where to pause and where to push, entirely on-device.
Remote control and multi-device
Director Mode passes the prompter to someone else's phone over local Wi-Fi, and the Viewer mirrors your script to up to five devices at once through a browser.
When to pick Textream instead
Textream is free and looks good doing the basics. If you're on macOS 15+ and want the simplest possible prompter, it will serve. Avocado's free tier costs the same nothing while adding the script library, adaptive speed and rehearsal history — with Pro only needed for multi-device and Smart Cues.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Are Avocado and Textream both free?
- Both are free to start. Textream is free outright. Avocado has a permanent free tier — unlimited words-per-minute scrolling, notch and floating modes, invisibility, Focus Guide, Script Markers and PowerPoint import — with an optional Pro subscription for unlimited voice scrolling, Smart Cues, Director Mode and the Viewer.
- What macOS version do they need?
- Textream requires macOS 15 or newer. Avocado runs on macOS 14 Sonoma and later.
- Do both hide from screen shares?
- Yes. Both use the macOS window flag that excludes an app from screen-capture APIs, so neither appears on Zoom, Meet, Teams, OBS or in screenshots.
- Which is better for longer scripts?
- Avocado, because of Script Markers, the searchable library and the Focus Guide. Constant-speed scrolling is unlimited on the free tier; voice-activated scrolling is capped at 200 words per script until Pro.