Speedtest.net Website Review

A Review of Speedtest.net, a Bandwith Testing Service

When it comes to internet speed test sites, Speedtest.net is definitely an old favorite of mine and probably the most commonly used test site, as it's completed tends of billions of speed tests since it was founded.

It combines a very long list of remote test servers, an easy to use and fun interface, and powerful statistic tools, all making it one of the best when it's time to test your bandwidth. In fact, it's what I use before any of the other options that are out there, and it's always my first pick when I recommend this type of test to someone else.

So, before you waste your time searching among the mountain of sites designed to test the speed of your internet connection, give Speedtest.net a try.

Speedtest.net internet speed test

Pros and Cons

There's a lot to like about this bandwidth test:

What We Like
  • Huge number of test locations all over the world, improving accuracy of results.

  • Familiar speedometer-like display.

  • Nearest test location automatically calculated.

  • One of the most graphically appealing interfaces among speed test sites.

  • Easily shareable via email and social networks.

  • See test statistics from around the world.

  • App versions are available for most major mobile platforms.

What We Don't Like
  • Heavy graphics more of a nuisance than an advantage for dial-up users.

  • Test locations concentrated mainly in North America and Europe.

More Information on Speedtest.net

Here are some more facts about Speedtest.net:

  • Even without making a user account, your preferred testing server can be pre-selected from the settings. Before you start the speed test, you can then pick either your preferred server or the recommended one, which is the one closest to your location
  • If you'd rather read the speed test in a different unit of measurement, you can pick between kilobits (Kb) and megabits (Mb)
  • From the Results page is a list of all the tests you've taken, as well as the best result from all those tests. 
  • Your speed test results can be exported to a CSV file
  • Not only can single speed test results be shared, but also all of your Speedtest.net results and the whole list that shows your results over time
  • When you share a test, a Rating is shown to see how the speed of your connection compares to the rest of your country

If I had to choose a single bandwidth testing site among the huge number available, I'd certainly recommend Speedtest.net over some others. It's operated by Ookla, a provider of bandwidth testing technology to a number of other internet speed test sites.

Speedtest.net is a very well-designed and functional site with a speedometer display and other dials and readouts showing important information about your internet connection.

A list of the thousands of remote testing servers, ordered by the ones closest to you, makes it easy to decide on and change test locations based on geography.

Besides the attractive design and huge number of testing sites, Speedtest.net sets itself apart from most other internet speed test sites I've used by its ability to save test results over time and to filter those tests to easily find ones performed against a particular server or by the connection (IP address) that was used when the test was performed.

Every time you visit this site, you can see the results of your previous bandwidth tests. This is great for tracking the speed of your internet connection to either show your ISP that your connection has slowed down or to prove to you that an advertised upgrade to your bandwidth has actually occurred.

Another unique feature is the custom graphic that's generated each time you do a bandwidth test. This graphic can be emailed to a friend to brag about a fast new connection, shared online to compare results with others, or perhaps you might want to forward it to your ISP along with a complaint letter!

I usually run a speed test with this app on each new Wi-Fi network I connect to so I can set realistic expectations, like to know if I should or shouldn't get on a video call, download lots of files, or do something else that needs lots of bandwidth. I've almost never seen it give a wildly different number than I expected.

So, all in all, there's very little not to like about Speedtest.net. It's intuitive, fast, easy on the eyes, and has been fairly accurate in my tests when compared to what the ISP says the available bandwidth should be.

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