LibreSpeed

Overview

LibreSpeed is a free, open-source network speed test that can run in a browser or on infrastructure you control. It suits people who want basic connection measurements without a paid plan, especially operators willing to host and configure the service themselves. Its strongest distinction is a separate stability test with detailed latency reporting; the trade-off is that self-hosting requires server setup.

Key features

The main test measures download, upload, ping, and jitter. When several test points are configured, LibreSpeed can select the one with the lowest ping, sparing users a manual server choice. The project says it supports IE11, current Edge, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and mobile browser versions.

The standalone stability test adds current, average, minimum, and maximum latency, jitter, failed-request percentage, threshold alerts, and CSV export. It can target the local backend, configured test points, or Google, Cloudflare, and Apple. This makes LibreSpeed more useful for investigating consistency over time than a speed test that returns only a single result, though the stability measures center on latency and request failures.

Telemetry and result sharing are optional. The official demo says telemetry may store a test ID, time, results, IP address, ISP, approximate location, user agent, browser locale, and a test log. The privacy policy says collected data is not disclosed to third parties and can be deleted when the test ID or IP address is provided. For operators who need retained results, optional database integrations support MariaDB, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and SQLite.

Deployment uses a web server such as Apache, nginx, or IIS, with PHP 5.4 or newer; other backends are available. Go and Rust implementations are options, while the Node.js implementation is partial and not recommended. A Docker image is built weekly with updated ipinfo data and the latest PHP security patches, and the project recommends using the latest image. Beyond browsers, client options include an Android client template, a command-line client, and a.NET library distributed through NuGet.

Pricing

LibreSpeed's Free and Open Source plan costs nothing and is self-hosted. It is the right fit for individuals and operators who can provide their own server and want to run the test without a paid plan. The value is straightforward, but the price does not remove the work of deployment and backend configuration; this is not a turnkey hosted service.

Platforms

LibreSpeed supports Android, Linux, macOS, self-hosted use, web, and Windows. The browser test is the most direct route for end users; server and client options make it more adaptable for people managing their own testing setup. Its HTTP, HTTPS, and ICMP protocol support and active test methods suit connection measurement rather than broader network simulation.

Who it's for

Choose LibreSpeed if you want a no-cost speed test that you can host, configure with multiple test points, and use to examine latency stability as well as throughput. It is less suitable if you want a managed service or do not want to maintain a web server and supported backend.

Pros and cons

Pro: Measures download, upload, ping, and jitter, while the separate stability test adds latency ranges, failed-request percentage, threshold alerts, and CSV export.

Pro: Optional telemetry and result sharing give operators control over whether to collect and share test data.

Pro: Multiple backend implementations and optional database integrations offer choices for self-hosted deployments.

Con: Installation requires a web server and supported backend, so the free price still entails infrastructure and setup.

Con: The Node.js implementation is partial and not recommended, narrowing the practical backend choices for teams committed to Node.js.

Alternatives

Choose Network Testing Software to browse the broader category.

PingPlotter is worth considering if you want monitoring history: its Free plan is limited to one connection, no remote collection, and 10-minute monitoring history, while it also has a Professional Edition at $29 a month. OpenSpeedTest is another free, open-source HTML5 speed test, with an embed widget free for personal and commercial use; choose it if that widget is a priority. For hardware-dependent network testing, TRex is a free open-source Linux application, with hardware and NIC requirements to account for.

Tessabyte offers a paid 1-user license for $39 as a one-time purchase, billed $39, permitting installation on up to three personal Windows and macOS machines. EVE-NG has a free tier with 7 nodes per instance and 63 nodes per lab, as well as paid plans. iPerf2 is a free alternative with compile-time feature sets and permit-key access gating. GNS3 is free and open source. Mininet is free under a permissive BSD license and requires a Linux kernel, with its limits tied to one server's CPU and bandwidth.

Verdict

LibreSpeed is a strong choice for technically capable users and operators who want a free, self-hosted speed test with a genuinely useful stability view. Choose it for the control and latency detail; look elsewhere if you need a managed service or want to avoid server and backend setup.