Best internet speed tests of 2024
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Find out how to test internet speed on your computer or mobile device and what factors to consider when you click “run speed test.” We’ve highlighted and reviewed the best speed test sites to help you get the most accurate speed test results.
On this page:
- Which internet speed tests to use
- The most accurate speed test
- Best speed tests reviews
- Other features of an internet speed test
- How to test your internet speed
- Best speed tests FAQs
What internet speed test should you use?
The following speed tests provide consistent, accurate results to test Wi-Fi speed on your internet connection. Keep in mind that each speed test will have different results based on factors such as the number of connected devices in your home and the location of the speed test servers.
- Cloudflare: Very accurate
- Fast.com: Easiest to use
- OpenSpeedTestTM: Best open source
- SpeedSmart: Good for any Wi-Fi device
- Speedtest by OoklaⓇ: Most widely used
- TestMy.net: Good unbiased option
What’s the most accurate speed test?
The best speed tests for accuracy include Cloudflare and OpenSpeedTest, which use open-source, or public-facing, content for high visibility and review. While no single speed test can be completely precise, the most accurate internet speed tests will:
- Use servers in multiple locations.
- Measure different aspects of your connection (speed, latency, jitter).
- Have consistent results and an intuitive design.
Best speed tests of 2024 reviewed
The speed test sites listed here test upload and download speeds, while also providing useful assessments on details like jitter or latency. Your results may vary across different speed tests, as each top Wi-Fi speed test site operates slightly differently based on its underlying software. For that reason, test your connection on multiple sites to find your average internet speed.
Read the following reviews for in-depth profiles of each best speed test site.
Cloudflare – Very accurate
Cloudflare’s user-friendly interface includes download and upload speeds that feature graphs with percentile data. The information symbols next to each speed result allow for quick understanding of terms like jitter, packet loss and more. The Cloudflare “Network Quality Score” lists the online activities that will perform best with your internet speed.
Fast.com – Easiest to use
Fast.com is the ultimate minimalist internet speed test site, with no ads or extras. The site will automatically test Wi-Fi speed, and you can select “Show more info” to find latency, upload speed and server location. While Fast.com does show unloaded and loaded latency (a data point you won’t find on other speed test sites), it doesn’t have many other comparison statistics. If you want a deeper analysis of your network, try a different site.
Fast.com is owned and operated by NetflixTM, making it a useful test if your primary internet activity is streaming. Since Fast.com uses Netflix servers for its speed test, the results will be closely aligned with the speeds you can expect when streaming movies or TV shows.
OpenSpeedTestTM – Best open source
OpenSpeedTest has a fairly basic interface to test Wi-Fi speed with some clutter from sidebar ads. This site tests download and upload speeds, plus jitter and ping rates, giving results in under a minute. The site uses HTML5 (the newest iteration of HTML), which has the added benefit of working with all operating systems without apps or plugins. This internet speed test automatically selects a server to use when running the assessment, making the test effortless but less customizable.
SpeedSmart – Good for any Wi-Fi device
The SpeedSmart site has a clean layout that checks your download and upload speed, jitter and ping with the click of a button. Like other speed tests on our list, it uses HTML5 technology for more accuracy. The free SpeedSmart app for iPhone and Android is also available.
SpeedSmart uses over 100 test servers, including international locations in Canada, Mexico and Spain. You can manually switch between servers using the drop-down box at the bottom of the page. Interestingly, our evaluation results included a download speed of about 2 Mbps faster when testing a Canadian server than the geographically closest server.
Speedtest by OoklaⓇ — Most widely used
Speedtest by Ookla will tell you download and upload speeds, and the simultaneous ping tests three different latency measurements: idle, download and upload. Idle latency is the latency measurement when your network is in standby mode, although this value is not that important overall.
Speedtest also allows you to test Wi-Fi speed on various servers and has a native app for multiple devices and browser systems, such as Windows, Mac and AppleTV. Unfortunately, the website has several banner ads that take away from the otherwise simple layout.
Still, since Speedtest is among the most popular online speed tests, its database of information is helpful for finding statistics regarding global internet speeds, the fastest providers and other research.
TestMy.net – Good unbiased option
TestMy.net (TMN) gave the quickest results because it calculates download and upload in separate tests. TMN uses HTML5 instead of third-party web-building software, which increases the reliability of the speed results. TMN also has servers in varying locations that aren’t affiliated with provider networks to produce objective results.
The site doesn’t have the cleanest design, and you may run into some pop-up ads. Still, TMN gives useful data on your internet speed by comparing it to your host and city average, so you can determine if your high-speed internet plan is good compared to others in your area.
