tempo is a minimalist typing speed test focused on a clean, distraction-free experience. races, leaderboards, badges, themes, and a typing tutor — all built to make you a faster typist.
managed & developed by precisionworkz.net
Every typing-test site we used had some version of the same problem. The popular ones piled on registration walls, push notifications, autoplaying ads, and "premium" gates over features that should have been free. The minimalist ones loaded fast but were missing the basics — no races, no leaderboards, no way to track progress, no proof that you were actually improving. The mechanical-keyboard community had its own forks, but they were rough around the edges and rarely maintained for long.
tempo started as a one-evening side project to fix the parts that bothered us most: a clean type area, fonts that look right at any size, instant feedback, real anti-cheat on the leaderboard, and a chat that doesn't feel like a Discord clone bolted on. The "one evening" turned into a year. We kept the original feel — a single typing area, a small set of header controls, no popups — and built everything else around it.
It's still a small project. There's no investor pressure, no growth metrics anyone is chasing, no plan to add anything that doesn't make the typing better. If a feature would clutter the test, it doesn't ship. That's the only rule.
A short list, because what a product refuses to do is usually more informative than its feature list:
• No required sign-in. You can take every test on the site without an account. Sign-in unlocks history sync, races, leaderboards, and badges — that's it. The typing test itself doesn't care who you are.
• No keylogging. What you type is processed in your browser. Only the summary (WPM, accuracy, errors per key) is sent to the server for stats. The actual characters never leave the page unless you publish them in chat.
• No third-party trackers beyond what AdSense requires. We use Vercel's privacy-friendly traffic counter and Google AdSense (which subscribers can disable by upgrading). That's the entire list. No Facebook pixel, no marketing pixels, no fingerprinting SDKs.
• No selling data. Not to advertisers, not to AI companies, not to "partners." The business model is subscriptions and donations, full stop.
• No artificial scarcity. Free users get a real typing test, not a 5-tests-a-day demo. Premium adds quality-of-life features (longer tests, themes, AI coach, no ads); it doesn't gate the fundamentals.
• No dark patterns. No countdown timers on upgrade pages, no fake urgency, no pre-checked email opt-ins, no "are you sure you want to cancel" mazes. If you want to delete your account, it's two clicks from the menu.
We get this question a lot, so here's the honest version. tempo is in the same broad category as Monkeytype, 10FastFingers, Keybr, and TypeRacer, and we take inspiration from all of them. What's different:
• vs Monkeytype — similar minimalist feel, similar mode set. tempo adds real-time 1v1/group races with a shared prompt, a global chat, server-verified badges and leaderboards, a typing arcade with playable mini-games, and an AI typing coach that gives you per-key feedback. Monkeytype is the gold standard for personal practice; tempo leans more toward the social and gamified side.
• vs 10FastFingers — we don't run pop-up ads or push notifications. The interface is faster. Our leaderboard runs anti-cheat that flags pasted runs and autotyper rhythm.
• vs Keybr — Keybr is purpose-built for learning touch typing from scratch and is excellent at that one job. tempo isn't a replacement; it's the next step. Once Keybr has built your muscle memory, tempo is the playground for practicing under varied conditions, racing, and tracking progress over months.
• vs TypeRacer — TypeRacer popularized the racing format and we owe them the design. tempo's races are faster to start (no matchmaking queue, you create a code and share it), and the rest of the product is much bigger.
If you've never used tempo before, here's what you'll find:
• Six typing modes — time, words, quote, code, zen, custom — plus a daily challenge that everyone in the world types the same prompt on.
• Real-time races — create a room, share a 4–8 character code with a friend, and watch live progress bars while you both type the same passage. Solo, 1v1, and small group rooms are all supported.
• Stats and history — every run is saved (locally if signed out, synced if signed in). The stats modal shows trends, per-key heatmaps, recent-run sparklines, and your best in each mode.
• Badges and leaderboards — common, rare, epic, legendary, and a few secret ones. Rank-tier badges are verified server-side so they can't be faked.
• Chat — global and direct messages with full moderation.
• Themes, sound packs, aurora effects — a deep customization layer. Most of it is free; a handful of premium themes fund development.
• A typing arcade — Falling Words, Combo Chain, Speed Climber, Beat Race. Mini-games that work the same muscles as the test but with different pressure. Two more are unlocked via the beta key in settings if you're an early tester.
tempo is built with as little third-party code as we can get away with — but the gifted-by-request sound packs use trimmed, remixed samples from public sound libraries. we cite them here.
• chocolate, plump mech — trimmed from Single Key Press Sounds by eklee (with qubodup's single-sound extraction), licensed under CC BY 3.0.
• honey, espresso, silk — trimmed from Keyboard Soundpack #1 by unicae_games (Cherry KC 1000, Shure SM7B), released as CC0.
• vintage — trimmed from Typewriter Sounds by Cassie-OrbitGames, released as CC0.
• metal, anvil — from Metal Impact Sounds by Brian MacIntosh, released as CC0.
• ceramic — from Various Sound Effects, released as CC0.
All samples were shortened, converted to mono, and volume-adjusted for use as keypress cues.
these members support tempo through their premium subscription. every subscription directly funds hosting, development, and new features. thank you.
these exceptional contributors went above and beyond with a direct donation. their generosity is what makes it possible to keep tempo free for everyone.
tempo is free and always will be. if you'd like to support future development with a one-time donation, it's greatly appreciated. top donors are featured on this page and receive a special ❤️ supporter badge on their profile.
reports go straight to us for review. the more detail you include — what you were doing, what broke, your browser and device — the faster it gets fixed.
questions, feedback, partnership inquiries — reach out anytime. we try to reply within a couple of days.