We compared M-Lab ★★★★★ with RealSpeed ★★★★★ and concluded that RealSpeed is a better speed test than M-Lab.
This is mainly because RealSpeed measures your router speed and your device speed.
The radar chart above is based on the results of our standardized speed test test. The results speak for themselves.
Strengths of M-Lab
M-Lab is one of the few speed tests with an accuracy score of 100 (out of 100).
It's good to know that compared to most other speed tests, M-Lab scores quite well and fairly evenly on the different aspects we tested.
M-Lab scores high on the overall score list due to its high accuracy and thoroughness.
Strengths of RealSpeed
The strongest point of RealSpeed is without a doubt that this speed test performs two speed tests. One from the router and one from the device in use. Both speed tests are accurate.
This gives you direct insight into whether your ISP delivers the promised speed. This makes it immediately clear what the cause is of any performance problems.
RealSpeed starts up instantly, doesn't show ads, and seems fairly frugal in terms of data usage (although we can only determine this at 50%, as we couldn't determine data usage during the router test).
Our recommendation
Based on what we know about speed tests, if we had to choose between these two speed tests, we would choose RealSpeed over M-Lab. The deciding factor is the accuracy of RealSpeed in both the router test and the device test.