Xfinity is more affordable, but Spectrum offers unlimited data.
Xfinity vs. Spectrum Internet: Which One Is Better?
Check Availability
8 min readXfinity is available in 39 states and is more affordable long-term, which is a good reason to pick Xfinity over Spectrum. The prices do increase after your first year or two, but not as much as Spectrum. Overall, Xfinity Internet customers can expect:
- Cable speeds of up to 1,300Mbps
- Plans starting at $40.00/mo.
- Guaranteed prices for at least a year
- Availability in 39 states
- Unlimited data with certain plans and pormotions
Meanwhile, Spectrum is available in more states (42) than Xfinity and has unlimited data with all plans. Benefits of Spectrum Internet include:
- Cable speeds of up to 1,000Mbps
- Plans starting at $50.00/mo.
- Guaranteed prices for at least a year
- Availability in 42 states
- Unlimited data
Either way you go, you’re signing up for a cable service, which provides a reliable connection, although not as reliable as fiber.
On this page:
Honest reviews written by real people
- Why trust Reviews.org? Because we are real people writing these reviews, and we interview customers and experts to do our research.
- Our brand partners don’t see or approve our articles before publication, but we make a commission if you click an affiliate link. Learn more about Reviews.org on our How We Test Internet page.
Want to know if Xfinity or Spectrum are available where you live? Run a search with your zip code below to find out.
Share your experience and rate your internet provider
Your feedback helps others find the right internet provider. Whether your experience was great, frustrating, or somewhere in between, we want to hear about it.
Xfinity vs. Spectrum: Plans, pricing, and deals
Xfinity Internet plans and prices
Provider | Plan | Price | Download speed | Details |
 Xfinity Internet | 300 Mbps |
$40/mo. for 12 mos.
| Up to 300 Mbps Mbps |
Check Availability
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity Internet | 300 Mbps |
$55/mo. for 5 yrs.
| Up to 300 Mbps Mbps |
Check Availability
|
| Xfinity Internet | 500 Mbps |
$55/mo. for 12 mos.
| Up to 500 Mbps Mbps |
Check Availability
|
| Xfinity Internet | 500 Mbps |
$70/mo. for 5 yrs.
| Up to 500 Mbps Mbps |
Check Availability
|
| Xfinity Internet | 1 Gig |
$70/mo. for 12 mos.
| Up to 1000 Mbps Mbps |
Check Availability
|
| Xfinity Internet | 1 Gig |
$85/mo. for 5 yrs.
| Up to 1000 Mbps Mbps |
Check Availability
|
| Xfinity Internet | 1.2 Gig |
$100/mo. for 12 mos.
| Up to 1200 Mbps Mbps |
Check Availability
|
| Xfinity Internet | 1.2 Gig |
$115/mo. for 5 yrs.
| Up to 1200 Mbps Mbps |
Check Availability
|
| Xfinity Internet | 2 Gig |
$100/mo. for 12 mos.
| Up to 2000 Mbps Mbps |
Check Availability
|
| Xfinity Internet | 2 Gig |
$115/mo. for 5 yrs.
| Up to 2000 Mbps Mbps |
Check Availability
|
Spectrum plans and prices
Provider | Plan | Price | Download speed | Details |
 Spectrum Internet | Spectrum Internet® Premier |
$50/mo. 1 yr price guarantee
| Up to 500 Mbps | View Plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum Internet | Spectrum Internet® GIG |
$70/mo. for 12 mos.
| Up to 1000 Mbps | View Plans |
Xfinity is a cable internet provider with plans that start with introductory pricing at $40 per month for 300Mbps and going up to $100 per month for the 2,000Mbps plan. The introductory offer lasts for the first 12–24 months, and afterwards, plans go up by $20 or more per month. There are few hidden costs: Most new customers have to fork out $100 for a professional technician to come out and install the service, or in some cases pay up to $39.99 to install it yourself. Xfinity also offers the option to rent a xFi Gateway, which conveniently combines a modem and a router. This is sometimes offered for free for the first 12 months of your service, or $15 per month. Once you’ve got that all set up, you’re good to go.
During each month of service, be wary of the data cap of 1.2TB, but this is plenty for most people. If you do go over, there’s a $10 fee per 50GB of data you use, or you could just pay $30 ahead of time for unlimited data. Note that some plans come with a term contract, so you do need to pay a fee of $10 for each month left if you end your service earlier than you agreed to.
