FPS Test — Check Your Browser Frame Rate

This test measures the frame rate that your browser's requestAnimationFrame callback fires at — a reliable proxy for your display's actual refresh rate as experienced by the browser. It samples timestamps between consecutive frames over 10 seconds, calculates instantaneous FPS for each frame, and reports average, minimum, and maximum values. This reflects both your monitor's refresh rate and your system's ability to sustain smooth browser rendering.

Several factors can limit browser FPS to 60: (1) Power saving mode — laptops often cap at 60 on battery. (2) Browser settings — some browsers have a frame rate cap. (3) Multiple monitors — if a 60Hz monitor is connected alongside your 144Hz display, the OS may render at the lower rate. (4) GPU driver settings — check your GPU control panel allows higher refresh rates. (5) The browser window must be in focus — background tabs are throttled.

60 FPS is the minimum comfortable experience for most games. Competitive gamers prefer 144 FPS or higher, as higher frame rates reduce motion blur and provide smoother input feedback. At 240 FPS and beyond, the perceptible improvement diminishes but still provides advantages in competitive play. The key is consistency — stuttering between 40 and 80 FPS is worse than a stable 60 FPS.

Common causes: (1) Battery saver mode throttling the CPU/GPU. (2) Background browser tabs consuming resources. (3) Hardware acceleration disabled in the browser. (4) Outdated GPU drivers. (5) Monitor set to a lower refresh rate in OS display settings. (6) Running at high DPI scaling on Windows. For the most accurate test, close background tabs, disable battery saver, and ensure hardware acceleration is enabled.

FPS measures how many frames your GPU/browser generates each second. Hz measures how many times your monitor refreshes its display per second. They are related but distinct: if your GPU renders 144 FPS but your monitor is 60Hz, you can only see 60 frames per second — the rest are wasted or cause screen tearing if VSync is off. For the best experience, your FPS output should match or exceed your monitor's Hz rating.

This test can confirm your browser runs at the display's target frame rate, but it does not directly validate variable refresh rate (VRR) technologies like G-Sync or FreeSync. VRR works at the hardware level between the GPU and display. To verify VRR is active, check your GPU control panel for VRR status indicators.

Yes. Chrome and Edge (Chromium-based) generally have the best hardware acceleration support and deliver the highest browser FPS on most systems. Firefox has strong performance but may behave differently with certain GPU configurations. Safari on macOS is well-optimized for Apple hardware. All major browsers should reach your monitor's full refresh rate with hardware acceleration enabled.

The test measures frame callback timing, which can occasionally report values slightly above the nominal refresh rate due to timing precision. A 144Hz monitor may show a maximum of 146-150 FPS during the test. This is expected and not a cause for concern. The average FPS is the most reliable metric to compare against your monitor's rated Hz.

Yes, the test runs on mobile browsers. Most smartphones have 60Hz displays, though newer models support 90Hz, 120Hz, or even 144Hz. Mobile browsers may throttle requestAnimationFrame when the device is warm or battery is low. For accurate mobile results, test with the display at full brightness, plugged in, and the browser in the foreground.