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Internet Latency Test

Latency is the time your connection takes to answer. This test measures it on an idle line, then again while a download and an upload fill the connection, so you can see whether it holds up when someone else is online.

Internet Latency Test

Idle latency

–ms

Response time when nothing else is using the line

While downloading

–ms

Latency during a large download

While uploading

–ms

Latency during a large upload

Press Start. The test measures latency on an idle line, then again while a download and an upload fill it.

How it is measured: the test times small HTTPS requests to Cloudflare's nearest server for the idle figure, then keeps taking latency samples while it downloads and uploads large files, and reports the median of each. The difference is how much your connection slows down when it is busy. Results show the path to Cloudflare, which can differ from the path to your game or call server. Nothing is stored.

Want download and upload speed as well? Run the full speed test. For latency variation and failed samples, use the ping and jitter test.

What the numbers mean

Idle latencyRangeIn practice
ExcellentUp to 20 msEverything feels instant
Good21 to 50 msFine for games, calls and streaming
Fair51 to 100 msFast games feel a little behind
HighOver 100 msLag in games, delay in calls

Under load, a rise of up to 30 ms is normal. A rise of more than 100 ms is bufferbloat. Learn more: what is ping.

How to lower latency

  • Use an Ethernet cable instead of Wi-Fi, or move closer to your router.
  • Pause large downloads, uploads and cloud backups while gaming or on calls.
  • Turn on a smart queue (SQM, Cake or fq_codel) in your router if latency jumps under load.
  • Set the router's speed limit to about 90 to 95 percent of your measured speeds so it queues less.
  • Restart your router and modem, and turn off any VPN you do not need.

Why test latency under load

An idle test shows the best your connection can do. Real use is rarely idle: a cloud backup, a game update or a video call elsewhere in the house can all be running at once. If latency stays close to the idle figure during a download or upload, your router handles the traffic well. If it jumps by a hundred milliseconds or more, everything time-sensitive, such as games, calls and live video, suffers whenever the line is busy, even when your speed is fast.

Latency is not the same as speed. A connection can be fast and still have high latency, and the reverse. See what download speed means and what jitter is.

Common questions

What is internet latency?
Latency is the time a small piece of data takes to travel from your device to a server and back, measured in milliseconds (ms). It depends mostly on distance, the number of network hops and how busy the connection is. It is separate from download speed, which is how much data arrives per second.
Is latency the same as ping?
In everyday use, yes. Ping is the common name for the round-trip latency you see in speed tests and games. Strictly, "ping" is also the command-line tool that measures it.
What is a good latency?
Under 20 ms is excellent, 21 to 50 ms is good, 51 to 100 ms is fair and over 100 ms is high. Browsing and streaming work fine across that whole range. Fast online games feel best under 50 ms, and video calls stay comfortable up to roughly 150 ms.
What does latency under load mean?
It is the latency measured while your connection is busy downloading or uploading. A healthy connection rises only a little. A large jump means your router queues too much data, a problem called bufferbloat, and it causes lag in calls and games whenever someone else is using the internet.
Why is my latency higher while downloading or uploading?
Large transfers fill the router's buffer, and every other packet, including your game or call traffic, waits in line behind them. Uploads usually hurt more than downloads because upload bandwidth is smaller and fills up faster.
How can I lower my latency?
Use an Ethernet cable instead of Wi-Fi, pause large downloads and cloud backups while gaming or on calls, restart your router, and turn off any VPN you do not need. If latency jumps under load, enable a smart queue (often called SQM, Cake or fq_codel) on your router, or cap its speed at about 90 to 95 percent of your measured speeds.
Does the test measure the latency to my game or call server?
No. It measures the round trip to Cloudflare's nearest server, which shows how your own connection behaves. The path to a specific game server can be longer or shorter, but a slow or unstable local connection will affect all of them.