Xfinity vs. Verizon Fios: Which Internet Provider Is Best?

Is Verizon Fios or Xfinity better?

Verizon Fios and Xfinity are well matched in the world of home internet, each playing to their strengths and offering unique services, but CNET picks Verizon Fios as the better provider overall, largely due to its 100% fiber network, straightforward pricing and promotional offers. 

While the two providers advertise comparable download speeds, Verizon Fios can deliver symmetrical (or close) upload speeds and superior reliability over a fiber-optic connection. Verizon Fios plans also come with free equipment, unlimited data, no contract requirements and much longer price guarantees than Xfinity. The stable pricing, favorable service terms, and the speed and reliability of a 100% fiber connection have helped Verizon Fios land J.D. Power’s top spot for customer satisfaction in the East region for over a decade.

Xfinity is likely to offer more plan choices, including a few that are priced lower than the cheapest plan from Verizon Fios. You may also have a better selection of internet and TV bundles with Xfinity and a discount for each Xfinity service you add to the bundle.

So if you’re looking for cheap, affordable internet, Xfinity might be a better option, but Verizon Fios will be the best all-around service for most. Here’s everything you need to know to decide which provider, Verizon Fios or Xfinity, is best for your home. 

Verizon Fios vs. Xfinity: Plans and pricing

Both Verizon and Xfinity offer a variety of home internet plans, as well as bundles that package your home internet with other services like mobile or cable TV. You’ll find a greater variety of options with Xfinity, which offers up to twice as many plans as Verizon Fios in most locations. Here’s a look at those plans.

Comcast Xfinity internet plans (West region)

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Verizon Fios home internet plans

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Fewer hassles and fees with Verizon Fios

Regardless of your location or the plan you choose, all Verizon Fios plans come with free equipment rental, unlimited data and no contract requirements. In addition, Verizon Fios has a limited-time offer, locking your price for up to five years for all plans. Prior this offer, the 300Mbps plan, for example, used to come with a two-year price guarantee, whereas the gigabit plans could include a four-year price guarantee when you sign up. For eligible addresses, customers can earn a $100 gift card when they sign up online.

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 data cap (1.25TB per month) and additional fees once they’ve reached that threshold.

Both providers offer discounted rates for low-income households

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 75Mbps for $15 per month. Xfinity also features an Internet Essentials Plus plan, which doubles the download speed to 100Mbps for $30 a month.

Xfinity vs. Verizon Fios: Availability and connection types

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.

Major markets where Xfinity and Verizon Fios overlap

• Delaware
• New Jersey
• New York City
• Albany, New York
• Buffalo, New York
• Staten Island, New York
• Syracuse, New York
• Baltimore, Maryland
• Boston, Massachusetts
• Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Providence, Rhode Island
• Norfolk, Virginia
• Richmond, Virginia
• Washington, DC

Why the connection type matters

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.

How much internet speed do I really need?

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.

Verizon Fios boasts higher customer satisfaction ratings

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 2024, with a score of 575/1,000. Xfinity came in at 532 in that same region, below fellow cable provider Cox (526) and the regional average (528). However, Xfinity scored above the region averages in the three other areas J.D. Power covers.

The bottom line: Go with Verizon Fios

Xfinity has greater availability, wider plan selections 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 typically score above the industry average.

Verizon Fios vs. Xfinity FAQs