Former Ookla CEO Launches App for “Full-Scale Internet Health Check”

Doug Suttles — best known as the creator of Speedtest and the founder of Ookla — has unveiled a new app called Orb, designed to give a much deeper look into your internet connection than traditional speed tests. Instead of focusing purely on upload and download rates, Orb analyzes network stability, latency, data loss, and more — so users can catch issues before they strike.

According to Suttles, classic speed tests barely scratch the surface. Orb, on the other hand, keeps tabs on your network in real time. It evaluates your connection across three key dimensions:

Based on this, Orb assigns a score from 0 to 100. Anything above 80 means your connection is solid. A score between 70 and 80 suggests minor hiccups, while anything below 70 points to more serious issues. If your score dips below the “green zone,” Orb offers tips to improve performance, powered by AI that analyzes potential causes.

Orb is available on iOS, Android, PC — even Raspberry Pi and Steam Deck. Power users can also opt in to shared monitoring, letting someone else connect to their “Orb” and get alerts if problems crop up.

Suttles says the app will remain free for individual users. The business model? Licensing the tech to ISPs and companies that need granular network diagnostics. Down the line, Orb plans to add tools for checking the availability of services like Zoom or Google Drive — making it easier to pinpoint the root of outages.

For now, Orb is aimed at technically inclined users, but its intuitive interface and clear scoring system may win over the everyday crowd — especially those tired of dropped calls and buffering marathons.