Comparison

Understudy vs Counterpart

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Understudy

This app assists actors with memorizing lines, rehearsing scenes, and collaborating with others. It's designed to be a personal scene partner, helping users prepare for auditions and hone their acting skills. Available on multiple devices, it supports actors in their professional development.

Highlights
  • Line memorization
  • Scene rehearsal
  • Collaboration with performers
  • Booking work assistance
  • Audition preparation
  • Craft honing
Features
Read full description

Designed for actors from the ground up, Understudy is the essential tool to help you memorize lines, rehearse scenes, collaborate with fellow performers, and book work. Whether you're preparing for an audition, getting off book, or just honing your craft, Understudy is your personal scene partner, available anytime, anywhere. For Support: https://get.understudy.app/support Privacy Policy: https://get.understudy.app/privacy/ios Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Counterpart

This app helps actors rehearse and memorize lines using smart voice technology. It actively listens as you speak, advancing scenes to create a realistic flow for auditions, performances, and self-tapes. Import scripts directly and customize your rehearsal experience.

Highlights
  • Smart voice recognition for line prompting
  • Realistic scene advancement
  • Import PDF scripts with OCR
  • Customizable cue words and reader audio
  • Automatic flashcard generation
  • Share reader lines with friends
Features
Read full description

Counterpart is the acting app designed to change how actors rehearse, memorize lines, and prepare for auditions, performances, and self tapes. Running a scene in Counterpart feels like running lines with a real reader. Instead of stopping to scroll, reread, or prompt yourself, Counterpart actively listens to you and advances the scene at the exact moment you finish speaking. This allows you to rehearse continuously, stay present in the moment, and memorize your script faster and more naturally. Whether you are preparing for an audition, practicing a cold read, or refining a performance, Counterpart helps you run lines efficiently and rehearse with intention - anytime, anywhere. RUN LINES, POWERED BY SMART VOICE TECHNOLOGY Counterpart uses specialized voice recognition technology built specifically for actors. The app listens for the Cue Word of your line (by default, the final word of your dialogue). Once that cue word is spoken, Counterpart advances the scene and plays the next line. This creates a realistic rehearsal flow that mirrors running lines with a partner, allowing you to focus on performance instead of mechanics. For your line reader, you can choose: * Your own recorded voice * A friend’s voice * High-quality AI text-to-speech for conversational rehearsing This flexibility makes Counterpart a powerful rehearsal pro tool whether you are memorizing lines, practicing pacing, or working through a cold read on short notice.

All your data stays with you on Counterpart. We do not provide data to any third party buyers. If you would like to request the deletion of your data, email hello@counterpart.actor YOUR SCRIPTS WORK WITH COUNTERPART Import any PDF script directly into the app. Counterpart supports standard scripts, scanned pages, and sides from auditions, even if they come straight from Actors Access or casting emails, watermarked or not. Using advanced optical character recognition (OCR), Counterpart analyzes up to 10 pages at a time, identifying: * Your dialogue * Other characters’ lines * Stage directions and action This means you can rehearse real material immediately, without manual formatting or copy-pasting. REHEARSE YOUR WAY Counterpart gives you complete control over how you rehearse and memorize your script. You can: * Edit dialogue and stage directions * Create beats to control pacing and intention * Change cue words to improve recognition or overlap dialogue * Modify or replace reader audio seamlessly If Counterpart ever struggles to hear a line, simply adjust the cue word to any word near the end of your dialogue and keep going. Prefer silent rehearsal on your commute? Counterpart also generates automatic flashcards for every scene, making it easy to memorize lines visually or review your script without speaking. HAVE FRIENDS READ FOR YOU, NO APP REQUIRED After importing a scene, you can share reader lines with a friend. They can record their dialogue directly in a browser - no download, no account. Their recordings instantly become your line reader audio, allowing you to run lines or tape even when no one is physically available. TRACK YOUR PRACTICE Tap into powerful insights about your rehearsal habits. For each scene, you can: * Add notes and tags * Assign a role and scene type * Track how often and how long you rehearse Your practice data syncs to an online dashboard at counterpart.actor/dashboard (BETA), where you can view patterns across auditions, self tapes, and long-term projects. Counterpart is built for actors who want to rehearse smarter, memorize lines faster, and show up confident.
Run lines. Rehearse deeply. Perform better. For support, please visit https://www.counterpart.actor/support or contact us at hello@counterpart.actor End User License Agreement: https: //www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.counterpart.actor/privacy

Screenshots

Understudy1 screens
Counterpart4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Understudy at 90% against Counterpart's 63%. Counterpart's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (97 vs 12). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Understudy sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Counterpart sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Counterpart holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Counterpart has 97 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 90% of Understudy's written reviews are positive against 63% of Counterpart's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Understudy ships an update every 10 days, Counterpart every 9 days. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Understudy versus Counterpart: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUnderstudyCounterpart
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (12 ratings)4.7 (97 ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.0% of reviews — better63.3% of reviews
Number of ratings1297 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB94 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUNDERSTUDY TECHNOLOGIES LLCAlexander Finch

Customer experience

Understudy

All ratings12 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%

Counterpart

All ratings94 ratings
Positive92.6%
Neutral1.1%
Negative6.4%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive63.3%
Neutral3.3%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Understudy

Subscriptions3
  • Understudy Pro$1.997 Days
  • Understudy Pro$5.991 Month
  • Understudy Pro$19.991 Year
2 purchases

Counterpart

Subscriptions2
  • Counterpart Studio - Monthly14 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Counterpart Studio - Yearly14 Days trial$58.991 Year

Questions

Is Understudy free?
Understudy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Counterpart free?
Counterpart is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Understudy or Counterpart?
Counterpart is rated higher. Understudy averages 4.4 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Counterpart averages 4.7 from 97 ratings.
Do Understudy or Counterpart have ads?
Neither Understudy nor Counterpart shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Understudy or Counterpart?
Understudy ships an update every 10 days, and Counterpart every 9 days. Most recently, Understudy was updated on October 30, 2026 and Counterpart on October 30, 2026.

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