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 before you click “run speed test.”
What internet speed test should you use?
We’ve highlighted the best speed test sites to find your average internet speed. Speed tests will have different results based on factors that affect the test, like the number and 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. While no single speed test is entirely accurate, these two use open-source or public-facing content for high visibility and review. All speed tests work slightly differently based on how their software operates.
The most accurate internet speed test uses servers in multiple locations. The best Wi-Fi speed test sites measure different aspects of your connection, including download or upload speed, latency and jitter.
Best speed tests of 2024
Our analysis also revealed Cloudflare and TestMy.net to be two of the best speed tests based on the explanation and layout of the results. Several other sites listed here test upload and download speed while also providing useful assessments about your internet connection details, like jitter or latency.
Your results will vary on each speed test, as factors like the time of day can impact your speed test results. Test your speed on a few different sites to get an average speed. For example, each speed test listed gave the following outcomes when taken consecutively during our evaluation.
| Speed test | Download speed | Upload speed |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare | 105 | 66 |
| Fast.com | 120 | 63 |
| OpenSpeedTest | 111 | 80 |
| SpeedSmart | 109 | 82 |
| Speedtest by Ookla | 100 | 57 |
| TestMy.net | 120 | 54 |
| Average of all tests | 110.8 | 67 |
Keep reading to learn the pros and cons of the best internet speed tests.
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 speed test site, with no ads or extras. The site automatically checks your system’s download 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 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 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 your 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, some features you might want your speed test to evaluate include:
- Download and upload speed
- Ping test/latency
- Jitter
- Packet loss
- Comparison to speeds in your area
- Comparison to your previous speed test results
- Server location
- HTML5 site structure
- Open source
Here’s why these features are important:
- Download speed is usually the most important element of a speed test, but gamers are often interested in the auxiliary values, like latency and jitter. An internet connection with a lot of latency will perform poorly when gaming. A high jitter rate (over 30 ms) can affect video and voice calls, which can be a distraction for remote work and other tasks.
- Comparisons to other speed results in your area and your previous results are used for determining the baseline for good internet near you. This information is helpful because the speed you pay for likely won’t be exactly the same as your bandwidth speed test outcomes. Comparing your speed to a real-world value is more practical because your speed can be slower due to network congestion, the number of devices in your home, the type of connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) and more.
- HTML5 and open source control the quality and objectivity of the site. For example, the speed test Google helped create, Measurement Lab, or M-Lab, is open source. Its onsite tools “are openly licensed and operated, allowing third parties to develop their own client-side measurement software and audit the source.”
How to test your internet speed
Get the best internet speed test results by using multiple speed 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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