---
title: "Compare Kilobat with your carrier's data figure · Kilobat Recipes"
url: "https://kilobat.app/guides/recipes/compare-carrier-usage"
description: "Put your carrier's, ISP's or router's data figure beside what Kilobat recorded on your Mac for the same period, and see the likely reasons for a difference."
---

Recipe

# Compare Kilobat with your carrier's data figure

Your carrier and Kilobat count different things. Kilobat puts the two figures side by side for the same period and lists the likely reasons for the difference.

CLI and MCP: free · In the app: History needs Kilobat Pro · Checked: 29 October 2026

## In the app

1. Open the dashboard and click the History tab.
2. Find Compare with your router or provider.
3. Enter the Router or provider figure as they show it, with its Unit.
4. Set What the figure counts: download, upload or both.
5. Set the Period and the Network that the figure covers.
6. Read the Difference, the Recorded strip with its gaps, and the Likely reasons.
7. To share the result, click Export CSV… or Export JSON…

## With the CLI

1. Compare a 3.2 GB figure for this month on one network.

   ```
   kilobat report compare --total 3.2GB --period this-month --network "My iPhone"
   ```

   Output Kilobat's total in the same unit, the difference, the hours it recorded, each gap and the likely reasons.
2. Give exact dates. A date-only `--to` includes that day.

   ```
   kilobat report compare --total 40 --unit GiB --from 2026-10-01 --to 2026-10-31
   ```
3. Export the comparison to send to your provider.

   ```
   kilobat report compare --total 40GB --period last-month --csv
   ```

## Through MCP

Connect the MCP server once with `claude mcp add kilobat -- kilobat mcp`. For other clients, see [the docs](https://kilobat.app/docs#agents). Then an agent can call these tools. Tools that change settings tell the agent to ask you first.

| Tool and arguments | What it does |
|---|---|
| `compare_usage` `{"total": 3.2, "unit": "GB", "period": "this-month", "network": "My iPhone"}` | Kilobat's bytes in the same unit, `differenceBytes`, `gaps` and plain `reasons`. |

## Good to know

- Kilobat sees only this Mac, and only while the app runs. A router or provider total is usually higher.
- Many providers write GB for 1,073,741,824 bytes (GiB). Kilobat also reads the figure in the other unit.
- Kilobat does not say which figure is correct.

## Questions

**Why is the gap so large?**

Common reasons are the phone's own use and other devices on the hotspot. Hours when the Mac slept or Kilobat did not run also count, and so does GB against GiB.

## Sources

- [Kilobat docs: Comparing with your router or provider](https://kilobat.app/docs#compare)
- [Kilobat llms.txt: CLI and MCP reference](https://kilobat.app/llms.txt)

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

## Related guides

- [Set a monthly data budget that resets on renewal day](https://kilobat.app/guides/recipes/monthly-data-budget): A Kilobat budget belongs to one network.
- [See which app uses data on a hotspot](https://kilobat.app/guides/recipes/hotspot-data-by-app): Kilobat shows the upload and download of each app on your Mac.
- [Mac uses Personal Hotspot data in the background](https://kilobat.app/guides/hotspot-background-data): A Mac on a phone hotspot can use a lot of data with no action from you.