Ookla

Ookla is a United States-based internet performance measurement and network diagnostics company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 2006 by Mike Apgar and Doug Suttles, it is best known for Speedtest, a consumer-facing service that measures the download speed, upload speed, and latency of an internet connection. The company also provides software, data products, and analytical tools for telecommunications operators, enterprises, governments, media organizations, and other institutions that need to evaluate network quality and connectivity experience. Ookla's flagship service began as Speedtest.net, a web-based broadband testing service. The domain had hosted a speed-testing service before Ookla's formation, and Ookla acquired it in 2006. The company developed the service into a large-scale measurement platform that combines browser and mobile-app tests with a distributed network of test servers. A typical test compares a user's connection with a geographically selected Ookla server and measures throughput in both directions together with connection latency. The resulting data supports both individual diagnostics and aggregated analysis of internet performance by geography, provider, technology, and time period. Speedtest became widely used by consumers checking home broadband, mobile data, and Wi-Fi performance. Its results also became a source for journalists, researchers, regulators, network operators, and technology analysts studying broadband availability, performance disparities, mobile network generations, and national connectivity trends. By December 2023, the service used more than 16,000 geographically distributed servers, and the company reported that more than 52.3 billion tests had been completed by February 17, 2024. These figures illustrate the scale of Ookla's measurement dataset, although individual test results can vary according to device, local network conditions, server selection, congestion, and methodology. In addition to its public testing product, Ookla has historically generated revenue by licensing custom speed-test experiences, proprietary testing technology, and network-performance data to businesses. Its customers and commercial users have included telecommunications providers, media companies, and other organizations seeking branded testing tools or detailed market intelligence. Its product portfolio has expanded around Speedtest into offerings such as Speedtest Custom and Ookla Insights, allowing clients to collect, analyze, and present performance information under their own brands or through Ookla's analytical products. The company initially used Adobe Flash technology for its browser-based test, but transitioned to HTML5 as Flash approached the end of its supported life. The HTML5 version left beta on January 9, 2018, helping preserve browser access without requiring the discontinued plugin. Ookla was acquired by Ziff Davis in 2014 and operates as part of that broader digital-media and internet-services group. Ookla's corporate identity remains closely associated with Speedtest, while its business-to-business activities focus on turning large-scale connectivity measurements into network intelligence and diagnostic services.

Ookla was founded in 2006 by Mike Apgar and Doug Suttles. Suttles had already registered the Ookla.com domain name, choosing the name in reference to a pet cat named after a character from the television series Thundarr the Barbarian. The founders acquired the Speedtest.net domain, which had previously been used for an internet speed-testing service, and made Speedtest the center of Ookla's business. Speedtest began as a browser-based broadband diagnostic tool. It measured the performance of an internet connection by testing download throughput, upload throughput, and latency against a selected server. The service was initially built with Adobe Flash, a technology that was widely supported by browsers at the time. As internet access expanded from fixed broadband to smartphones and mobile networks, Ookla developed browser and mobile-app experiences and built a broad server infrastructure to support geographically distributed testing. By the early 2010s, Speedtest had become one of the most visible internet-performance services. Ookla stated that it held a substantial share of the speed-test market and ranked among the most visited websites. Its commercial model included licensing custom speed-test experiences and proprietary testing software to network operators, media companies, and other organizations. The reference material identifies companies such as CNN, Disney, AT&T, Verizon, and CenturyLink among reported clients or users of its commercial offerings. This business-to-business activity complemented the free public service and gave Ookla a way to monetize its measurement technology and data. The planned end of Adobe Flash required a major technical change. Ookla rebuilt the browser test with HTML5, allowing Speedtest to operate without the discontinued plugin. The HTML5 implementation exited beta on January 9, 2018. Speedtest's testing architecture also evolved from earlier HTTP-based testing toward a custom protocol over TCP sockets, intended to improve the accuracy and consistency of throughput measurements. Ookla was acquired by Ziff Davis in 2014. Under Ziff Davis, the brand continued to operate Speedtest as a consumer service while developing analytical and commercial products for communications providers, enterprises, and other professional users. Ookla's aggregated results became frequently cited in reporting and analysis concerning broadband and mobile performance. The platform's value rests not only in the individual test but also in the scale of its resulting dataset, which can be examined by location, provider, access technology, and period. The service continued to expand its measurement footprint. Reference material reports more than 16,000 geographically distributed test servers by December 2023 and more than 52.3 billion completed tests by February 17, 2024. These measurements support Ookla's public-facing reports and commercial intelligence products, while individual results remain affected by local conditions and the methodology used. Ookla remains primarily identified with Speedtest by Ookla, but its wider scope includes branded testing, network diagnostics, and data analysis. The company therefore occupies a position between a consumer internet utility, a software provider for communications companies, and a specialized data and intelligence business. Reference material also states that Russia blocked Speedtest on July 30, 2025. No verified information in the supplied materials establishes a current Ookla chief executive, a separate public listing for the brand, or a completed sale to another company.