What to look for when testing your internet speed
Even with the best internet service, you might occasionally want to perform a speed test to make sure you are still getting a good value. When you test internet speed at your home, additional features to evaluate include:
Download and upload speed
What it is: Measurements of how fast data is transferred to and from the server to your computer or other devices.
Why this is important: Testing your speed ensures your download and upload speeds are suitable for your online activities and the number of connected Wi-Fi devices in your home.
Ping test & latency
What it is: Latency is the gap of time between when you issue a command on your device and when the response arrives. A ping test measures latency in milliseconds (ms).
Why this is important: An internet connection with a lot of latency will perform poorly when doing high-demand activities like gaming.
Jitter
What it is: A measurement of abrupt changes in ping rate and latency.
Why this is important: A high jitter rate (over 30 ms) can affect video and voice calls, which can be a distraction for remote work and other tasks.
Packet loss
What it is: Packet loss happens when some data doesn’t reach its online destination.
Why this is important: Higher packet loss means your internet signal has unreliable data transfer. The result of packet loss can be lag when streaming or gaming, or slower speeds in general.
Comparison to your previous speed test results
Why this is important: Comparing your internet speed test to your previous results helps establish a baseline for what constitutes good internet performance in your area and determine whether the speed you’re paying for matches your speed test results. Additionally, comparing your speed test results from different times of day can reveal when your internet speed might be slower due to network congestion, the number of devices online in your home or other factors.
Server location
What it is: A server is a physical database that routes information to other locations via the World Wide Web (WWW).
Why this is important: A speed test using a nearby server can accurately assess your internet speed under typical conditions. However, occasionally internet traffic may be routed to other servers due to network congestion. As a result, some speed tests allow you to connect to more distant servers, enabling you to compare performance under various conditions.
HTML5 site structure and open source sites
Why this is important: HTML5, the newest interaction of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), helps the site perform faster, a key attribute when measuring speed. “Open source” means anyone can review the site’s code to ensure the speed test is delivering accurate results.
How to test your internet speed
Get the best internet speed test results by using multiple tests to determine your home’s median or average outcome. Use the following tips and tricks to increase the accuracy of your network speed test:
- Connect only the device you want to test. Having many devices running at once will slow down your test.
- If possible, do not test over a Wi-Fi connection. Home Wi-Fi speeds are more variable and will not give as accurate a measurement as a hard-wired device.
- Plug your device into your gateway with an Ethernet cable. An Ethernet connection gives the truest speed results.
- For Wi-Fi devices, get close to your router. If an Ethernet connection is not an option, get as close to your wireless router as possible to cut down on interference and get a more accurate result. A faulty or outdated router can cause slower speeds. If you notice a significant difference between a speed test with and without an Ethernet connection, it might be time to buy a new router.
- Do not test your speed while moving around. Walking around with your device while performing a speed test will affect the outcome.
- Check your speed at different times of the day. For shared connections like cable and 5G internet, network congestion at busy times (evenings, weekends) will yield a slower speed. The time of day should not affect dedicated connections like fiber internet. Your internet service provider may throttle speeds during busy times, giving a speed test lower-than-normal results.
Best speed tests FAQs
What is a good download and upload speed?
A good internet speed for you depends on what you are doing online. For browsing and email, a good speed for activities like browsing and email is 10–100 Mbps. A good speed for gaming and streaming is typically 100–500 Mbps or more if you have many connected devices.
What does ping mean?
Ping is actually an acronym for Packet Inter-Network Groper. Ping is a computer command that verifies an IP address. It is used to diagnose connectivity issues and test data transfer rates. According to HP, a ping rate of less than 100 milliseconds (ms) is good for most online activities, but 20 ms or less is best for gaming.
What does latency mean?
Latency is the length of time for data to travel from your computer to its destination, measured in milliseconds. The ping test measures latency; therefore, the terms are often used interchangeably.
What does jitter mean?
Jitter measures the delay between when your computer sends a signal and when your network receives it. Jitter should typically be two milliseconds (ms) or less. However, some internet connections will have a higher jitter rate. Satellite internet can have a jitter rate of around 50 ms, which is part of the reason that satellite internet is not sufficient for real-time gaming.
Why is my internet slow if my speed test is fast?
If your speed test results are fast, but you are still experiencing slow speeds, the culprit could be the device you are using. An older computer or smartphone overloaded with apps can function slower even if the internet connection is fast.
This content is produced through an alliance between USA TODAY and Allconnect.com. Under the alliance, Allconnect publishes articles about broadband-related topics upholding strict editorial integrity standards in line with USA TODAY’s Principles of Ethical Conduct. The opinions, analyses, reviews and recommendations expressed are those of the Allconnect editorial staff alone. The information is believed to be accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information. Read more about our Allconnect Advertising Disclosure.
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