Definition
Frame rate is the number of still images shown on a screen in a row during one second. It's measured in fps (frames per second), and the higher the number, the smoother and more natural motion looks.
Like a flipbook flipping under your thumb
Remember drawing slightly different pictures in the corner of your notebook, then flipping the pages fast? Each page is a still drawing. But when they zip past your eyes, your brain sees smooth, continuous motion. A display works on exactly the same principle.
The videos and games you watch aren't really moving. The screen swaps out still pictures dozens of times every second. Each single picture is called a "frame," and the number of pictures shown per second is the frame rate. At 60fps, 60 pictures flash by in a single second.
Movies in theaters usually run at 24 frames per second (24fps), while regular TV broadcasts and YouTube videos use 30 or 60. The more frames you have, the more the gaps between movements get filled in. That makes a big difference in how smooth a video feels and how immersive it is.
A closer look: how it differs from monitor refresh rate
People often mix up frame rate with a monitor's "refresh rate." The two work closely together, but they come from different sources. Think of it this way: frame rate is how fast the chef cooks, and refresh rate is how fast the server carries dishes to the table.
Frame rate is the number of new pictures per second that your computer's graphics card (GPU) or a video file produces. Refresh rate, measured in hertz (Hz), is how many times per second your monitor can redraw the screen. Say the chef cooks 120 dishes a second (120fps), but the server can only make 60 trips (a 60Hz monitor). Then the plates on the table only change 60 times a second. Still, the extra frames aren't totally wasted. In games, they can slightly reduce the delay between your input and what shows up on screen.
Now, if the graphics card sends a new picture without matching the monitor's refresh timing, two frames can get mixed into one screen. The image looks split along a horizontal line, with the top and bottom out of line. This is called "screen tearing." It shows up most when the graphics card is faster, like in our example. To prevent it, devices use sync technologies like V-Sync or variable refresh rate (VRR). So to enjoy truly smooth visuals, your device's output and your display's refresh rate need to be well matched.
Is a higher frame rate always better?
In fast first-person shooters or racing games, frame rate is everything. Showing 144 or 240 frames per second lets you spot an enemy's movement a split second sooner, and your mouse reacts almost instantly. That's why gamers hunt for high-performance parts to get high frame rates.
But the higher the frame rate, the more nonstop computing your machine has to do. As a result, heat and power use shoot up, and the battery on a smartphone or laptop drains much faster. Video files also get bigger with more frames, so they eat up more internet data.
Plus, high frame rates don't suit every video. Audiences have been used to 24fps movies for a long time, so they read that particular motion as "cinematic." Smooth it out to 60fps and a film can suddenly feel awkward, like a documentary or a home video. Choosing the right frame rate for the job is the best move, both technically and emotionally.
Common misconceptions
The human eye can only tell the difference up to 30fps or 60fps.
Your eyes don't work in fixed frames like a camera does. Many people can feel the difference in smoothness between 60fps and 144fps. The higher you go, though, the smaller the difference feels.
Where you meet it
Movies shown in theaters are still mostly made at 24fps, following a standard set back in the early days of sound film.
In esports pro matches, where fast controls and precise responses matter, players use high frame rate setups of 144fps or more.
In one sentence
Frame rate is the number of still images shown in one second. Higher means smoother motion, but it needs support from your device's power and your display's refresh rate.