---
title: "Find out why two speed tests differ · Kilobat Recipes"
url: "https://kilobat.app/guides/recipes/compare-speed-tests"
description: "See what differed between two speed tests on your Mac: network, time, server, one connection or several, Wi-Fi band and signal, VPN and other traffic."
---

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: free · Comparison in History: Kilobat Pro · kilobat speed-compare: free · Checked: 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](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 |
|---|---|
| `run_speedtest` `{"parallel": true, "budget_mb": 80}` | Returns the speed with `streams`, `server`, `context` and `method`. |
| `compare_speed_tests` | Returns `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

- [Kilobat docs: Why speed tests disagree](https://kilobat.app/docs#speed-tests)
- [Kilobat skill: mac-network-troubleshooting](https://github.com/seifip/kilobat-skills/tree/main/skills/mac-network-troubleshooting)
- [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

- [Test internet speed from Terminal with networkQuality](https://kilobat.app/guides/networkquality-speed-test): macOS includes networkQuality, a command-line test.
- [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.
- [Wi-Fi is slow on the Mac but fast on the phone](https://kilobat.app/guides/slow-wifi-mac-fast-phone): When the phone is fast on the same network, the internet connection is not the problem.
- [Test for call stutter](https://kilobat.app/guides/recipes/test-call-stutter): A speed test averages its pings, so short spikes disappear.