Frame Rate Test - FPS Test

Welcome to FrameRateTest.org! Our frame rate test measures how many frames per second (or FPS) your monitor is actually delivering, right now, in your browser.  Testing your frame rate and measuring your FPS is really simple. Watch the moving pattern below on your screen, read the live figure, and you have an instant, honest check of your display's smoothness. That is to say, the number of frames your screen is displaying per second. FrameRateTest.org is the quickest way to confirm that a monitor sold as 120 Hz or 144 Hz is really running that fast, to compare two screens, or to see whether your browser and hardware are keeping up.

How to use the frame rate test

The test starts as soon as the page loads, and the on-screen figures update continuously. For the most accurate reading, a few steps help:

• Set your screen to its highest refresh rate in your operating system's display settings first, so the test can reach the panel's true ceiling. If you are unsure what that is, our guide on how to check your refresh rate walks through it.
• Go fullscreen with the button below the canvas. Fullscreen removes browser chrome and other page elements, which gives the cleanest, highest reading.
• Choose a motion mode. Classic sweeps two rectangles across the canvas; Landscape scrolls a pixel-art scene that changes with the time of day. Both move a fixed number of pixels every frame, so motion stays perfectly even.
• Adjust the controls. Change the speed in pixels per frame, the colours, the size, and the Canvas FPS to see how each affects the motion and the numbers.
• Let it settle. Give the reading a few seconds to stabilise before you trust it, and close heavy background tabs that might steal performance.

What is the Frame Rate?

Frame rate, written as FPS (frames per second), is the heartbeat of everything that moves on a screen. A higher, steadier frame rate looks smoother, feels more responsive, and reveals fine detail while objects are in motion. A slower frame rate will feel stuttery. To better understand the concept of frame rate, please read our article on the topic: What is frame rate?

What the readings mean

The test reports three figures. Read together, they tell you what your display is capable of and whether the tool is hitting its target.

Screen resolution

This is the pixel dimension of your display, scaled by its device pixel ratio, so a sharp high-density screen reports its true native figure. Resolution does not change smoothness on its own, but it matters for frame rate: pushing more pixels per frame is harder work, so a very high resolution can pull your FPS down on the same hardware.

Screen FPS (measured)

This is the headline number — the frames per second your browser is actually rendering. On a healthy setup it should sit close to your display's refresh rate: roughly 60 on a 60 Hz panel, 120 on a 120 Hz panel, and so on. If it lands well below your rated refresh rate, the bottleneck is upstream — the browser, the GPU, a power-saving mode, or background load — rather than the screen. Because a browser composites its own output, this figure is a close estimate rather than a laboratory measurement, but it is more than accurate enough to compare screens and spot problems.

Tool FPS

The Canvas FPS control lets you slow the test's own update rate on purpose, to make individual frames easier to study. The Tool FPS reading shows the ratio between your measured frame rate and that chosen update rate. A value near 1.00 means the test is hitting its own target every frame; a lower value means the tool itself is being starved, usually a sign the page is under heavy load.

Frame rate, FPS, and refresh rate

Three numbers govern motion, and they are easy to confuse. Frame rate is how many images your system produces each second. Refresh rate, measured in hertz, is how many times your screen can physically redraw itself each second. The two interact, and the lower of them sets the limit: a graphics card rendering 200 FPS on a 60 Hz panel still shows only 60, while a screen capable of 144 Hz fed just 40 FPS simply repeats frames. For the full explanation, see our guides on what frame rate is and frames per second, and, if you play games, how it all matters in frames per second in gaming.

There is also a subtler number the average hides: consistency. A frame rate that reads a steady 120 but drops the occasional late frame will still hitch, because smooth motion depends on even frame timing, not just a high count. That is a different measurement, and the stutter test exposes it directly.

What affects your frame rate

Frame rate is the output of a pipeline, and its slowest stage sets the ceiling. Knowing the usual bottlenecks makes a low reading easier to fix.

• The GPU draws each frame. High resolutions and demanding effects load it most, so it is the common limit in graphics-heavy work.
• The CPU prepares every frame before the GPU draws it. In lighter scenes, or at low resolutions, it can become the cap instead.
• The browser and compositor matter here specifically. The same machine can report different figures in different browsers, because each handles rendering and hardware acceleration differently. Turning on hardware acceleration usually raises the number.
• Power saving and heat. A laptop on battery saver, or any device that has grown hot, deliberately slows down, dragging frame rate with it.
• VSync and frame caps. These deliberately hold frame rate to the refresh rate to prevent tearing. A system pinned to exactly 60 FPS is often capped, not struggling.

