What M-Lab does

M-Lab (Measurement Lab) is a non-profit open source project that operates the largest open collection of Internet performance data globally, providing free, verifiable measurement of global network performance since 2008. The platform consists of distributed physical server infrastructure placed in well-connected data centers where ISPs interconnect, complemented since 2022 by virtual servers in Google Cloud regions and since 2025 by a pilot host-managed deployment model that lets network providers run M-Lab software in their own networks. Core technical components include the Locate Service (a GCP-hosted API that selects the optimal measurement server for each client request), the Network Diagnostic Tool supporting ndt7, ndt5, and web100 protocols with TCP BBR and tcp-info instrumentation, and an ETL pipeline that processes measurements and publishes parsed data to Google BigQuery and raw archives to Google Cloud Storage. Additional measurement modalities include Reverse Traceroute, WeHe (for application-level traffic differentiation detection), IPRS, Neubot DASH, MSAK, Scamper traceroute (from CAIDA), packet header capture, TCP INFO, and DISCO switch telemetry.

M-Lab serves academic researchers studying network performance and broadband equity, government and regulatory bodies (FCC, Ofcom, European Commission, Brazilian Anatel, Singapore IDA) using the data for broadband measurement and policy decisions, civil society organizations pursuing digital equity advocacy, and network providers who either host infrastructure or integrate the measurement tools. The organization does not sell products; all data is made openly available under a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) waiver and all measurement tools are open source. M-Lab is led by teams at Superbloom (which provides fiscal sponsorship) and Google, with supporting partners including the Internet Society, Cloudflare, Mozilla, and Equinix providing infrastructure and organizational support. Recent strategic activity centers on the Connectivity Community of Practice launched in March 2026 in partnership with Giga, focused on advancing school connectivity measurement via the Internet Quality Barometer for Education (IQB-Edu).

Name

M-Lab

Legal name

Measurement Lab

Website

https://measurementlab.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

M-Lab is a non-profit open source project operating the largest open collection of Internet performance data, serving academic researchers, regulators (FCC, Ofcom, EC), civil society, and network providers with free, verifiable network measurement tools and datasets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Worth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Non-profit / Grant Funding: M-Lab is a non-profit organization that operates through fiscal sponsorship by Superbloom and support from technology partners (Google, Internet Society, Cloudflare, Mozilla, Equinix). Revenue comes from grants, donations, and in-kind infrastructure contributions rather than product sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

M-Lab operates an open Internet performance measurement platform that hosts the largest collection of open Internet performance data globally. It provides free, open-source measurement tools (including NDT, traceroute, packet headers, and reverse traceroute), a global distributed server infrastructure, and publishes all collected data openly under a Creative Commons Zero license via Google BigQuery and Cloud Storage for use by researchers, regulators, and the public.

Product overview

M-Lab is an open Internet measurement platform that provides the largest collection of open Internet performance data on the planet. The platform consists of core infrastructure including the Locate Service (for server discovery), the Network Diagnostic Tool (NDT) supporting multiple protocols (ndt7, ndt5, web100), and various measurement tests (Neubot DASH, Reverse Traceroute, WeHe, IPRS, MSAK). M-Lab also provides core platform services including Packet Headers collection, TCP INFO, Traceroute, and Utilization Telemetry Data. Measurement data is made accessible through Google BigQuery (for SQL queries) and Google Cloud Storage (for raw archival data). The platform supports integration with third-party tools like Domotz, Fing, and various speed test websites, and offers developer tools including the Locate API, Chrome App, and Murakami testing platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• M-Lab Locate Service: A GCP-hosted service that locates the best M-Lab server for user requests, providing consistent and expected measurement quality.

Products and services

• M-Lab Open Internet Measurement Platform Core open Internet measurement platform providing the largest collection of open Internet performance data. Operated as a consortium of research, industry, and public-interest partners for open, verifiable measurement of global network performance.
• M-Lab Locate Service

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration16 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GigacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2026M-Lab and Giga launched a Connectivity Community of Practice (CCoP) for applied Internet measurement focused on school connectivity. The partnership aims to advance measurement frameworks specifically designed for education settings, with an initial focus on the Internet Quality Barometer for Education (IQB-Edu). The inaugural session in March 2026 had 51 global participants.
• Google, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle provides significant infrastructure support including Google Cloud Platform hosting (virtual servers in all Google Cloud regions), BigQuery data infrastructure, and engineering leadership. Google team members participate in M-Lab's consortium leadership.
• SuperbloomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSuperbloom provides fiscal sponsorship for M-Lab and leads the consortium along with Google. Superbloom team members manage organizational leadership and operations.
• National Association of Counties (NACo)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNACo includes M-Lab testing in their 'Test It' broadband initiative for US counties.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Internet Society: Internet Society is a supporting partner of M-Lab and a global non-profit advocating for an open Internet. Comparable open-Internet mission and ecosystem role, though ISOC is a policy/advocacy body rather than a measurement platform.
• Catchpoint: Catchpoint is an established digital experience and network performance monitoring platform serving enterprises. Comparable measurement category but commercial SaaS model targeting IT operations rather than open research.
• ThousandEyes (Cisco): ThousandEyes provides enterprise network and Internet observability, including synthetic monitoring and BGP visibility. Broader commercial incumbent in network performance measurement with deeper enterprise tooling.

Direct peers

• NLnet Labs: NLnet Labs develops open-source Internet measurement and DNS tooling, including software used in traceroute and routing analysis. Comparable open-source ethos and Internet infrastructure mission.
• Ookla: Ookla operates Speedtest, the dominant commercial Internet performance measurement platform. Direct competitor to M-Lab's NDT service, serving overlapping consumer, ISP, and enterprise customers, though Ookla is commercial while M-Lab is open data.
• CAIDA (Center for Applied Internet Data Analysis): CAIDA is a research group at UC San Diego that provides Internet measurement tools and datasets, including the Scamper traceroute tool used by M-Lab. Comparable open-data, academic-grade measurement mission.
• OONI (Open Observatory of Network Interference): OONI, part of the Tor Project, measures Internet censorship and network interference globally. M-Lab is an integration partner; both share an open-data, civil-society mission around Internet transparency.
• RIPE Atlas: RIPE Atlas is a global Internet measurement network operated by the RIPE NCC, with thousands of probes collecting connectivity data. Most direct functional peer in distributed open Internet measurement.
• SamKnows: SamKnows runs the regulatory broadband measurement platforms used by FCC, Ofcom, European Commission, Brazilian Anatel, and Singapore IDA — all of which are built on M-Lab infrastructure. Closest peer in regulatory measurement use cases.

Emerging players

• Speedchecker: Speedchecker provides crowdsourced Internet performance measurement and analytics for ISPs and regulators globally. Comparable measurement offering with a commercial data-products layer on top.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/measurementlab
• GitHubgithub.com/m-lab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/speed-measurement-laborat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about M-Lab