What is a Frame Rate Test?

A Frame Rate Test measures how many frames per second (FPS) your display, browser, and device can render in real time. Frame rate is one of the most important indicators of visual smoothness. The higher and more stable your FPS, the smoother motion appears on screen.

What is a good FPS for gaming?

For gaming, 60 FPS is considered the standard for smooth performance. Higher frame rates like 120 FPS and 144 FPS are preferred for competitive gaming. Esports players typically target 240 FPS or above for the fastest possible reaction time advantage.

What is the difference between FPS and Hz?

FPS (frames per second) measures the number of frames your GPU and browser can render per second. Hz (Hertz) measures the refresh rate of your monitor — how many times per second your screen updates the image. For the smoothest experience, your FPS should match or exceed your monitor refresh rate in Hz.

Is a browser frame rate test the same as an in-game FPS test?

No. A browser frame rate test measures the rendering performance of your web browser using the requestAnimationFrame API. In-game FPS reflects the full GPU workload of rendering a 3D game environment. However, a low browser FPS always indicates a real system issue such as hardware acceleration being disabled, GPU overheating, or high background CPU load.

1% Low FPS is the average of the worst 1% of all frames recorded during your test session. It reveals micro-stutters and frame spikes that your average FPS hides. If your Average FPS is 120 but your 1% Low is 40, your gameplay will feel smooth most of the time but will have sudden jarring stutters.

How do I improve my frame rate?

To improve your frame rate: enable hardware acceleration in your browser settings, close background tabs and applications, update your graphics drivers to the latest version, lower graphics settings such as resolution and shadows in games, disable browser extensions that interfere with rendering, and ensure your system is not thermal throttling by keeping it cool and well-ventilated.

Why is my FPS capped at 60 even on a 144Hz monitor?

If your FPS is capped at 60 on a 144Hz monitor, check these common causes: V-Sync may be enabled capping output to 60 FPS, your browser may have hardware acceleration disabled, your display cable may not support 144Hz (use DisplayPort or HDMI 2.0), or your monitor may not be set to 144Hz in Windows display settings.

Can I run a frame rate test on mobile (Android and iPhone)?

Yes. The frame rate test tool at frameratetest.net works on all mobile browsers including Chrome on Android and Safari on iPhone. Open the site in your mobile browser and tap Start Test. iPhones with ProMotion (iPhone 13 Pro and newer) can display up to 120 FPS. Most Android budget phones are capped at 60 FPS while flagship models support 90Hz or 120Hz.

Does the frame rate test collect or store my data?

No. All frame rate measurement happens locally in your browser using the requestAnimationFrame API. Nothing is recorded, stored, tracked, or sent to any server. Your FPS results are completely private.

What is frame time and why does it matter?

Frame time is the number of milliseconds it takes to render one individual frame. At 60 FPS, each frame should take 16.67ms. At 144 FPS, each frame takes 6.94ms. Consistent frame time means smooth visuals. If frame time spikes to 50ms or higher during a test, you will see a visible stutter even if your average FPS appears high.

Free Online Tool

Pixel Per Inch (PPI) Calculator

Enter your screen resolution and display size to instantly calculate pixel density, find out how sharp your screen really is, and compare it to real-world displays.

100% Free · No Sign-Up · Instant Results · Works on All Devices

Screen Resolution

Enter the native resolution of your display in pixels

Screen Size (diagonal)

The physical diagonal size printed on your monitor's box

Fill in resolution and screen size, then hit Calculate

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Pixels Per Inch

Enter your display details above

Dot Pitch

—

mm per pixel

Total Pixels

—

megapixels

Aspect Ratio

—

width : height

Phys. Width

—

inches wide

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Quick-Fill — Popular Displays

How Your Display Compares

HD 1080p 27"

81 PPI

QHD 27"

108 PPI

4K 27"

163 PPI

iPhone 15 Pro

460 PPI

Apple Watch S9

484 PPI

What is PPI?

Pixel Density Explained Simply

PPI stands for Pixels Per Inch — it measures how densely packed the pixels are on your screen. A higher PPI means each pixel is physically smaller, so text looks crisper, photos show more detail, and the display feels more like real printed material.

Think of it this way: two monitors can both show a 1920×1080 image, but if one is 24 inches and the other is 32 inches, the smaller one has a much higher PPI — meaning that same image looks noticeably sharper because all those pixels are crammed into a smaller space.

Sharpness

Higher PPI means individual pixels become invisible to the naked eye, producing naturally sharp text and images.

Text Clarity

Reading on a high-PPI display reduces eye strain significantly. Fonts look smooth rather than pixelated at any size.

