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Verizon Fios vs. Xfinity Internet plan comparison


Rebecca Palmer smiles for the camera
Headshot of Dave Schafer
Researched by
Headshot of Bri Field
Reviewed by
Bri FieldAssigning Editor
Updated 2/9/23

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Verizon Fios brand
Staff rating
4.3
Customer rating
4.3
(178)

  • Plans starting at $49.99
  • Download speeds up to 940 Mbps
Xfinity brand
Staff rating
3.8
Customer rating
4.2
(458)

  • Plans starting at $19.99
  • Download speeds up to 6000 Mbps
Verizon Fios brand
Staff rating
4.3

Fast, affordable fiber internet with a big East Coast footprint

Verizon Fios offers fast, reliable fiber internet, along with one of the best overall customer experiences in the business. Verizon Fios is highly recommended, and it's one of the best home internet providers we reviewed.


What we like

  • Reliable, symmetrical speeds
  • No contracts
What we dislike

  • Limited availability
  • No plan above 1 gig
Xfinity brand
Staff rating
3.8

Hyper-gig download speeds and improving customer service

Xfinity is a fantastic provider overall. It offers fast speeds, reliable service, and reasonable prices. Some plans still require contracts, and others still have data limits. Watch out for Xfinity’s hidden fees and spotty customer service record, but it may not be as bad as it once was.

What we like

  • Consistently fast speeds
  • Wide availability around the country
  • Competitive pricing, especially for budget plans
What we dislike

  • Data caps on slower plans (unless you pay more)
  • Inconsistent pricing and speed availability
  • Reputation for poor customer service
Verizon Fios brand
Value
4.0
More speed for your money

Verizon Fios is an excellent value overall. The provider offers three fiber-to-the-home plans, starting at about $50 per month for 300 Mbps, which is more for the money than you’ll get with many competitors. The mid-tier plan is also a solid value.

The highest-tier gigabit option is less competitively priced, at closer to $90 per month. However, that's still about 25% lower than the national benchmark for similar plans. (1) And you do get the benefit of symmetrical speeds with this fiber internet plan, which you won’t find with every provider. This helps offset the cost somewhat. For an additional $10 each month at the highest tier, you get 2 TB of cloud storage, a subscription to Disney+, and a MoCA adapter for internet gaming.

It's worth noting that Verizon also offers DSL internet in some areas, with speeds as high as 15 Mbps and bundled prices in the range of $75 per month, but are phasing it out in 2023. That's awfully slow compared to fiber internet, and quite expensive, but it's better than nothing. The good news is Verizon is rapidly building out its fiber-to-the-home network, so many households that have been stuck with DSL may soon be eligible for Fios. Get more info and sign up for updates from Verizon.

Xfinity brand
Value
4.0
Budget broadband internet plans are a great deal

Xfinity is generally a very good value, especially at the middle and lower tiers. In fact, it offers some of the best budget plans of any of the major internet service providers, with a 50 Mbps Internet Essentials plan for less than $20 per month and a 400 Mbps plan for $50 per month in some areas. Those plans have a data cap of 1.2 terabytes per month, which is disappointing but common among cable internet service providers (ISPs). Removing it costs an extra $30.

The 400 Mbps plan, which is about right for an average family, is also a great price. It rings in at about 36% of the national benchmark in its range. (1) That means you're paying just $0.18 per megabit, with plenty of megabits to go around.

Faster plans are available, but they are pretty pricey compared to the best fiber internet competitors we reviewed. Some areas can get speeds up to 2 Gbps, and others can get plans as fast as 6 Gbps. That is ludicrously fast, but it’s also really expensive. Most households don’t need those internet speeds unless they’re streaming a ton of 4K content at the same time or have 10 or more users, so we don’t recommend them for most households. They do come with unlimited data, though, so might still be worth it for some households.

Verizon Fios brand
Performance
5.0
Blazing-fast speeds with rock-solid performance

Performance is where Verizon Fios really shines. PCMag named it the fastest Major Internet Service Provider in 2022—and the 9 years before that. (2) The fiber optic connections are rock solid, and the speeds offered are excellent. Additionally, all plans have symmetrical speeds, which is ideal for anyone who uploads a lot of content. Our only complaint is that we’d like to see an even faster plan from Verizon—some competitors have started offering 2,000 Mbps (or faster).

If you can only get DSL with Verizon, you'll only be able to upload at speeds up to 15 Mbps and will pay a lot for the privilege. If you have any other option, we'd usually recommend it.

Xfinity brand
Performance
5.0
Some of the best internet reliability we found

Xfinity internet performance is excellent. Its speeds are fast and reliable. In fact, in many markets, it has one of the fastest internet speeds around. The service is reliable and consistent. If outages occur, Xfinity is responsive and generally restores service within hours. Xfinity internet is also highly rated for speed (2), and research from the US Federal Communication Commission (FCC) scored it among the top for reliability (3).

Verizon Fios brand
Equipment and installation
4.0
Equipment included on all plans and free pro installation if you order online

Verizon Fios offers a pretty standard equipment setup for fiber: an optical network terminal (ONT) and a wireless router. Routers are included at no extra cost on each plan, and the fastest plan comes with an included mesh network called Whole-Home Wi-Fi.

