What counts as a good download speed?
For one person browsing and streaming, 25 Mbps is comfortable and 100 Mbps is plenty. A household that streams in 4K on several screens wants 200–500 Mbps. Beyond that, extra download speed mostly shortens big downloads: a 60 GB game arrives in ~80 minutes at 100 Mbps and ~8 minutes at gigabit.
Speed is the capacity of the pipe, not the feel of the connection — pages snap and calls stay smooth thanks to low latency, which is measured alongside your throughput here. A 100 Mbps line with great latency feels faster than bloated gigabit.
How this test measures download
Your browser opens several parallel connections to the nearest Cloudflare datacenter and streams data for about ten seconds, sampling throughput as bytes arrive. The headline number is the 90th percentile after ramp-up — what your line sustains, not a lucky instant. The peak value is the single best sample.
Parallel connections matter: a single stream rarely fills a fast line (that’s also why one slow file download doesn’t prove your internet is slow). This is the same approach the major test sites use.
If your download speed is lower than your plan
Test wired if you can — Wi-Fi is the number-one thief of download speed. Stop other downloads, streams and cloud syncs; they share the line. Test at another time of day too: evening slowdowns point at congestion, constant shortfalls point at your line or plan.
Consistently getting far less than you pay for, on a cable, at quiet hours? Save two or three results and have that conversation with your ISP — concrete numbers work.
Common questions
What download speed do I need for 4K streaming?
Netflix, Disney+ and friends recommend 15–25 Mbps per 4K stream. Multiply by your simultaneous screens and leave headroom for everything else — a two-4K-stream home is happiest at 100 Mbps or more.
Why does my 500 Mbps plan download files at 60 MB/s?
Different units: plans are sold in megaBITS per second, file sizes count megaBYTES. Divide by eight — 500 Mbps is at most 62.5 MB/s, so 60 MB/s means your line is delivering essentially full speed.
Why is my download speed suddenly slow?
Check the usual chain: something else using the line (updates, cloud backup, someone streaming), Wi-Fi trouble, an overloaded router that needs a restart, or evening congestion. If a wired test at a quiet hour is still slow, involve your ISP.
Does a VPN reduce download speed?
Almost always somewhat — traffic detours through the VPN server and gets encrypted on the way. A nearby fast VPN server may cost only a few percent; a distant or busy one can halve your throughput.