This free refresh rate test measures your screen's actual Hz live, right in your browser, and lets you compare what different frame rates look like side by side. No download, no sign-up.
RUNS ENTIRELY IN YOUR BROWSER · NOTHING ABOUT YOUR DEVICE IS RECORDED OR SENT ANYWHERE
Last updated: · Reviewed for accuracy against current browser APIs
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Measuring your screen's refresh rate…
–Hz
Keep this tab focused and other heavy apps closed for the most accurate reading.
See the difference: motion at different frame rates
24 FPS
30 FPS
60 FPS
Your display
Each panel moves the dot at a genuinely different, independent frame rate — not a video — so what you see is an accurate live comparison, not a pre-recorded clip.
Here's how to test your screen's refresh rate online without an app, in a few seconds — no software, no account.
Just open this page.
The measurement starts automatically the moment the page loads — there's nothing to click to begin.
Close other heavy tabs and apps.
Anything competing for your CPU or GPU can cause a slightly low or unstable reading, since the browser has to share resources.
Wait a couple of seconds.
The Hz number will settle once enough frames have been measured — a jumpy number for the first moment or two is normal.
Compare frame rates side by side.
Watch the four panels below to see how 24, 30, 60 FPS, and your display's actual rate genuinely look and feel different in motion.
Click "Test again" any time.
Useful after changing a display setting, switching cables, or plugging into a different monitor.
Who tests their refresh rate, and why
Gamers run this after buying a new monitor to confirm it's actually running at its rated 144 Hz or 240 Hz, rather than silently falling back to 60 Hz because of a display setting or the wrong cable. Phone buyers use it to check whether a phone advertised with a 90 Hz or 120 Hz screen is genuinely running at that rate, since some phones quietly drop to a lower rate to save battery unless a setting is changed. People troubleshooting choppy scrolling or laggy-feeling video use this to rule out the display itself before assuming it's a software problem. Video editors and content creators check refresh rate to understand why footage recorded at one frame rate can look subtly wrong when played back on a screen running at another. And anyone simply curious what all the "120Hz" and "144Hz" marketing actually means can see it — and feel it — for themselves in the comparison panels above.
What is screen refresh rate?
Refresh rate is how many times per second your screen redraws the image it's showing, measured in Hertz (Hz). A 60Hz screen redraws up to 60 times a second; a 144Hz screen, up to 144 times. A higher number means the screen is physically capable of showing more updates per second — smoother motion, more responsive-feeling input, and less blur when something on screen is moving quickly.
It's worth being clear that you don't strictly need a high refresh rate. For reading, writing, browsing, and most video content, 60 Hz is genuinely enough for most people. Where a higher refresh rate earns its keep is fast motion — competitive gaming, fast-scrolling content, and anything where responsiveness matters more than usual.
Common refresh rate values compared
Refresh rate
Commonly seen on
What it feels like
24–30 Hz
TV, cinema, most online video
The familiar, natural look of film and standard video
60 Hz
Most monitors, laptops, budget phones
Smooth for everyday use; the long-standing standard
90 Hz
Mid-range phones
Noticeably smoother scrolling than 60 Hz
120 Hz
Flagship phones, gaming monitors
Very smooth; the point where most people stop noticing further gains
144 Hz
Gaming monitors
A popular sweet spot for competitive gaming
240 Hz+
High-end esports monitors
Diminishing returns for most people beyond this point
Refresh rate vs. FPS — what's the difference?
The two terms get used interchangeably, but they're not quite the same thing. Refresh rate is a fixed property of your screen — how many times it's physically capable of redrawing per second, regardless of what's being shown on it. Frames per second (FPS) is how many new images your computer, phone, or game actually produces per second, which depends on processing power and how demanding the content is.
You could have a 144Hz monitor, but if you're running a demanding game your graphics card can't quite keep up with, the actual FPS might be 70 or 80 — well below what the screen could display. Refresh rate is the ceiling; FPS is what you're actually getting under it. This is also why the comparison panels above are useful: they show what a genuinely fixed frame rate looks like, independent of your screen's own maximum. If you want to check whether every frame at that rate is actually arriving on schedule rather than being skipped or repeated, our Frame Skipping Test covers that specifically.
