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Do you know how much you should be paying for internet speeds?, one easy way to find out is by conducting an internet speed test. An internet speed test is quick, easy and free. All things we want to hear. As home internet users, we’ve all had that moment where we realized that we were paying for more than we should on internet speeds we didn’t need. Avoiding this mistake can help you save hundreds of dollars off your internet bill.
Whether your Wi-Fi has been lagging during gaming, streaming or in Zoom calls, you’re testing the connection strength in different rooms or you’re unsure just how fast (or slow) your internet really is, a speed test can give you answers in minutes. Internet speed is measured in megabits per second, or Mbps. We use this measure to determine how fast your internet download and upload speeds are. There are several different speed tests available, each offering unique features and metrics that can provide insights to your internet speeds.
Read more: Improve your online privacy with one of the best VPN service for 2025 as tested by our CNET experts.
What’s the best internet speed test overall?
CNET’s pick for the best speed test overall is Ookla, a tool we’ve been using to determine broadband speeds from internet service providers for a while now. (Disclaimer: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) Even with the use of FCC-mandated broadband labels, our daily speeds are not always what our ISP advertises. Ookla, which has been used for 55 billion tests to date, can report the speeds you’re getting at your address in a user-friendly manner. Plus, Ookla’s speed test data compiles national and global internet speed averages for a comprehensive research index.
To help you decide which test is best for you, we evaluated multiple tests based on speed, consistency, accessibility and browser compatibility. Here are our top picks.
Best internet speed tests
Quick tips before you run an internet speed test
Running a speed test is usually as simple as finding the test and hitting the go button. However, I recommend taking some extra measures you can take to get more accurate and informative data about your internet connection. Here are a few tips to consider when taking an internet speed test:
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The FCC defines broadband speeds as having downloads of at least 100 megabits per second and uploads of at least 20Mbps.
Internet plans with multi-gig speeds as high as 2, 3, 5, 10 or even 50 gigabits per second (that’s 50,000Mbps) are starting to emerge from many providers, including AT&T, Comcast, Frontier, Verizon Fios, Ziply Fiber and more. Plans like those are overkill for most homes, at least for now. The ideal is a symmetrical internet connection with uploads that are just as fast as the downloads. Speeds of 100Mbps would be perfectly fine for most homes.
Read our guide to find out how much speed your household actually needs.
A few things may affect your speeds, but using a Wi-Fi connection is the most likely cause of tested speeds being lower than the speeds your ISP runs to the home.
Wi-Fi will almost always be slower than an Ethernet connection. Moving away from your router can further hinder your speeds. If there are walls or other obstructions between your router and the device you’re using, this could cause your internet speed to fall.
In other instances, your internet speed can fluctuate depending on peak usage hours. Possibly worst of all, if your internet provider enforces data caps or throttles connections to help maintain overall network performance, you’ll experience noticeable hits to your internet speed.
Keep this in mind when running a speed test and take measures to mitigate potential speed disruptions. For example, moving closer to the router can help get more accurate results. If possible, try testing over an Ethernet connection for the best result. Also, consider running a few speed tests throughout the day to see how your speeds fluctuate at different times.
Many nationwide internet providers, like Google Fiber, Spectrum, Verizon and Xfinity, offer speed tests on their site. Using their service-specific tests is convenient, but we recommend using one separate from your provider for a greater sense of objectivity.
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