Sides vs ActOnCue
ActOnCue is a rehearsal toolkit with an AI reader that listens for your cue, line-learning drills and an iOS app for taping. Sides is a web app that rehearses with you, records the take in your browser, and tells you how it reads before you send it.
Which should you choose?
Choose ActOnCue if…
- You mostly need a reader to run and learn lines, and you want to spend as little as possible.
- You want a real person’s voice reading opposite you.
- You tape on an iPhone or iPad.
Choose Sides if…
- You want to know how a take reads before you send it: a score, timestamped notes and what to change.
- You want to rehearse, tape and get feedback on a laptop.
- You want a working film professional’s written notes on a take.
Sides and ActOnCue, side by side
Checked from each product’s public pages. Prices and features change; tell us if something’s out of date.
| Feature | Sides | ActOnCue |
|---|---|---|
| Reader listens for your cue | SidesYes. It listens for the end of your line, and the arrow key skips ahead. | ActOnCueYes. Perform mode listens for your cue. Listen mode plays the scene through. Pauses and timing are adjustable. |
| Self-tape recording | SidesYes, in the browser, with your lines on screen and the reader in the take. | ActOnCueYes, in the iOS app, with the reader, teleprompter and camera on one screen. The web version doesn’t record. |
| Teleprompter | SidesYes. It moves at your pace as you say your lines. | ActOnCueYes. Voice-tracked, with your choice of font, size and colour. |
| Feedback on a recorded take | SidesYes. A score out of 100, a verdict, notes pinned to timestamps and one thing to change next take. | ActOnCueNot stated. |
| Coaching | SidesAI coach chat that answers from your take’s analysis, notes and timestamps included. | ActOnCueScript Assistant: AI chat about your sides (objectives, subtext, actioning, choices), $0.01 a message. |
| Human review of a take | SidesStudio Notes: written notes on one take from a working film professional within 24 hours, or refunded. | ActOnCueNot stated. |
| Line learning | SidesNo dedicated line-learning mode. | ActOnCueYes. Hide and reveal, first-letter prompts, gap drills and a cue mode. Line-learning sessions are free. |
| Your own human audio | SidesNo. The reader uses AI voices. | ActOnCueYes. Record or upload real reads for any character, free. |
| Script import | SidesA PDF, Word, Final Draft or plain text file, or paste the text. | ActOnCueA PDF, image or audio file up to 30 MB, pasted text or Fountain, or a scene generated with AI. |
| Platforms | SidesWeb app, in your browser. | ActOnCueWeb, plus an iOS app for iPhone, iPad, Mac (M1) and Vision Pro. Android is listed as coming soon. |
| Free tier | SidesYes. 1 take a month with a preview read (score and confidence signal), 1 live rehearsal with the reader, and 2 scene read-throughs a month. | ActOnCueYes. $1 of credit, unlimited scripts and Listen sessions, your own recordings and line learning. |
| Paid pricing | SidesPro $19/mo or $216/yr. Super Pro $39/mo or $312/yr. One analysis $12. | ActOnCueMonthly $10 ($15 of usage). Annual $99 ($180 of usage). Or a $20 top-up. |
Where ActOnCue is better
- Cheaper if you only need a reader
- Listen mode and your own recordings cost nothing, a Perform session is $0.35 an hour, and the Monthly plan is $10. On Sides, the free plan includes 1 live rehearsal a month, and Pro at $19 a month includes 3 sessions.
- A real person can read opposite you
- Record or upload human reads for any character and ActOnCue plays them on cue. Sides reads with AI voices only.
- Line learning
- Hide and reveal, first-letter prompts, gap drills and a cue mode, and line-learning sessions are free. Sides has no dedicated line-learning mode.
- An iOS app
- A native app for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro that records your self-tape. Sides is a web app.
- More control and more ways in
- Set the pauses and when the reader comes in, and bring a script in as an image, an audio file or Fountain as well as a PDF.
- A reader community
- A members-only WhatsApp community for finding human reading partners.
Where Sides is different
- Feedback on the take itself
- A score out of 100, a verdict, notes pinned to the moments in the take, and the one thing to change next time. It usually takes a few minutes. ActOnCue’s coach works from your script, and its public pages don’t say it reviews a recorded take.
- A coach that knows your take
- Ask what to fix first or why a moment isn’t landing. The coach answers from the analysis of that take, notes and timestamps included.
- Notes from a working professional
- Studio Notes is a one-time purchase: written notes on one take from an independent working film professional, within 24 hours or refunded.
- Rehearse, tape and review on a laptop
- The reader, the camera and the feedback all run in a desktop browser. ActOnCue records in its iOS app only.
- Takes shot anywhere
- Upload a take from any camera (MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV or WebM, up to 150 MB) and get the same feedback, without taping it again.
Pricing compared
In US dollars, as listed on .
ActOnCue
- Free: $0 with $1 of credit, unlimited scripts and Listen sessions, your own recordings and line learning.
- Monthly: $10 a month with $15 of usage. Unused credit rolls over, up to $30.
- Annual: $99 a year with $180 of usage.
- Top-up: $20 once for $20 of usage, no subscription.
- Usage: AI voice generation $0.19 a minute (cached replays are free), Perform sessions $0.35 an hour, Script Assistant $0.01 a message.
Sides
- Free: 1 take a month with a preview read (your score and a confidence signal), 1 live rehearsal with the reader and 2 scene read-throughs a month. No full analysis or coach chat.
- Sides Pro: $19 a month, or $216 a year. 8 takes a month (unused ones roll over), the full read with coach chat, 50 coach messages and 3 scene partner sessions a month.
- Sides Super Pro: $39 a month, or $312 a year. Unlimited takes (fair use), unlimited scene partner and 100 coach messages.
- One analysis: $12 with 5 coach messages, no subscription.
- Studio Notes: a one-time purchase for a professional’s written notes on one take.
Questions
- Is Sides an ActOnCue alternative?
- Partly. Both have an AI reader that listens for your cue and a teleprompter. ActOnCue goes further on rehearsal: line learning, your own human audio for the reader and an iOS app. Sides goes further once you have a take: a score, timestamped notes, a coach that answers from that take, and written notes from a working professional.
- Can I use both?
- Yes. You could learn and run lines in ActOnCue, then tape in Sides, or upload a take you shot elsewhere (MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV or WebM, up to 150 MB) for a score and notes.
- Which is cheaper?
- For rehearsal alone, ActOnCue. Its Listen mode and your own recordings are free, a Perform session is $0.35 an hour, and the Monthly plan is $10 with $15 of usage. The Sides free plan includes 1 live rehearsal and 2 read-throughs a month, and Sides Pro at $19 a month includes 3 scene partner sessions. For feedback on a finished take, one Sides analysis is $12 with no subscription.
- Does ActOnCue give feedback on a self-tape?
- ActOnCue’s Script Assistant is an AI coach you chat with about your script: objectives, subtext, choices. Its public pages don’t say it watches or scores a recorded take. That is the part Sides is built for.
Other comparisons
See how the take reads before you send it.
Rehearse with the scene partner, tape it in your browser, and get notes on what to change.
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