Spectrum is also a cable internet provider with a similar fee structure to Xfinity (hidden costs included), but unlike Xfinity, Spectrum offers unlimited data. Speeds start at 500Mbps for a discounted introductory rate of $50 per month and go up to 1Gbps for $70 per month. The intro period lasts for 12–24 months and then can increase by $38–$48 per month. Depending on your plan, you may need to pay $65 for a one-time professional installation. Thankfully, there are no contracts, so you can cancel anytime without paying an early termination fee. Each plan also comes with a free modem, though you need to supply your own router—or rent one from Spectrum for an easy $7 per month.
“They’re very affordable, and if I’m having an issue, they’re very good about troubleshooting.” —Sakia Anwar, a Spectrum customer in Queens, New York
Xfinity vs. Spectrum Internet: Fees for modem and installation
Xfinity’s best deal is its discounted plan prices for the first 12–24 months. You can get 300Mbps download speed for only $40 per month, which is a steal.
Spectrum also has good bundle deals. If you sign up for any Spectrum Internet plan, you get your first 12 months of unlimited mobile included with your internet plan. That’s a year without paying a phone bill.
Read our Master Haggler’s Guide to Cheap Internet to get more bang for your buck on your Spectrum plan.
Xfinity add-ons and perks
Sign up for any Xfinity Internet plan. Valid through 09/30/2025.
Sign up for the 400Mbps plan and Xfinity Mobile.
Sign up for the X1 add-on.
Download the app after signing up for an Xfinity service, and log in with your Xfinity ID.
Join through your Xfinity account after signing up for an Xfinity service.
Check Availability
Spectrum Internet add-ons and perks
Add Spectrum Voice to your internet plan
Add TV to your internet plan.
Add an eligible TV service to your internet plan
What makes this review legit?
Our fact-based research process centers on interviews with internet customers across the country, helping us understand how internet services hold up against diverse needs and challenges.
To put together this review, we looked at results from our speed test, pulled data from customer satisfaction surveys, and pored over the fine print to compare prices and speeds between the two providers. To flesh out our analysis, we also interviewed Xfinity and Spectrum customers to get their firsthand insights. We let their experiences guide our research and shape our conclusions. We also speak with ISP spokespeople and industry experts to get insights into connection types, speed capabilities, and other technical issues related to internet service.
The matchup: How we rate Xfinity vs. Spectrum Internet
For all our internet reviews, we give a rating based on three main criteria—speed and reliability, dollar value, and customer experience—which we then average to make an overall score.
Here, we compare those ratings face to face. We then offer some analysis and context for important factors to keep in mind.
Want to know more? Read our full-length Xfinity review and Spectrum Internet review.
Speed and reliability
Xfinity Internet
4.0/5
Spectrum Internet
4.0/5
Xfinity comes in third place in Reviews.org’s Fastest Internet Providers report, according to customers who ran our speed test. This is quite an impressive achievement, because it means that not only does Xfinity offer fast speeds on par with fiber providers, but it actually delivers those speeds in real life. Spectrum isn’t too shabby for speed either. Customers who took our speed test got an average of 216Mbps download speed. This isn’t the fastest, but it’s reasonable for one or two people in a household using the internet for streaming on different devices, playing games online, or even working from home.
Dollar value
Xfinity Internet
3.3/5
Spectrum Internet
3.8/5
When it comes to price, Xfinity is more affordable than Spectrum. However, both have their snags—they both introduce price increases after 12–24 months, Xfinity has extra fees, and Spectrum is more expensive to start with.
Check out our guide on how to lower your Xfinity internet bill.
Check out more pro tips on how to lower your Spectrum internet bill.
Customer experience
Xfinity Internet
3.8/5
Spectrum Internet
4.0/5
Xfinity customers have good and bad experiences. According to HighSpeedInternet.com's Customer Satisfaction Survey, Xfinity performs above average for overall customer satisfaction, which is good but not great. Spectrum customers also have a range of experiences. A few customers tell Reviews.org that they’re happy with their service, but technical support needs work. In short, both providers in this case have variable service and average customer service, but Spectrum customers seem overall more satisfied.
Overall quality: Which internet provider should you pick?
Check Availability
Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change. Data verified as of the article's publication date.
