Recipe

Find out why two speed tests differ

Two speed tests can disagree for many reasons. Kilobat keeps the conditions of each test, so you can see what changed between them.

Speed test: freeComparison in History: Kilobat Prokilobat speed-compare: freeChecked: 29 October 2026

In the app

  1. Open the dashboard and click the Speed tab.

  2. Next to the Start test button, choose 1 connection or 4 connections.

  3. Click Start test. Then choose the other option and click Test again.

  4. Click the History tab. Under Speed-test comparison, choose the two tests to compare.

  5. Read each difference and its note. The note says how it can change the result.

With the CLI

  1. Run a test with one connection.

    kilobat speedtest
  2. Run a test with four connections at once, as most speed-test sites do.

    kilobat speedtest --parallel
  3. Compare the two newest tests that the app saved.

    kilobat speed-compare

    Output The download and upload change, then one line for each difference, such as vpn: Off → WireGuard, with a note.

  4. Compare two older tests. Number 1 is the newest.

    kilobat speed-compare 3 1

Through MCP

Connect the MCP server once with claude mcp add kilobat -- kilobat mcp. For other clients, see the docs. Then an agent can call these tools. Tools that change settings tell the agent to ask you first.

Tool and argumentsWhat it does
run_speedtest
{"parallel": true, "budget_mb": 80}
Returns the speed with streams, server, context and method.
compare_speed_testsReturns differences, each with a note, and unknown for conditions an older test did not keep.

Good to know

  • Kilobat lists differences. It does not prove which one caused the change.
  • Other devices on your network share the connection. Kilobat cannot see their traffic.
  • Tests that earlier versions of Kilobat saved do not have the server, the link or the VPN. Kilobat says so.
  • A test with four connections usually shows more on a fast or distant link. Neither number is wrong.
  • Each test uses up to 80 MB. On a hotspot, use --budget-mb 10.

Sources

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