Why don’t stats match between Cadence and Strava (or other app or device)?

The general answer is that no two apps will ever have stats match exactly, because they all use different algorithms to process the data, and no one shares what those are. Even if you and a friend were riding right next to each other with the same app or cycling computer, and both uploaded your ride to Strava, there will still be variances between the two.

The data coming in when you’re recording an activity has noise. For instance, GPS gets less accurate the slower you move and starts to jump around, and that needs to be smoothed. How much it’s smoothed is based on the algorithms no one shares.

Or for something like ascent: on the surface it seems like you’d say “if I go increase elevation, it should count as ascent”, but it’s not that simple. On a flat but slightly undulating road, every time GPS or the barometer thinks you increased elevation by a few inches, that would add up over time and give way too large of an ascent reading for what felt like a “flat” ride. For stats like that you have to decide what counts as “ascent”. Cadence uses a similar algorithm as Strava, which they outline at https://support.strava.com/hc/en-us/articles/115001294564-Elevation-on-Strava-FAQs.

All that said, if you have a concern about a particular activity, please email the file to support@getcadence.app and I’ll take a look.