Xfinity Internet
3.7/5
Spectrum Internet
3.9/5
Xfinity offers top speeds and good prices to start, though the provider does have some work to do when it comes to improving its customer service. It’s also annoying that prices get more expensive after you’ve been a customer for one to two years, which is a backwards way to treat a loyal customer, yet a very common practice among ISPs.
Spectrum is also a good provider with gigabit speed and discounted introductory rates. It also offers subsidized internet plans for qualifying households. Spectrum does well to provide unlimited data, which means you can use the internet to your heart’s content instead of trying to keep tabs on your usage before you run out.
Xfinity and Spectrum are fairly similar when it comes to speed, dollar value, and customer experience. It’s hard to distinguish if one is clearly better than the other because each provides fast speeds and cheaper intro rates. If you had to choose between them, Xfinity is a better choice, because its month-to-month fees are lower, and price increases are also lower once that intro period ends. Even though Xfinity doesn’t include unlimited data with the monthly plan price, most households will find the 1.2TB of data enough for their needs.
Xfinity vs. Spectrum Internet: What do customers think?
Xfinity customers have mixed experiences on speed and plan deals
Xfinity customers have mixed thoughts on how the provider performs. “What I need it for, it works. I just don’t think about it that much,” says Dylan Woolf, an Xfinity customer in Salt Lake City, Utah. “I have had a couple outages, but they’re so infrequent that I don’t generally notice them.” Another customer, Rachel Marsden, had a great experience with Xfinity at her old home, but the service took a nose dive after she moved to Farmington, Utah, just a few miles away. “We have an outage at least once or twice a month, which impacts my ability to work from home."
Xfinity’s deals are also tricky to get if you’re not a brand new customer. Long-term customers feel like they aren’t getting rewarded for staying with the provider, so Bill Holmes, a customer in Connecticut, told Reviews.org that he canceled his service and got his wife to sign up again. “She’s a brand new customer, so we got a two-year [deal] for $39.99 a month,” he said.
“What I need it for, it works. I just don’t think about it that much.” —Dylan Woolf, an Xfinity customer in Utah
Spectrum customers report lower than expected speeds and poor customer service
Most Spectrum customers agree that they signed up for the service because there were no better options. “Spectrum was the only service provider that offered anything faster than 100Mbps download,” says Sean Huntley, a documentary producer who lives in Glendale, California with his girlfriend, Alex Brown. Huntley and Brown both work in the film industry, so they signed up for a gigabit internet plan so they could work with large files easily. In reality, their speeds are around 400–500Mbps—much lower than expected. It still works for the most part. “What, are you going to go to a different water company? It’s a water company.”
Several customers we talked to have also had bad experiences with customer service. “I told him three or four times, ‘No, I am not interested,’ and he just would not stop,” says Sakia Anwar, who called technical support because an outage occurred while she was working from home. Instead of being met with assistance, the agent used the call as an opportunity to sell her a cable TV plan. “I think he was reading off a script or something … I wanted to punch him in the throat.”
Another customer, Robyn Straw, experienced daily outages in the summer of 2023 at her home. “It’s not very customer friendly,” she explains. It would take hours each time to fix, and because of it, she missed multiple work calls over Zoom.
“What, are you going to go to a different water company? It’s a water company.” –Sean Huntley, regarding his Spectrum Internet service
FAQ
What is the downside of Spectrum Internet?
The main downside of Spectrum Internet is its price hikes. While your initial price is guaranteed for a year or two, after that, it increases. Otherwise, Spectrum offers a lot, like fast speeds and unlimited data.
Is Comcast Xfinity worth it?
Comcast Xfinity Internet can be worth it, but it largely depends on what your other internet options are. If you’re looking to get away from slow-as-molasses satellite service, Xfinity is definitely worth it. If you currently live the fast life with Google Fiber, Xfinity will feel like more of a downgrade.
Related Articles
Buckeye Broadband Internet Review
Looking for high-speed internet in the Midwest? Buckeye is a local company with some sweet...
What’s the Cheapest Verizon Fios Home Internet Plan?
Find the cheapest Verizon Fios Internet plan near you. Check out our guide to low-cost...
How to Move with Your Internet Service
Moving to a new place? We discuss how to move with your internet service and...
Mbps vs. Gbps: Do You Need Gigabit Internet?
Several providers are now offering gigabit internet speeds. But do you need such swift internet,...
