Frequently asked questions

Yes. The speed test is completely free, runs in your browser, and requires no signup, app or plugin.

The test streams real data over multiple parallel connections to nearby servers to saturate your line, which closely reflects real-world performance. For the most accurate reading of your line's maximum, test on a wired Ethernet connection with other devices idle.

Wi-Fi loss, an old router, network congestion at peak times, background downloads on other devices, and VPNs can all reduce your result. Test on a wired connection with nothing else running to see your true line speed, and compare a few times of day.

For one person, 100 Mbps is comfortable; a busy household benefits from 300–500 Mbps. But latency and bufferbloat often matter more than the download number for gaming and calls. See our guide on what a good internet speed is.

Bufferbloat is a latency spike that occurs when your connection is fully loaded, making a fast line feel laggy during downloads or calls. We measure latency under load — not just at idle — so you can catch and fix it.

A full test transfers a few hundred megabytes depending on your connection speed. On a metered or mobile plan, be mindful that faster connections transfer more data to measure accurately.

No. Tests are anonymous by default. You only add a name if you want your result to appear on the public leaderboard.

Yes. The test works in any modern mobile browser on iOS and Android, so you can measure Wi-Fi, 4G or 5G without installing an app.

Use a wired Ethernet connection, close other apps and pause downloads on all devices, disable any VPN, and run the test two or three times to confirm a consistent reading.

Download speed is how fast data reaches you (streaming, browsing, downloads); upload speed is how fast data leaves you (video calls, cloud backup, posting). Many plans are asymmetric, with much higher download than upload.