Ping measures how long it takes for a small packet of data to travel from your device to a server and back, measured in milliseconds (ms). It is one of the most important indicators of how responsive your internet connection feels in real time.
A low ping means your connection responds quickly. A high ping creates noticeable lag in interactive applications like online games, video calls, and remote desktops. Even a fast download speed will not make up for a slow ping when responsiveness matters.
Our ping test sends 50 samples to a nearby server and reports the minimum, average, and maximum round-trip times, plus jitter (the variation between samples).
// Under 20ms
Excellent
Competitive gaming, real-time trading, professional video conferencing.
// 20-50ms
Good
Most online games, video calls, and interactive web apps work smoothly.
// 50-100ms
Fair
Casual gaming and standard browsing are fine. May notice slight delay.
// Over 150ms
Poor
Noticeable lag in real-time apps. Web browsing still works but feels sluggish.
> What is a good ping speed?
A good ping speed is under 50ms for most activities. For competitive online gaming, you want ping below 20ms. General web browsing and video streaming work fine with ping up to 100ms. Anything above 150ms will feel noticeably sluggish, especially in real-time applications like video calls or multiplayer games.
> How do I lower my ping?
To lower your ping, use a wired Ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi, close background applications that consume bandwidth, and choose game servers or services closer to your physical location. Restarting your router can also help clear congestion. If your ping is consistently high, consider upgrading your internet plan or switching to an ISP with better routing to your destination servers.
> What is the difference between ping and latency?
Ping is the act of sending a small data packet to a server and measuring how long it takes for a response to come back. Latency is the broader term for any delay in data transmission across a network. In practice, people use the two words interchangeably. Technically, ping measures round-trip time (RTT), which is one common way to quantify latency.
> What is jitter and why does it matter?
Jitter is the variation in ping times between consecutive packets. Even if your average ping is low, high jitter means some packets arrive much faster or slower than others. This inconsistency causes stuttering in video calls, rubber-banding in online games, and choppy audio in VoIP applications. A jitter value under 5ms is considered excellent for real-time communication.
> Why is my ping so high?
High ping is commonly caused by Wi-Fi interference, network congestion from other devices on your network, long physical distance to the server, or ISP routing issues. Running a VPN can also add latency by routing your traffic through an intermediary server. Background downloads, streaming, or cloud backups on your network will increase ping as they consume available bandwidth and router processing capacity.
> What ping do I need for gaming?
For competitive first-person shooters and fighting games, you want ping under 20ms. Most online multiplayer games play well with ping between 20ms and 50ms. Casual and turn-based games are comfortable up to 100ms. Real-time strategy games generally need ping below 80ms. If your ping exceeds 150ms, you will likely experience noticeable input delay and desync issues in most online games.