Performance | 5 min read

What is a good internet speed?

A good speed is one that covers everything your household does at the same time, with some spare capacity. The right number depends on how many people and devices share the line, not just what one person does.

A quick guide

These figures are rules of thumb for download speed. Add up what runs simultaneously.

  • Browsing, email, social media: 5 to 10 Mbps per person
  • HD video stream: about 5 Mbps per stream
  • 4K video stream: about 15 to 25 Mbps per stream
  • HD video call: 2 to 4 Mbps each way
  • Online gaming: 3 to 6 Mbps, but latency matters far more
  • Large game or software downloads: as much as you can get

Households

One or two people with light use: 25 to 50 Mbps. A family with several streams and calls: 100 to 200 Mbps. Heavy remote work, many devices or frequent large downloads: 300 Mbps or more, ideally with strong upload.

Speed is not the whole story

A fast connection with high latency, jitter or packet loss can feel worse than a slower, steadier one. That is why WiFi Ping also scores responsiveness and stability, and rates real activities instead of stopping at a number.

Are you getting what you pay for?

Test next to the router with an Ethernet cable and other devices paused. If that result is close to your plan, the line is fine and any shortfall elsewhere comes from Wi-Fi or your devices. If it is far below your plan across several tests at different times, contact your provider.

Keep reading