Why Do Speed Tests Show Different Results?
Run three speed tests and you'll often get three different numbers. None of them is necessarily "wrong" — they measure different things in different ways.
Different servers, different distances
A test against a server inside your ISP's network shows a flattering best-case number. A test across the public internet shows what you actually get when using real websites and apps. The gap between them reveals how much of your "speed" only exists on the short hop to local servers.
Different methods
Some tests report peak burst speed; others (like this one and Cloudflare) use a trimmed average or 90th-percentile for a more realistic figure. Single-connection vs multi-connection testing also changes results significantly.
Real-world variables
WiFi vs wired, time of day (evening congestion), background devices, VPNs, and even your browser all move the number. Testing on WiFi from across the house can halve your result versus a wired test next to the router.
How to get the truest result
Test wired if possible, close other apps and devices, run the test 2–3 times, and compare across two different tools. Use the same conditions each time so your before/after comparisons are fair. Our no-login history feature makes spotting patterns easy.
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