What Speed Do You Need?
| Activity | Recommended download |
|---|---|
| Email and web browsing | 1–5 Mbps |
| HD video calls | 3–10 Mbps |
| HD streaming | 5–10 Mbps |
| 4K streaming | 25+ Mbps |
| Online gaming (also needs low ping) | 10–25 Mbps |
| Busy household, several devices at once | 100+ Mbps |
Approximate guidance. Needs grow with the number of people and devices sharing the connection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do download, upload, ping and jitter mean?
Download is how fast data reaches your device, which matters for streaming and browsing. Upload is how fast you send data, which matters for video calls and cloud backups. Ping is the round-trip delay in milliseconds, and jitter is how much that delay varies. Low ping and low jitter matter most for gaming and calls.
Why is my speed lower than what my provider advertises?
Advertised speeds are usually the best case over a wired connection. Wi-Fi signal strength, old routers, busy evening hours, VPNs and many devices sharing the line all reduce what you measure. For the most accurate result, use a cable and pause other downloads.
What is the difference between Mbps and MBps?
Mbps means megabits per second and is how internet speeds are advertised. MBps means megabytes per second, which is what download managers often show. One megabyte is eight megabits, so 80 Mbps is roughly 10 MBps.
How much data does the test use?
A speed test downloads and uploads data for several seconds, so on a fast connection it can use a few hundred megabytes. If you are on a limited mobile plan, run it on Wi-Fi.