• 2025

  Russia blocks Speedtest

  [1]Speedtest.neten.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reports a Russian block on Speedtest beginning July 30, 2025.

• 2024

  Speedtest passes 52.3 billion completed tests

  [1]Speedtest.neten.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reports that more than 52.3 billion internet speed tests had been completed by February 17, 2024.

• 2023

  Speedtest operates more than 16,000 test servers

  [1]Speedtest.neten.wikipedia.org

  The service is reported to use more than 16,000 geographically distributed servers by December 2023.

• 2018

  HTML5 Speedtest leaves beta

  [1]Speedtest.neten.wikipedia.org

  Ookla completes the principal browser transition from Flash to HTML5, enabling Speedtest to operate without Adobe's discontinued browser plugin.

• 2014

  Ziff Davis acquires Ookla

  [1]Speedtest.neten.wikipedia.org

  Ookla becomes part of Ziff Davis, expanding the parent company's portfolio of digital products and internet services.

• 2011

  Speedtest reaches broad market adoption

  [1]Speedtest.neten.wikipedia.org

  Reference material says Ookla claimed approximately 80% share of the speed-test market and ranked among the world's most visited websites, with licensing as a major revenue model.

• 2006

  Ookla is founded and acquires the Speedtest.net domain

  [1]Speedtest.neten.wikipedia.org

  Mike Apgar and Doug Suttles establish Ookla and acquire the domain associated with its flagship internet-performance testing service.

A global connectivity intelligence and network-performance measurement platform serving consumers, communications providers, enterprises, media organizations, and public-sector users.

• Consumer internet performance testing · 2006

  Speedtest by Ookla

  Ookla's flagship web and mobile service measures internet download speed, upload speed, and latency. A test connects the user with a geographically selected server from Ookla's distributed network. Speedtest results are useful for diagnosing apparent broadband or mobile-performance problems and are also aggregated into broader analyses of connectivity. Results can be influenced by the user's device, Wi-Fi conditions, local congestion, access technology, server choice, and other testing conditions.

• Branded testing software

  Speedtest Custom

  Speedtest Custom provides organizations with branded internet-performance testing experiences. It is designed for communications providers, media companies, and other businesses that want to offer testing under their own identity while collecting performance information relevant to their users or service areas. The offering reflects Ookla's licensing and business-to-business software model.

• Network intelligence and analytics

  Ookla Insights

  Ookla Insights represents the company's analytical and data-oriented offerings built from network-performance measurements. These products help professional users examine connectivity quality across markets, providers, locations, and access technologies. The supplied material does not specify a complete product catalogue or detailed commercial terms.

• 2018

  Move Speedtest from Flash to HTML5Generation change

  Background

  Adobe's decision to discontinue Flash made the former browser implementation unsuitable as a long-term foundation for the service.

  Action taken

  Ookla rebuilt the browser-based test using HTML5 and released the new implementation from beta on January 9, 2018.

  Aftermath

  Speedtest could continue operating in modern browsers without requiring the Flash plugin.

  Source

• 2014

  Join the Ziff Davis portfolioM&A

  Background

  Ookla had developed a large consumer testing service and a licensing business serving network operators and media organizations.

  Action taken

  Ziff Davis acquired Ookla.

  Aftermath

  Ookla continued operating as a Ziff Davis brand and expanded its role as a connectivity measurement and analytics business.

  Source

• 2025

  Russia blocks Speedtest[1]Speedtest.neten.wikipedia.org

  Regulation

  Reference material states that Russia blocked access to Speedtest on July 30, 2025.

• 2018

  Speedtest completes transition from Flash to HTML5[1]Speedtest.neten.wikipedia.org

  Product generation · Product launch

  The HTML5 version of Speedtest left beta on January 9, 2018, replacing the service's earlier Flash-based browser implementation.

• 2014

  Ookla is acquired by Ziff Davis[1]Speedtest.neten.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Ziff Davis acquired Ookla, bringing the network-measurement company into its digital-media and internet-services portfolio.

• 2006

  Ookla is established by Mike Apgar and Doug Suttles[1]Speedtest.neten.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The founders established Ookla and acquired the Speedtest.net domain, developing the service into the company's principal consumer internet-testing platform.

1. 1Speedtest.neten.wikipedia.org
2. 2Ookla official websiteookla.com
3. 3Ookla Acquires RootMetricsfinanznachrichten.de
4. 4Ookla launches Speedtest VPN, a free virtual private networknotebookcheck.net
5. 5Smart 5G Wins Philippines' Fastest 5G Mobile Network Award by Ookla for Q1-Q2 2021techpinas.com
6. 6Speedtest provider Ookla acquires RootMetricslightreading.com
7. 7Telus wins Ookla's ‘Fastest Mobile Network’ and ‘Best Mobile Coverage’ awards in Canadamobilesyrup.com