Refresh Rate Test.
Measure your display's real refresh rate live, right here — no download. Counts the frames your screen actually draws each second.
How the refresh rate test works
Every time your screen redraws, the browser lets a script run once — so if the script runs 144 times a second, your display is refreshing 144 times a second. This test counts those redraws over a short rolling window and reports the rate in hertz (Hz), plus how evenly the frames are spaced. It skips a short warm-up right after it starts and snaps the reading to the nearest common refresh rate when it's close, so the number is clean rather than jittery.
- 1. Keep the tab focused. Browsers throttle animation in background tabs, so a hidden tab reads far too low. Leave this one in front.
- 2. Let it settle. Give it a couple of seconds — the number stabilises as the rolling average fills.
- 3. Read the Hz and stability. The gauge shows the live rate; the chart shows frame times (taller or red bars are slow frames).
- 4. Compare to your setting. If it reads below your monitor's spec, raise the refresh rate in your OS display settings and check your cable and GPU can drive it.
Refresh rate tiers
What each range means in practice. Higher only helps if your GPU can supply the frames and the content runs that fast.
| Tier | Refresh | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Esports | 240 Hz + | Competitive FPS shooters — the smoothest motion |
| Competitive | 144–239 Hz | Fast-paced gaming, a clear step over 60 |
| High | 120–143 Hz | Smooth gaming and scrolling; common on laptops/phones |
| Standard | 60–119 Hz | The baseline — fine for everyday use |
| Low | < 60 Hz | Below standard — check your settings |
What your results mean
What the Hz gauge and stability readout show points to whether you're getting the full refresh rate or something is capping it.
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Reads your monitor's rated Hz (e.g. 144 on a 144 Hz panel) | Running at full refresh | Nothing to do. |
| Reads ~60 Hz on a panel rated higher | The OS, cable, or GPU is capping it | Set the higher rate in your display settings; check the cable/port supports it. |
| Reading is far lower than expected or jumps around a lot | The tab is unfocused or being throttled | Keep this tab focused and in the foreground while it measures. |
| Stability shows "Uneven" with tall red bars in the chart | Inconsistent frame delivery — driver, thermal throttling, or background load | Close heavy background apps and re-test; update GPU drivers if it persists. |
| Hz drifts around but stays smooth | Variable refresh rate (VRR / FreeSync / G-SYNC) matching content on purpose | Nothing to do — that's expected behaviour. |
Frequently asked questions
How does this measure my refresh rate?
Browsers fire a requestAnimationFrame callback once per screen redraw, so counting how many callbacks happen each second gives your display's refresh rate. This test averages that over a short rolling window and shows it in Hz, along with the shortest and longest frame times. Keep this tab focused and in the foreground while it measures — browsers deliberately slow down animation in background tabs, which would read as a much lower rate.
Why does it read lower than my monitor's rated refresh rate?
A few common reasons: the tab or window is not focused (background throttling), your OS is set to a lower refresh rate than the panel supports, a power-saving mode is capping it, or the cable/port and GPU cannot drive the full rate at your resolution. Check your display settings (Windows: Advanced display; macOS: Displays) and set the highest refresh rate offered, and make sure you are using a cable and port rated for it (e.g. DisplayPort or HDMI 2.1 for high-refresh 4K).
What refresh rate do I actually need?
60 Hz is fine for everyday work and video. 120–144 Hz is a big, immediately visible upgrade for gaming and even for scrolling and cursor movement. 240 Hz and above mainly benefit competitive esports players. Higher refresh only helps if your GPU can push enough frames and the content supports it — a 240 Hz monitor showing 60 fps looks like 60.
Is my refresh rate unstable or fluctuating — is that bad?
Some variation is normal, especially with variable refresh rate (VRR / FreeSync / G-SYNC) active, which changes the rate to match content on purpose. The stability readout here flags how consistent your frame times are. Large, constant swings on a fixed-refresh display can point at a driver issue, thermal throttling, or another program stealing GPU time — close heavy background apps and re-test.
Why does the Hz reading look so steady compared to other tools?
The meter ignores the first handful of frames after it starts (a brief warm-up while the browser settles into a steady paint cadence) and snaps the measured rate to the nearest common refresh — 60, 75, 90, 100, 120, 144, 165, 240 or 360 Hz — when it is within about 4% of it. That removes the frame-to-frame jitter every rAF-based meter has and shows the clean number your panel is actually running at, rather than it flickering between neighbouring values.