Do I Need an Account to Run a Test?
No. You can run unlimited speed tests without creating an account. An account is optional and adds result history, statistics, and competition entry.
Anonymous testing — what you get without an account
Every test tool on Speedtest.now works without signing in. You can run download, upload, ping, jitter, and packet loss tests immediately — no signup screen, no email required. Your most recent result is displayed in the browser for the duration of your session.
What anonymous testing cannot do is persist your results. When you close the browser tab, the result is gone. If you run tests over a week to track a connectivity problem, those results are not saved anywhere unless you have an account.
What a free account unlocks
Test history
Every test you run while logged in is permanently saved to your account. You can view the full history in your dashboard, filter by date range, connection type, or tool, and see trends in your download speed, upload speed, and latency over time.
Personal statistics
Your dashboard aggregates all your results into charts and summary statistics — average speeds by day of week, time of day patterns, and changes over time. Useful for identifying whether a speed problem is intermittent, time-dependent (ISP congestion), or persistent.
Weekly competition
Logged-in users with verified email addresses automatically enter the weekly speed competition. Your fastest download speed, fastest upload speed, and lowest ping result each week are recorded in the competition. The top results appear on the Leaderboard and the best of all time in the Hall of Champions.
Anonymous vs account — comparison
| Capability | Anonymous | Free account |
|---|---|---|
| Run unlimited tests | ✓ | ✓ |
| See result immediately after test | ✓ | ✓ |
| Permanent test history | — | ✓ |
| Speed trend charts | — | ✓ |
| Compete in weekly leaderboard | — | ✓ (verified email) |
| Contact support via the site form | — | ✓ (verified email) |
What does "email verified" mean?
When you create an account, we send a verification link to the email address you provided. Clicking that link confirms you control the address. Email verification is required for competition entry because it prevents automated accounts from inflating results and ensures leaderboard entries are legitimate.
You do not need a verified email to save your test history — verification only unlocks competition participation and the contact form.
How to create an account
- Click Sign up in the navigation
- Enter your email address and choose a password (minimum 8 characters)
- Optionally choose a display name for the leaderboard
- Check your email inbox for a verification link and click it
- That's it — your account is active and all future tests are saved automatically