Refresh rate problems at a glance
Symptom
Likely cause
Quick fix
Reading shows 60Hz on a higher-rated monitor
OS display setting not set to the max rate
Check your display settings and select the higher refresh rate
High rate won't stay selected
Cable or port doesn't support it at your resolution
Use DisplayPort or a higher-spec HDMI cable
Screen tearing during motion
FPS and refresh rate out of sync
Enable V-Sync, G-Sync, or FreeSync if your hardware supports it
Phone feels less smooth than its rated Hz
Battery-saving mode limiting refresh rate
Check your phone's display settings for a refresh rate or battery-saver toggle
Reading is unstable or jumps around
Other apps competing for system resources
Close other tabs and heavy apps, then test again
Fixing common refresh rate problems
Your monitor isn't running at its rated Hz. On Windows, go to Settings → System → Display → Advanced display, select your monitor, and check the refresh rate dropdown — it's common for this to quietly default back to 60Hz after a driver update — worth getting the latest one directly from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel, whichever matches your graphics card. On macOS, check System Settings → Displays for a refresh rate option (not all Macs support this).
A high refresh rate won't stick. This is very often the cable. Older HDMI versions and cheap cables can cap out well below what your monitor and graphics card can otherwise do — DisplayPort or a certified high-bandwidth HDMI cable usually resolves it.
Motion looks torn or glitchy. This is a sync issue between your FPS and your screen's refresh rate rather than the refresh rate itself being wrong. Enabling V-Sync, G-Sync, or FreeSync (depending on your hardware) lines the two up.
Frequently asked questions
How do I test my screen's refresh rate?
Just open this page — the test starts automatically and measures how many times your screen actually redraws per second, showing the result in Hz within a few seconds. Click "Test again" to re-run it any time.
What is a good refresh rate?
For everyday browsing, reading, and video, 60 Hz is plenty. For gaming, 120–144 Hz is a popular sweet spot, and competitive players sometimes go higher. Most people can't reliably tell the difference above about 120–144 Hz.
Why does this test show a different number than my monitor's rated Hz?
This usually means your operating system isn't actually set to use the monitor's maximum refresh rate, or the cable or port you're using doesn't support it at your current resolution. Check your display settings and cable type.
What's the difference between refresh rate and FPS?
Refresh rate is a fixed property of your screen — how many times it can redraw per second. FPS is how many new images your computer or game actually produces per second, which can be lower than your screen's refresh rate if the content isn't demanding enough hardware to keep up.
Can a browser accurately measure very high refresh rates?
Browsers can measure refresh rate reasonably accurately up to around 240 Hz, since the measurement is tied to how often the browser itself is allowed to update the page. For extremely high rates, dedicated software will generally be more precise.
Why does my phone feel smoother than my monitor even at a similar Hz?
Touchscreens often combine a high refresh rate with a high touch-sampling rate, so your finger's movement is tracked and reflected on screen extremely quickly, which can feel smoother than the refresh rate number alone suggests.
Does a higher refresh rate use more battery or power?
Yes, generally. Redrawing the screen more often takes more processing and power, which is why many phones and laptops offer an adaptive or variable refresh rate that drops lower when the extra smoothness isn't needed.
Does this test work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. It works the same way on any modern mobile browser, and is a good way to confirm whether a phone advertised with a 90 Hz or 120 Hz display is actually running at that rate.
Is this test free and does it record anything?
Yes, it's completely free and runs entirely in your browser. Nothing about your screen or device is recorded, uploaded, or stored.
Testing a monitor vs. a phone or tablet
This test works the same way on either one, but what's worth checking differs slightly.
On a monitor, the number you see here should match what your operating system's display settings claim — if it doesn't, that's almost always a settings or cable issue rather than a monitor fault, since the hardware itself is fixed and can't quietly change its own maximum. On a phone or tablet, it's much more common for the actual rate to shift on its own: many devices automatically drop to a lower refresh rate to save battery, especially in low-power mode or when the screen content is static, so testing right after unplugging from a charger or with battery saver on can give a genuinely different reading than testing under normal use.
If you're comparing two devices before deciding which to buy or keep, test both under the same conditions — same power state, same battery-saving settings — so you're comparing the numbers fairly rather than catching one of them in a temporarily reduced mode.
More tools on ProDeviceTest
Troubleshooting a whole setup rather than just your display? These run the same way — instant, no download, right in your browser.
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