---
title: "networkQuality: test Mac internet speed and responsiveness in Terminal · Kilobat Guides"
url: "https://kilobat.app/guides/networkquality-speed-test"
description: "Use the built-in networkQuality command to test upload and download capacity and responsiveness (RPM) on a Mac, and read the results correctly."
---

Websites and speed

# Test internet speed from Terminal with networkQuality

macOS includes `networkQuality`, a command-line test. It measures capacity and responsiveness, the number of round trips a network completes in one minute under load.

Applies to: macOS 12 Monterey and later. · Checked: 29 October 2026

## Symptoms

- You want a speed test without a browser or a separate app.
- Calls or games lag when other devices use the network.
- You want to compare Wi-Fi with Ethernet, or one interface with another.

## Likely causes

- **Capacity is not the full picture.** A connection can have high capacity but low responsiveness. Then calls and games lag while the network is busy.
- **Responsiveness drops under load.** Apple measures responsiveness in round trips per minute (RPM) while the network is busy.
- **The test itself uses data.** The man page says that the test connects to the internet and uses data on your plan.

## How to check

1. Open Terminal and run the test.

   ```
   networkQuality
   ```

   Output Upload and download capacity, and responsiveness in RPM with a rating.
2. To test upload and download one after the other, add `-s`. This also gives a separate responsiveness for each direction.

   ```
   networkQuality -s
   ```
3. To test one interface, give its name with `-I`. For example, `en0` is often the Wi-Fi interface.

   ```
   networkQuality -I en0
   ```
4. For JSON output, add `-c`.

   ```
   networkQuality -c
   ```
5. For more detail, add `-v`.

   ```
   networkQuality -v
   ```

## How to fix it

1. If the rating is Low, look for devices or apps that download or back up during the test. Apple says that connections can then be unreliable.
2. If capacity is good but responsiveness is low, read [Bufferbloat: calls lag when the network is busy](https://kilobat.app/guides/bufferbloat-mac).
3. If Wi-Fi is much slower than Ethernet, examine the Wi-Fi link. See [Wi-Fi is slow on the Mac but fast on the phone](https://kilobat.app/guides/slow-wifi-mac-fast-phone).
4. On a hotspot or a data plan, do not run many tests. Each test uses data.

## With Kilobat

1. Kilobat's speed test measures speed and latency under load, with verdicts for voice calls, video calls and streaming. It is free.

   ```
   kilobat speedtest
   ```
2. On a hotspot, limit the data that the test uses.

   ```
   kilobat speedtest --budget-mb 10
   ```
3. Kilobat uses one connection by default. To open four at once, as networkQuality does, add `--parallel`.

   ```
   kilobat speedtest --parallel
   ```
4. In the app, open the Speed tab and start a test. Kilobat skips scheduled speed tests on metered networks. See [Find out why two speed tests differ](https://kilobat.app/guides/recipes/compare-speed-tests).

## Questions

**What is a good RPM?**

Apple rates responsiveness as Low, Medium or High. With High, apps should keep a good connection however many devices share the network.

**Does networkQuality need an administrator password?**

No. Any user can run it.

## Sources

- [Apple Support: Test Wi-Fi networks with Apple Network Responsiveness](https://support.apple.com/en-us/101942)
- networkQuality(8), man page installed with macOS 27.2

Sources checked on 29 October 2026. Man pages are the ones installed with macOS; open one with `man <name>` in Terminal.

## Related guides

- [Bufferbloat: calls lag when the network is busy](https://kilobat.app/guides/bufferbloat-mac): Bufferbloat is latency that network devices add when they hold too much data in their buffers.
- [Slow internet on a Mac: find which part is slow](https://kilobat.app/guides/slow-internet-mac-cause): A slow connection has many possible causes.
- [Video calls stutter or freeze on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/video-call-stutter-mac): Calls need steady latency and steady upload more than high speed.
- [Test for packet loss on a Mac with ping](https://kilobat.app/guides/packet-loss-mac): Packet loss makes calls break up and pages stall.