Xfinity

Comcast’s Xfinity is the largest cable internet provider in the US, with services available to over 100 million people across 39 states. It also has a fledgling fiber network, currently available in just a handful of cities, but offering the country’s fastest commercially available domestic internet: the 2Gbps Gigabit Pro.

Most of us will be content with Xfinity’s fast-paced cable packages, which top out at 1Gbps speeds. These plans are constrained with a data limit, but it’s generous at 1TB a month. You can sign up without a contract, but committing to staying with Xfinity for at least a year will reduce your monthly bills.

But be warned: Comcast’s customer service is so poor it’s become the stuff of internet memes. 

Xfinity is primarily a cable internet provider, with cable plans sold coast to coast.

 

But Xfinity also has a fiber network. It's poked its head up in major cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Nashville, and San Francisco but has also inched into smaller metros in Indiana, Michigan, and Northern California. You can request to be connected to Xfinity fiber if you live within a third of a mile of its network and are willing to shell out $300 for its dazzling Gigabit Pro plan.

Xfinity’s prices vary regionally, but we can provide some national benchmarks. 

 

Xfinity’s entry cable package, the Performance Starter, with download speeds of just 25Mbps, starts at $30/month, on a 12-month contract. You can more than double those download speeds, to 60Mbps, for $55/month. Bills rise for other speed tiers, up to $85/month for the 1Gbps plan.

 

If you have some money to throw around and live near Xfinity’s fiber footprint, you can get 2Gbps speeds for $300/month.

But when we said prices vary based on location, we meant it. You can get 60Mbps speeds for $40/month on the West Coast but will pay $78/month for the same package in the Northeast. To see the plans and prices available to you, plug your ZIP code into our comparison engine.

 

You can sign up to Xfinity without a contract but will pay about $10 more each month for the flexibility. Signing up for a 12-month contract locks in lower prices, but only for a year. Watch out for price hikes after that introductory period is over. 

You’ll pay $90 upfront to have Xfinity installed, or $15 for a self-installation kit if you’re tech-savvy. If you choose to use Xfinity’s xFi gateway router, you’ll pay $13/month in rental fees. But if you stick with Xfinity for longer than a year, it’s worth investing in a third-party router.

Xfinity’s download speeds start at 25Mbps and run all the way up to 1Gbps (2Gbps in fiber locations). Tiers along the way include 60Mbps, 200Mbps, 300Mbps, and 600Mbps. And Xfinity delivers on those promised speeds. The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) latest report found that speeds on Xfinity’s networks are, on average, 112.5% of those advertised, making it the fourth-best performer of the 16 ranked providers.

 

However upload speeds lag on Xfinity, with even the 300Mbps package mustering just 5Mbps upstream. You have to upgrade 600Mbps to see upload speeds rise to 15Mbps and the 1Gbps package comes with upload speeds of just 35Mbps—3.5% of its download speeds. The exception is its fiber Gigabit Pro package, where the connection is symmetrical: as fast upstream as it is downstream.

Xfinity operates in 39 states, reaching 100 million people, so it’s likely available to you. Use our interactive map to see if Xfinity sells service in your state and who else is competing in the local market. Then plug your ZIP code into our comparison engine to see a personalized list of the providers, plans, and prices available to your address.

To streamline your entertainment bills, you can bundle your Xfinity internet with a cable TV connection. Xfinity's Digital Starter pack offers 140 digital channels, while upgrades Digital Preferred and Digital Premier come with 220 and 260 channels, respectively. Each package also comes with thousands of on-demand choices and the Xfinity Stream app, which allows you to view content from your TV, laptop, smartphone, or tablet.

Xfinity’s high-octane cable connections are a good choice for nearly all busy households. Whether you’re a binge-watcher, Fortnite champion, or simply sharing your internet connection with one, you’ll appreciate Xfinity’s fast speeds and roomy data allowances. 

 

However, remote workers might be vexed by the slow upload speeds on nearly all Xfinity plans. And everyone will need patience to deal with Comcast’s notoriously difficult customer service.