Installation costs $99, and there’s no self-install option. However, if you order online, Verizon will waive the fee. This can be an easy way to save some money on your first internet bill. That said, while the fee is expensive, it’s not unheard of among internet service providers.


Xfinity brand
Equipment and installation
3.0
Typical installation fees and Wi-Fi equipment

Xfinity internet offers the usual choice of professional and self-installation. The professional option is often more affordable than competitors, at $100. It's required if you haven't had Xfinity service at the address for more than 12 months. The self-install kit is free, though you may pay for shipping and handling. If you have trouble installing yourself, you can contact customer service for help but may face long hold times.

As for equipment, the Xfinity xFi gateway is fairly typical (and costs a fairly typical $14 per month). You can also add a Wi-Fi extender (and unlimited data) if you bump up to xFi Complete for about $15 per month for the first two years (and $25 per month starting in year 3). This is a bit steep for just the extender—you can grab an excellent Wi-Fi extender for right around $50. However, using Xfinity's equipment gives you unlimited data, and you qualify for a free upgrade after three years.

Read more about how internet bills work.

If you use your own equipment, unlimited data costs an extra $30 per month for lower tier plans, but is included for plans of at least 1 Gbps.

Verizon Fios brand
Customer experience
4.5
The leader in customer service among internet providers

If there’s a leader in internet customer experience, it’s probably Verizon Fios. The service is absolutely rock solid, with hardly a hiccup. This, combined with the excellent speeds, makes for a seamless internet experience—it just works.

Verizon also consistently scores well in customer satisfaction. In fact, it took the top spot this year in the ACSI benchmarks (3), tied with AT&T. Meanwhile, PCMag's readers rank Verizon Fios third in overall satisfaction (4).

Connecting away from home is the only place Verizon falls short. With services such as AT&T and Xfinity, subscribers get access to a nationwide network of free hotspots. Verizon doesn't have this offering (but also doesn't trick you into using your home router to let strangers connect).

Xfinity brand
Customer experience
3.5
Rapidly improving customer service scores

The Xfinity internet customer experience is kind of a mixed bag. On the one hand, you have reliable service, with the option for unlimited data if you want it. This makes for a great day-to-day experience.

On the other hand, Xfinity internet has a spotty customer service track record. Technically, it ranks above average on customer surveys (4). That said, we all remember the memes from a few years ago. While customer service seems to be improving (based on survey scores, at least), not everyone has a great experience, and we still see a lot of complaints about billing issues and miscommunication between the company and the techs it hires.

If you need to connect with the company, we recommend using its customer service portal and downloading the Xfinity app first before trying to reach reps by phone.

Endnotes and sources
1.“2022 Urban Rate Survey – Fixed Broadband Service,” FCC. Accessed 19 October 2022.2. "The Fastest ISPs of 2022," PC Mag. Accessed 19 October 2022.3. "Internet Providers," American Customer Satisfaction Index. Accessed 19 October 2022.4. “Readers’ Choice 2022: Your Favorite ISPs for Any Type of Broadband,” PCMag. Accessed 19 October 2022.
Endnotes and sources
As an Amazon Associate, Switchful.com may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.
1. "2022 Urban Rate Survey," FCC. Retrieved Dec. 7, 2022.2. "Speed Test Global Index," SpeedTest.net. Accessed 19 October, 2022.3. "Measuring Broadband America," Federal Communications Commission. Accessed 19 October 2022 4. "Internet Service Providers," American Customer Satisfaction Index. Accessed 19 October 2022.


Verizon Fios
4.2
(178)
5 Star
47%
4 Star
35%
3 Star
16%
2 Star
1%
1 Star
1%
L
Lesliefrom Pottstown, PA
Verizon Fios Customer for 8+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-07-25
They are immensely reliable in the entire time I have had only 2 Fios outages. They don't raise rates, they don't harass me. Nothing they do everything perfectly
J
Jasonfrom Corona, CA
Verizon Fios Customer for 1+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-07-22
Verizon FiOS has good network reliability. Their internet service is great. They can improve on lowering my bill.
M
Mollyfrom Orlando, FL
Verizon Fios Customer for Less than a year
Reviewed on: 2022-07-15
They seem to be awesome so far. Much cheaper than my cable service.
J
Jamiefrom Fredericksburg, VA
Verizon Fios Customer for 1+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-06-25
It's fast internet that we don't usually have a problem with. I do wish they had more packages for combining services, though.
Xfinity
4.2
(458)
5 Star
44%
4 Star
39%
3 Star
14%
2 Star
1%
1 Star
2%
D
Darrylfrom Monroe, GA
Xfinity Customer for 8+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-07-04
It is very fast and reliable. It always has a good signal. They do not need to improve.
D
Davidfrom Aurora, CO
Xfinity Customer for 8+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-07-02
I think I pay too much, especially when I hear the offers to potential new customers. No attention is given to reducing the cost for us loyal customers. Phoning Customer Service is a nightmare I will avoid sat all costs. Reliability is good, speeds questionable at times, Flex is a great product.
R
Rebeccafrom Olathe, KS
Xfinity Customer for 4+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-06-24
Xfinity has been a great service provider. Fast speeds and good customer service. I like the flexibility of different programs available. I also like the cost. It is pretty compareable and a manageable month payment.
R
Ronfrom Red Bank, NJ
Xfinity Customer for 8+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-06-18
The service offered and the connection and the costs all meet my desires
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