About InternetSpeed.online

I started InternetSpeed.online because a speed test result did not always match what I experienced when using the internet.

A test server inside an internet provider's own network can tell you something useful about your connection to that network. But it does not necessarily show how well your connection performs when traffic travels beyond it. I wanted a test focused on transferring data to an external server, with results that help people understand that part of their connection.

I was also concerned about differences between performance during a speed test and performance during ordinary downloads. That led to a design goal: make the test resemble ordinary data transfers as closely as practical.

No single test can represent every website, application, or destination. InternetSpeed.online aims to provide useful measurements while making their scope and limitations clear.

The internet speed test measures download and upload performance on home broadband, mobile data, and other internet connections.

The VPN comparison project examines a related question: how does performance change when a VPN is part of the connection?

VPN marketing often emphasizes speed, but it can be difficult to know what to expect before paying for a subscription. Trying a service and requesting a refund takes time, and refund conditions may depend on the payment method and purchase terms.

I test both paid and free VPN plans. Automated measurements run daily, building a history that shows how performance changes over time. This helps readers look beyond a single result and assess whether a service delivers consistent speeds under the tested conditions.

The current VPN testing methodology explains the setup and procedures behind the comparisons. Results reflect the tested conditions and do not guarantee the same speeds on every connection.

A longer-term goal is a map of internet performance based on measurements at more specific locations.

City-wide averages cannot tell someone much about the connection they might get at home, at work, or in a rural area. I want to help people compare mobile and fixed internet providers using observations relevant to the places where they actually need a connection.

This map is not available yet. The current focus is developing the speed test and expanding the VPN performance research.