Beyond frame rate: the full motion picture

A high frame rate is necessary for smooth motion, but it is not the whole story. Several other traits decide how good a display actually looks while things move, and each has its own dedicated test on this site. Together they build a complete picture of your screen's motion performance.

• Motion blur test — even at a perfect frame rate, a screen smears moving detail because each frame is held static while your eyes travel. This test measures that persistence blur and any ghosting.
• Frame skipping test — some panels quietly drop frames they claim to show, especially when overclocked. A camera-based pattern catches what software cannot.
• Screen tearing test — when frames arrive out of sync with the refresh, the image splits along a moving horizontal line. This test makes tearing easy to see and confirms whether VSync or a variable refresh rate is working.
• Stutter test — a live frame-time graph and jank counter reveal the late frames that a high average FPS hides.
• Scrolling smoothness test — scrolling is the motion you meet most, and this test measures how evenly your browser delivers it.

How to get a smooth, accurate reading of your frame rate?

If your measured FPS is lower than expected, work through the likely causes in order. Confirm your display is set to its maximum refresh rate, run the test in fullscreen, and close other tabs and applications that compete for the GPU. Plug in a laptop and switch it to a performance power plan so it is not throttling. Make sure hardware acceleration is enabled in your browser, and keep both the browser and your graphics drivers up to date, since these often bring rendering improvements. If the number is still capped at a round figure such as 60, a VSync or frame-rate limit is probably holding it there deliberately. And if the figure looks right but motion still feels rough, the cause is usually frame consistency rather than raw speed — check it with the stutter test, and rule out the panel itself with the frame skipping test.

Frequently asked questions

Is this frame rate test accurate?

It is an accurate estimate. The test measures how many frames per second your browser renders, which closely tracks your display's real output. Because a browser composites its own frames, the figure is not a laboratory reading, but it is reliable enough to verify a refresh rate, compare two screens, and diagnose performance problems.

Why is my FPS lower than my monitor's refresh rate?

Something upstream of the screen is the limit — most often the browser, a lack of hardware acceleration, a power-saving mode, or background load. Run the test in fullscreen, close other tabs, and confirm your display is set to its highest refresh rate, then read it again.

What is a good frame rate?

60 FPS is the widely accepted baseline for smooth, responsive motion. Gamers aim for 120, 144, or 240 on high-refresh monitors, while film runs at just 24. The right target depends on your display and your use; our guide on what frame rate is covers the trade-offs.

Does a higher frame rate always look better?

Only up to your monitor's refresh rate. Rendering 200 FPS on a 60 Hz screen wastes power for no visible gain, because the panel can only show 60. Match your target to the display you own, and confirm what it supports with our refresh rate guide.

More free display tests from our network

Frame rate is only one way a screen can fall short. If yours passed the test above, put the rest of the panel through its paces with our companion sites. Each is free and runs in the browser, with nothing to install.

Dead Pixel Test

DeadPixelTest.org fills your screen with solid, full-screen colours so you can hunt down dead, stuck, or hot pixels — the tiny dots that never light up or never change. It also includes a dead-pixel fixer that flashes rapid colours to try to revive a stuck one. Run it before the return window closes on a new monitor, laptop, or phone.

Dead Pixel TestDead Pixel Fixer

Backlight Bleed Test

BackLightBleedTest.org shows a pure black screen so you can see backlight bleed and IPS glow — the uneven light that leaks around the edges of an LCD in dark scenes. It is the quickest way to judge the panel uniformity of a monitor or television, especially in a dark room.

Backlight Bleed Test

Our wider network reaches beyond displays, too: you can record and test your microphone, tune an instrument, run a metronome, check your internet speed, generate a strong password, look up an IP address, and measure your reaction time. The full list is in the footer of every page.

Related tests and guides

• Motion blur test — how sharp your screen keeps moving detail.
• Frame skipping test — whether the panel draws every frame.
• Screen tearing test — whether frames are aligned to the refresh.
• Stutter test — frame-time consistency and jank.
• Scrolling smoothness test — everyday scroll jank in your browser.
• What is frame rate? — the fundamentals of FPS and Hz.
• What is my refresh rate? — find and confirm your screen's Hz.
• Frames per second in gaming — why FPS matters for play.