Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Plan | Monthly price | Max speeds | Fees and service details | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fios 300 | $50 | 300Mbps download, 300Mbps upload | Free equipment, no contracts or data caps | |
Fios 500 | $75 | 500Mbps download, 500Mbps upload | Free equipment, no contracts or data caps | |
Fios 1 Gig | $90 | 940Mbps download, 880Mbps upload | Free equipment, no contracts or data caps | |
Fios 2 Gig | $110 | 2,300Mbps download, 1,500Mbps upload | Free equipment, no contracts or data caps |
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Regardless of your location or the plan you choose, all Verizon Fios plans come with free equipment rental, unlimited data and no contract requirements. However, the plan you choose may determine the length of your price guarantee and the signup bonus you get. The 300Mbps plan, for example, comes with a two-year price guarantee and a $100 gift card for signing up, whereas the gigabit plans could include a four-year price guarantee and higher gift card amount plus other incentives when you sign up.
Xfinity’s service terms and conditions are a bit less straightforward. Depending on where you live and the plan you choose, Xfinity internet service may or may not include your equipment rental and/or unlimited data. Furthermore, a one or two-year contract may be required to get the lowest pricing. In most markets, the $15 equipment fee is optional unless you choose to rent. Customers can also expect a a data cap (1.25TB per month) and possibly a contract with Xfinity.
With Verizon, the Fios Forward program lets qualified customers deduct $20 from the monthly cost of any Verizon Fios plan. That brings the cost of a 300Mbps fiber internet plan down to $30 per month and a 940Mbps plan down to $70 monthly.
With Comcast, customers who participate in the National School Lunch Program, Medicaid, SNAP and other federal programs can sign up for the Internet Essentials plan, which offers speeds of 50Mbps for $10 per month. Xfinity also features an Internet Essentials Plus plan, which doubles the download speed to 100Mbps for $30 a month.
Xfinity is the nation’s largest cable internet provider, available to more than a third of US households coast to coast, according to the FCC. Availability is somewhat random and limited to urban areas in states where Xfinity offers service. In Texas, for example, you won’t find Xfinity much outside the greater Houston area.
Verizon Fios has a more concentrated coverage area, primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions. Service is available in metro and suburban areas from Virginia to Massachusetts and Upstate New York.
Xfinity's fiber presence is very limited at present, offering less than 1% of unit coverage, according to the latest FCC data. That said, Xfinity's internet service specializes in cable internet, which carries your web traffic along the same copper coaxial wiring that delivers cable TV into people's homes. That's no surprise: along with being an internet juggernaut, Comcast is one of the biggest cable TV providers in the US.
Cable internet doesn't have the same speed potential as fiber internet, especially regarding upload speeds, but it's still quite capable of delivering a quality high-speed connection. Xfinity offers max download speeds of 1,200 or 2,000Mbps in most locations, with accompanying max upload speeds of 40 to 200Mbps.
Such speeds are faster than you’ll find from most cable internet providers, but they still fall short of Verizon Fios. The fiber internet provider offers symmetrical speeds (upload and download) of up to 2,300Mbps in select locations. In areas where the 2,300Mbps plan is unavailable, Verizon Fios advertises max speeds of 940Mbps down and 880Mbps up. While the download speeds are slightly slower than Xfinity’s max speeds, the faster upload speeds and reliability of a 100% fiber-optic connection make Verizon Fios the better choice for gig service.
General internet activities, such as streaming TV or gaming online, require slower speeds than you might think. Streaming in HD or 4K, for example, typically requires download speeds around 50Mbps, while online gaming is possible with 10Mbps or less.
So Xfinity's cheap 150Mbps plan should handle all your needs, right? Not exactly. A plan's advertised speeds are rarely those you will see inside the home to a connected device such as a streaming stick or gaming console.
Using a Wi-Fi connection and connecting multiple devices to your network -- smart TVs, laptops, phones, consoles, security cameras and smart speakers add up quickly -- can slow your speeds. Therefore it’s best to choose a plan with ample speed for all your devices. If you plan to stream TV on multiple screens at once, speeds of at least 200Mbps are recommended. For heavier internet activity and households with multiple users, faster speeds will provide a better experience. Read more about how you can boost your speeds at home.
Something else worth considering if you're comparing Xfinity and Verizon Fios is how happy their existing customers are with the services. The American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power track this metric with yearly surveys and reports, including a regular look at the top telecom providers.
Verizon’s ACSI score increased in 2024 from 75/100 to 77, topping other fiber providers like Quantum Fiber, Google Fiber and Frontier Fiber. In addition, Verizon Fios fared better than Xfinity’s fiber service (75) and cable service (67).
J.D. Power ranked Verizon Fios as the top provider for customer satisfaction in the East region in 2023, with a score of 760/1,000. Xfinity came in at 698 in that same region, below fellow cable provider Cox (706) and the regional average (709). However, Xfinity scored above the region averages in the three other areas J.D. Power covers.
Xfinity has greater availability than Verizon Fios and potentially lower introductory pricing, but Verizon Fios presents the best value. Though priced slightly higher than Xfinity on comparable speeds, Verizon Fios offers symmetrical upload and download speeds, unlimited data, free equipment rental and no contracts -- perks that aren’t all available from Xfinity. Verizon Fios also has a better customer satisfaction record than Xfinity, though both ISPs score above than the industry average.
What are the main differences between Xfinity and Verizon Fios?
Speeds, pricing and service terms separate Xfinity and Verizon Fios. Whereas Xfinity primarily uses a cable internet network with limited speed potential, Verizon Fios employs a 100% fiber-optic network that can deliver significantly faster upload speeds and better speeds reliability.
As for pricing and service terms, Xfinity typically has lower introductory rates, though service may come with equipment fees, data caps and a contract. Verizon Fios is contract-free and includes equipment rental and unlimited data at no extra cost.
Is Xfinity or Verizon Fios cheaper?
In most locations, Xfinity internet service costs $20 to $30 per month for max download speeds of 150 or 200Mbps. That’s significantly less than the cheapest plan from Verizon Fios, which starts at $50 per month (though with faster speeds, up to 300Mbps). Other Xfinity plans are priced lower than comparative plans from Verizon Fios. Gig service from Xfinity starts at $65 monthly in many locations, whereas similar download speeds from Verizon Fios start at $90.
It’s worth noting, however, that renting equipment from Xfinity may add $15 to your monthly bill. Additionally, Xfinity introductory rates expire after one to two years, after which your rate may increase by as much as $30 or more, depending on your chosen plan. Unlike Xfinity, Verizon Fios has no set price increases and boasts a price guarantee of up to four years.
Is cable internet better than fiber internet?
Fiber-optic internet, like that of Verizon Fios, is almost always preferable to cable internet services such as Xfinity. Max download and upload speeds are typically faster with fiber internet than cable. Verizon Fios has symmetrical max speeds of 2,300Mbps. Xfinity, one of the faster cable internet providers, offers max speeds of 2,000Mbps down and 200Mbps up in select areas. To dig deeper, check out CNET's cable vs. fiber internet service review.
Are there other internet service providers I should consider?
If Verizon Fios and Xfinity are available in your area, other providers and connection types may also be options. Verizon offers a fixed wireless home internet service in Verizon 5G Home Internet, with download speeds of 50 to 300Mbps or 85 to 1,000Mbps, depending on your location and plan. Additional potential fixed wireless internet options include T-Mobile Home Internet, Starry Internet and US Cellular.
Source: cnet.com