# Speedtest by Ookla

5 Hacker News commenters recommended Speedtest by Ookla and 5 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 2 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended for checking internet speed and for a data policy that does not sell user information. Critics say ISPs special-case its results and upload readings can be wrong.

## Why people recommend it

- Strict data controls, does not sell data (1 comments): "at least they have tight data controls and don’t sell that information" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48345537))
- Within about 5% of own tests (1 comments): "speedtest.net is within ~5% of my own test results" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48347584))
- Impressive partner network (1 comments): "The partner network of Speedtest is also impressive." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48339383))

## What people warn about

- ISPs prioritize or special-case its results (2 comments): "ISP seems to give higher network priority to Ookla so I'm not sure how useful it is compared to actual experience" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48343821)) "All these numbers are fake. They are all special cased in most ISPs" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48341409))
- Upload results wrong (2 comments): "The download speed was fine, but upload speed was 1.75x the actual one." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48342334)) "upload was completely wrong" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48340893))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Cloudflare Speed Test](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cloudflare-speed-test.md): 9 recommend
- [Fast.com](https://hackerapproved.com/p/fast-com.md): 7 recommend

## Where to get it

- [Visit the official site](https://www.speedtest.net/)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Speedtest by Ookla", https://hackerapproved.com/p/speedtest/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).