Photo Quality

Photographers and designers need high PPI to accurately judge retouching, colour grading, and fine image detail.

Retina Threshold

Apple defines "Retina" as the point where pixels become indistinguishable at normal viewing distances — typically around 200–300 PPI for monitors.

The Math

How PPI is Calculated

PPI is derived from your screen's pixel count and physical diagonal size. The diagonal pixel count comes from the Pythagorean theorem applied to your resolution, and that number is divided by the physical size in inches.

Step 1 — Find the diagonal pixel count:

Diagonal Pixels = √(Width² + Height²)

Step 2 — Divide by the physical diagonal size:

PPI = Diagonal Pixels ÷ Screen Size (inches)

Example: a 1920×1080 display on a 24-inch screen gives √(1920²+1080²) = 2202 pixels, so PPI = 2202 ÷ 24 = 91.8 PPI.

PPI Benchmarks

What's a Good PPI?

The "right" PPI depends entirely on the device type and your typical viewing distance. Here's how common display categories compare:

PPI Range	Rating	Typical Use Case	Where You See It
Below 72	Low	Large public displays, projectors	Old TVs, budget monitors
72 – 100	Standard	Desktop monitors at arm's length	1080p 24–27" monitors
100 – 140	Good	General desktop work, productivity	1440p 27", 4K 32"
140 – 220	High	Design, photo editing, close work	4K 24–27", MacBook displays
220 – 350	Retina	Laptops, tablets, close viewing	MacBooks, iPad Pro
350+	Ultra	Smartphones, wearables	iPhones, Samsung Galaxy, Apple Watch

Buying Guide

PPI Tips When Choosing a Display

01
Match PPI to Viewing Distance
A 27" 1080p monitor at arm's length (60–80 cm) delivers around 81 PPI — you can see individual pixels. The same monitor at 1.5 m away looks fine. For close desk use, aim for 100+ PPI.
02
Don't Confuse Resolution with PPI
A 4K TV at 65 inches has a lower PPI than a 1440p monitor at 27 inches. Resolution tells you the pixel count; PPI tells you the density. Both matter, for different reasons.
03
Creative Professionals Need Higher PPI
Photo editors, UI designers, and video colorists should target 140+ PPI to see accurate detail. Pixel-level retouching on a low-PPI display hides problems that appear on client screens.
04
Check Scaling Behaviour
Very high-PPI monitors (above 200 PPI) require OS-level scaling (like 200% on Windows or Retina mode on macOS) to keep UI elements a usable size. Make sure your GPU and OS support it before buying.
05
The Sweet Spot for Desktop Work
For most users doing office work, gaming, or casual content consumption, 100–140 PPI hits the sweet spot: noticeably sharp without needing UI scaling. A 27" 1440p or 24" 4K monitor lands right here.

FAQ

Questions, Answered

PPI (Pixels Per Inch) refers to screen displays — the number of pixels packed into each inch of the screen. DPI (Dots Per Inch) originally referred to printer output. In everyday usage people often use them interchangeably, but technically PPI is the correct term for monitors and screens.

On Windows: right-click the desktop → Display Settings → scroll to Resolution. On macOS: Apple menu → System Settings → Displays. On Android: Settings → Display → Screen Resolution. On iPhone the native resolution is listed in Apple's tech specs for your model. Always use the native resolution, not a scaled one, for accurate PPI.

Up to a point — once pixels become smaller than your eye can distinguish at your normal viewing distance, further increases provide no visible benefit. That threshold is roughly 300 PPI at 25 cm (phone), 200 PPI at 50 cm (laptop), and 100–140 PPI at 60–80 cm (desktop monitor).

Retina is Apple's marketing term for displays where pixels are dense enough to be indistinguishable at typical viewing distances. There's no single Retina PPI number — it varies by device type. iPhone Retina starts around 326 PPI, iPad around 264 PPI, and MacBook displays range from 220 to 254 PPI depending on the model.

Because PPI scales inversely with screen size. A 65-inch 4K TV has around 68 PPI — lower than a 1080p PC monitor. You're typically viewing the TV from 2–3 metres away, which compensates. But sitting close to a large TV reveals pixels immediately. It's all about the combination of PPI and viewing distance.

Not directly — but resolution does. A higher-PPI monitor typically has a higher resolution, which demands more from your GPU to render. A 4K 27" monitor (163 PPI) requires roughly 4× the GPU power of a 1080p 24" monitor (91 PPI) to maintain the same frame rate. PPI itself is a display property; frame rate is a GPU-and-resolution concern.