See at Fast

Fast.com

Great internet speed test for streamers

See at M-Lab

M-Lab Internet Speed Test

Easy to use internet speed test

There are many factors that can affect your internet speeds, such as using Wi-Fi, the time of day and how many active devices you have on your network. By running a good speed test, you can determine what speeds you’re actually getting, as well as your current download speeds, upload speeds and latency (or ping) for whatever device you’re running the test on.

However, there are many speed tests promising to do the job, so which one should you trust?

Best internet speed test overall

A good speed test, like the one from Ookla, which is our pick for best speed test overall, will help you determine what speeds you’re getting at your household. You may be surprised to find they’re lower than the advertised speeds from your provider.

To help you decide which test is best for you, we evaluated multiple speed tests based on speed, consistency, accessibility and browser compatibility and provided you with our top picks.

yt-internet-speed

Watch this: How to speed up your Wi-Fi

Best internet speed tests of 2023

Screenshot by Ry Crist/CNET

One of our favorites is the Ookla speed test, which has a strong reputation for consistency and for being one of the first speed tests on the web. Popularity aside, we like Ookla for having everything a basic user needs from a speed test: accuracy, the ability to view your speed test history (when you create an account), a wide array of servers to connect to, and even a handy app for speed testing from your Android or iOS device. Incidentally, Ookla’s speed test is also the one we use when we’re testing Wi-Fi routers.

Ookla’s done a good job of keeping up with the times by adding new features and capabilities over the years. The service released a video-specific speed test that measures your network’s ability to handle 4K video streams, and it recently added a free VPN to its mobile app. In addition to the website and the smartphone apps, Ookla also has apps you can run on Windows or on Mac. You can even run the Ookla speed test on an Apple TV.

All of that said, Ookla does display banner ads while you run basic speed tests. That’s not surprising, but it might make a slight impact on your results, depending on the strength of your connection at the time of the test.

Screenshot by Ry Crist/CNET

Fast.com is another great broadband test, and the interface is about as simple and straightforward as it gets. However, one of its biggest advantages is that it’s owned by Netflix. That might seem odd at first, but it’s actually what makes it a great pick for online streamers, because the test is structured around checking to see if your connection is strong enough to stream Netflix in maximum resolution without buffering.

While Fast.com is a great tool for some, it won’t be the most helpful test for all users. The basic interface is easy to use, yes, but it also lacks some of the advanced settings and metrics you’ll find with other speed tests. Most notably, you can’t specify which server you’d like to connect with for your test.

Screenshot by Ry Crist/CNET

None of these speed tests are difficult to use, but the M-Lab Internet Speed Test is probably the easiest one to find. Short for Measurement Lab, the open-source M-Lab test was developed by a collection of computer scientists and academic researchers with Google’s backing — and it’s the test that pops up whenever you type “internet speed test” into the Google search bar. Just click the blue “RUN SPEED TEST” button to see your download speed, upload speed and latency within a matter of seconds.

That’s about as simple as it gets, because you won’t need to bookmark it or remember exactly what it’s called. There are no ads while you run the test, and the only data that gets shared with M-Lab is your IP address. Just know that the M-Lab test doesn’t let you pick which server you’ll use during the test, and it’s only designed for internet speeds of up to 700 Mbps. If you’re trying to speed test a gigabit connection, you’ll want to turn elsewhere.

Screenshot by Ry Crist/CNET

If you’re looking for a test that offers a look at speed and consistency, Speedof.me is the way to go. Similar to Ookla, the test interface does a great job of showing fluctuations in your upload and download speeds. Over time, that can make it easier to spot when something is amiss with your connection, especially since Speedof.me lets you compare your results with previous tests. Its mobile-friendly website is great for running tests on your phone, too, allowing you to do a quick speed test on the go without downloading an app. 

Speedof.me isn’t a perfect option, though. For starters, there’s no option for manually selecting which server you connect with. And if home networking isn’t your forte, the visualized data might seem more confusing or overwhelming than something like Fast.com, which just gives you a number.