Test Your Internet Speed

Yes! Our speed test uses industry-standard methods and connects to high-performance servers to measure your true internet speed. For best results, close other applications and connect via Ethernet if possible.

A good download speed depends on your usage. 25 Mbps is enough for HD streaming and video calls. 100+ Mbps handles 4K streaming and gaming. For households with multiple users, 200-300 Mbps gives everyone headroom. Most people find 100-200 Mbps to be the sweet spot.

For most people, 5-10 Mbps upload is sufficient for video calls and cloud backups. If you live stream on Twitch or YouTube, aim for 10-25 Mbps. Content creators uploading large files should target 25+ Mbps. Remote workers on Zoom or Teams need at least 3-5 Mbps upload.

ISPs advertise "up to" speeds, not guaranteed speeds. WiFi signal strength, network congestion, time of day, distance from router, and connected devices all affect your actual speed. For the most accurate test, use a wired Ethernet connection and close other applications first.

Internet speeds often drop during peak hours (7-11 PM) because more people in your area are online. This is called network congestion. Your ISP shares bandwidth across a neighborhood, so heavy usage from neighbors streaming, gaming, and downloading all at once can slow everyone down. If this is consistent, consider upgrading your plan or switching to a fiber connection.

Download speed is how fast you receive data from the internet — this affects streaming, browsing, and downloading files. Upload speed is how fast you send data — this affects video calls, uploading photos, cloud backups, and live streaming. Most ISP plans give you faster download than upload speeds.

Mbps stands for megabits per second — it measures how much data can transfer in one second. Don't confuse it with MBps (megabytes per second), which is 8x larger. When your ISP says "100 Mbps," that translates to about 12.5 megabytes per second of actual file download speed. A 1 GB file would take about 80 seconds at 100 Mbps.

AIM Score is a unique 0-100 metric that combines download speed, upload speed, ping, and jitter into one easy-to-understand number. It gives you a complete picture of your connection quality at a glance, so you don't have to interpret four different numbers yourself.

For competitive gaming, you want under 20ms ping. For casual gaming, anything under 50ms is fine. Above 100ms, you'll notice lag and rubber-banding. Jitter (ping stability) matters too — under 10ms jitter means a stable connection. Use an Ethernet cable instead of WiFi for the best gaming performance.

Speed tests work by downloading and uploading test data between your device and a server. For download, the test sends large chunks of data to your browser and measures how fast they arrive. For upload, your browser sends data back. Ping is measured by sending tiny packets and timing the round trip. The whole process takes 15-30 seconds for accurate results.

Different speed tests use different servers in different locations, which affects results. Your distance from the test server, the server's capacity, and even the testing method all play a role. For the most consistent results, test multiple times at different times of day. Our test uses multi-connection parallel downloads for the most accurate measurement.

Ethernet (wired) always gives more accurate results because WiFi adds overhead and is affected by walls, distance, interference, and other devices. If your WiFi speed test shows 100 Mbps but your plan is 300 Mbps, try testing with an Ethernet cable — you'll likely see the full speed. WiFi 6 routers are faster, but still can't match a direct cable connection.

Run a speed test normally, then run one through a VPN. If your speeds are significantly faster with a VPN, your ISP may be throttling certain types of traffic. Also compare speeds at different times — consistent slowdowns during peak hours suggest congestion, while slowdowns only on specific services (like Netflix) suggest throttling.

Test regularly if you're experiencing issues, considering an upgrade, or moving to a new location. Many people test weekly to track their connection quality over time. Testing at different times of day helps you understand peak vs. off-peak performance.

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