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Best Internet Speed Test Online Services

The demand for reliable internet speed test online services is insatiable as more and more devices don’t function properly without a fast and stable internet connection.
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While internet service providers are always quick to promise blazing-fast speeds and single-digit latency, the reality is often very different. Internet speed tests empower internet users to verify that they’re really getting the speeds they pay for, but it’s not easy to know which of the countless internet speed tests that are available on the web are accurate.

For this article, we’ve personally tested all major internet speed test online services to learn what their pros and cons are. But before we get to them, we want to explain how to do a proper internet speed test.

How to Do a Proper Internet Speed Test

You won’t be able to obtain good results even with the most accurate and reliable internet speed test out there unless you know how to do a proper internet speed test.

  1. Don’t use the internet while testing: This may sound obvious, but experience tells us that it isn’t. These days, even common household appliances connect to the internet, sometimes downloading large updates or uploading complex diagnostic information to remote servers. To obtain accurate test results, it’s paramount that you disconnect all devices except for the one used for the purpose of testing from the internet.
  2. Use multiple internet speed tests: Most internet speed tests are available for free, so there’s no reason not to use several of them to gauge the bandwidth performance at your residence truly. You may notice that some internet speed tests measure your latency on the higher side, which may have more to do with the performance of the servers on which the internet speed tests are hosted than your own internet connection.
  3. Optimize your network: It’s one thing to set up a Wi-Fi network, and it’s something else entirely to optimize its performance to perfection. With a tool like NetSpot, you can easily see all dead zones in your home and determine which wireless channel is cluttered the least. NetSpot works on Windows and macOS, and you can download it for free and use without any expert knowledge.

Top 7 Best Internet Speed Test Online Services

Don’t google internet speed tests. We’ve done the research for you and know which are the best internet speed test online services out there.


The cable service provider Spectrum operates a comprehensive internet speed test that helps its customers and everyone else measure internet speed. The test displays a real-time graph of both download and upload speed, but it, unfortunately, doesn’t measure latency.

Spectrum Internet Speed Test
Spectrum Internet Speed Test
To use it, you simply click on the “Go” button and wait a short while for the test to establish a connection to one of Spectrum’s many servers.

Pros and Cons

  • Real-time download and upload speed graphs
  • Doesn’t measure latency

Cox Communications, the third-largest cable television provider in the United States, doesn’t have to hide from its customers. Its online internet speed test allows you to easily compare the results with your internet plan, and you can start the test with the press of a single button.

Cox Internet Speed Test
Cox Internet Speed Test
Unfortunately, you need to manually select the nearest Cox server, and all available servers are located in the United States.

Pros and Cons

  • Allows you to easily compare the results with your internet plan
  • All available servers are located in the United States
  • No automatic server selection

Xfinity is a trade name of Comcast Cable Communications, offering consumer cable television, internet, telephone, and wireless services. It also operates an easy-to-use internet speed test service, which measures download speed, upload speed, and latency.

Xfinity Speed Internet Test
Xfinity Speed Internet Test
The Comcast internet speed test supports both the IPv6 as well as the IPv4, and it generates a convenient link that allows you to share your test results with others.

Pros and Cons

  • Support for both IPv6 and IPv4
  • Easy sharing of test results
  • No graph view

Frontier Communications is the fourth largest provider of digital subscriber line in the United States, so its internet speed test tool gets a lot of use despite still relying on Adobe Flash, a deprecated multimedia software platform whose support will end in 2020.

Frontier Internet Speed Test Tool
Frontier Internet Speed Test Tool
The good news is that Frontier Communications has recently rolled out a new version of its internet speed test tool, which no longer requires Adobe Flash to work.

Pros and Cons

  • Real-time graph view
  • Measures latency as well as jitter
  • Can’t manually select a server before starting a test

Even though AT&T’s internet speed test service looks and feels outdated, it performs everything we expect an internet speed test service to perform and provides accurate results.

ATandT Internet Speed Test
AT&T Internet Speed Test
We appreciate that it displays test results as plain text, making it easy to copy and save them for later.

Pros and Cons

  • Accurate
  • Looks and feels outdated

You probably know that Google provides broadband internet up to 1,000 megabits per second and IPTV to a small and slowly increasing number of locations with Google Fiber.

Google Internet Speed Test
Google Internet Speed Test
Because most internet speed tests are not designed for such high speeds, Google has decided to create its own internet speed test, and they’ve done an excellent job.

Pros and Cons

  • Supports gigabit internet speeds
  • May not work with a pop-up blocker
choice #7

When it comes to free internet speed tests, Speedtest by Ookla is mentioned all the time. With its modern user interface, servers located all around the world, and reputation for accuracy.

Speedtest by Ookla
Speedtest by Ookla
Speedtest by Ookla is a great choice for all internet users who don’t want to rely on internet speed tests created by various internet service providers.

Pros and Cons

  • Easy to use
  • Servers all around the world
  • Accurate results
  • None
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Read next in All about Wi-Fi

If you want to dive deeper into this Wi-Fi thing, check out the following articles about Wi-Fi security, the best apps for wireless networking, inflight WiFi, etc.
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