# INP: how is page responsiveness measured?

> Interaction to Next Paint explained: which taps and clicks count, the 200 ms target, how it replaced FID and a booking form example for a service business.

Updated on October 15, 2026 · https://app.pilotiko.com/en/glossary/inp

Interaction to Next Paint (INP) is a Google metric that assesses how responsive a page is overall: the delay between a click, tap or key press and the next visual update on screen. An INP of 200 milliseconds or less counts as good, while anything above 500 milliseconds is poor.

## In short
- INP looks at every interaction in a visit, not just the first one.
- Good is 200 ms or less; poor is over 500 ms.
- Mouse clicks, touchscreen taps and key presses count.
- It replaced First Input Delay as a Core Web Vital in 2024.

## What does INP actually measure?

Web.dev describes INP as a metric that assesses a page's overall responsiveness to user interactions. The value reported for a visit is the longest interaction observed, ignoring outliers [1].

Each interaction runs from the visitor's gesture to the moment the screen shows a response: a menu opening, a checkbox ticking, a time slot turning blue. When the browser is busy running heavy scripts, that gap grows and the site feels frozen.

INP sits alongside [LCP](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/glossary/lcp) and [CLS](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/glossary/cls) in the [Core Web Vitals](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/glossary/core-web-vitals) set [2].

## Which interactions count toward INP?

| Visitor action | Counted? | Example on a service business site |
|---|---|---|
| Mouse click | Yes | Clicking Request a quote |
| Tap on a touchscreen | Yes | Tapping the 9 a.m. slot in the booking calendar |
| Key press on a physical or on-screen keyboard | Yes | Typing a postal code into the form |
| Hover | No | Moving the pointer over a service card |
| Scrolling | No | Scrolling down the price list |
| Zooming | No | Pinching to enlarge a job-site photo |

Source: web.dev article on INP [1].

## Why did INP replace FID?

First Input Delay only measured the input delay of the first interaction on a page. INP, its successor, watches all of them [1]. It became a stable Core Web Vital in 2024 [2].

That matters for a small business: a booking form can respond quickly to the first tap and then lag on the fifth field when a validation script kicks in. FID missed that; INP catches it.

## What are the official INP thresholds?

Per web.dev, an INP at or below 200 milliseconds means good responsiveness. Above 200 and up to 500 milliseconds needs improvement, and above 500 milliseconds is poor. The thresholds apply to the 75th percentile of field page loads [1].

## How do you read INP on a booking form?

**Example: the online booking form of a physiotherapy clinic in Halifax**

A typical visit includes six interactions. The timings are invented to show which value INP keeps.

- Tap Book an appointment : 110 ms
- Pick the treatment type : 140 ms
- Tap a time slot in the calendar : 620 ms
- Type name (per key) : 50 ms
- Type phone number (per key) : 55 ms
- Tap Confirm : 260 ms
- **= The longest interaction in this visit is 620 ms, which is poor; the calendar component is the place to start.**

## What mistakes do people make with INP?

- Only testing page load, when INP depends on what visitors do next.
- Stacking a chat widget, a session recorder and three ad pixels that all compete for the same processor.
- Running heavy validation code on every keystroke.
- Debugging on a powerful laptop while customers book from budget phones.
- Still tracking FID in monthly reports.

## Does Pilotiko track your site's INP?

No, INP tracking is not an advertised Pilotiko feature. Pilotiko offers online booking with real open time slots and builds your business website, but responsiveness is measured in Google Search Console. For the visibility side, see [search engine optimization](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/glossary/seo) and [structured data](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/glossary/structured-data).

## Frequently asked questions

### What is a good INP?

Web.dev says an INP of 200 milliseconds or less, measured at the 75th percentile of visits, shows good responsiveness. Between 200 and 500 milliseconds it needs work.

### Does scrolling count toward INP?

No. INP looks at clicks, taps and key presses. Hovering, scrolling and zooming are not counted as interactions on their own.

### What is the difference between INP and FID?

FID only measured the delay before the first interaction was handled. INP watches every interaction in the visit and reports the longest one, setting outliers aside.

### Can a site with no forms have a poor INP?

Yes. A mobile menu, an FAQ accordion or a click-to-call button can respond slowly if the page is running a lot of code at the same moment.

### Does INP depend on the visitor's phone?

Partly. A less powerful device takes longer to process the same code, which is why field data at the 75th percentile tells you more than a test on your own phone.

### Should I aim for zero milliseconds?

No, that is not realistic. The goal is to stay under 200 milliseconds for most visitors, starting with pages that lead to a call or a booking.

## Sources

1. web.dev (Google), « Interaction to Next Paint (INP) », https://web.dev/articles/inp (accessed on 2026-10-15)
2. web.dev (Google), « Web Vitals », https://web.dev/articles/vitals (accessed on 2026-10-15)