Verizon Fios Home Internet vs. Xfinity Internet Review 2023

Both Verizon Fios Home Internet and Comcast Xfinity offer fairly competitive prices. But even at first glance, it’s easy to see that Verizon’s prices are more straightforward than Xfinity’s.

Take a peek at the fine print, and the difference between these two ISPs becomes even clearer. Most of Xfinity’s internet plans require a contract, and the promotional pricing you see lasts for anywhere from 12 to 36 months.

On the other hand, Verizon Fios Home Internet comes with no annual contracts and no surprise fees, really. Even its Fios Gigabit Connection does away with the equipment rental fee, which comes included in your monthly price.

That’s not to say that Verizon Fios Home Internet prices won’t go up in the future. But it’s refreshing to see no annual contracts are required. Plus, the prices you pay for the speeds advertised are quite competitive.

Xfinity’s prices also start out competitive, but you’ll see your monthly bill go up after a while.

While we’re on the topic, we should also mention that Xfinity prices vary greatly depending on where you live. Below, you’ll find a snapshot of Xfinity internet promo prices for the northeastern US.

For the most part, Xfinity’s promo prices mimic the prices you’d pay for similar speeds from Verizon Fios Home Internet. But there are two Xfinity plans that may seem out of place: Gigabit and Gigabit Extra.

The prices for these two plans are extremely high for the speeds you get. What you’re paying for here is to wad that Xfinity contract up and toss it in the bin. But we’re raising an eyebrow over here because Verizon Fios Home Internet’s prices are consistently low with no annual contracts in sight.

P.S. Verizon’s TV packages are winners if you want TV with your internet service. Personally, we love Your Fios TV. It lets you pick your five favorite channels, then Verizon recommends a channel package based on your favorites. How's that for choice? Check out our comparison of Xfinity TV vs. Verizon Fios TV to learn more.

If you're looking for a new (and free) mobile plan, switching to Xfinity's Fast Internet plan before December 5th will get you a free Unlimited Intro mobile plan for two years.

Xfinity may have raised the stakes by boosting its top plan’s speeds to 1,200 Mbps, but Verizon Fios Home Internet raised them even higher by raising its speeds to 2,300 Mbps, almost doubling it.

And when it comes to upload speeds, Verizon Fios Home Internet’s fully fiber network can’t be beat, even offering more affordable prices than Google Fiber. You'll get incredibly fast (and symmetrical) upload and download speeds. Download speeds determine how fast you'll be able to browse the internet, while upload speeds are more critical for anyone who uploads large files to the internet. So whether you’re a photographer, videographer,  work-from-home pro, avid TV streamer, or casual scroller, we recommend Verizon Fios Home Internet.

Advertised speeds are all well and good, but what we all really want to know is what download speeds will we actually get when we log on to stream Netflix or play Rainbow Six Siege.

Turns out, both Verizon Fios Home Internet and Comcast Xfinity held up well when we analyzed internet speeds in our fastest internet service providers report.

We’re pretty confident that you’ll get excellent internet speeds from both of these providers. (And if you’re not, check out our tips on what you can do at home to speed up your internet.)

But Verizon Fios Home Internet scored higher than Xfinity, likely thanks to its fiber-optic network. Fiber internet is a newer technology than the cable tech Xfinity uses. And it gives you faster download and upload speeds, plus fiber internet connections tend to be more reliable.

So, in terms of internet speed, Verizon Fios Home Internet gets our vote.

Talking data caps gets a little fuzzy when it comes to Verizon Fios Home Internet: The ISP doesn’t state what its data policy is. Xfinity, on the other hand, now limits all its users to 1.2 TB of data per billing cycle. (Some Xfinity customers in the Northeast previously didn’t have a data cap.)

• Verizon Fios Home Internet data cap: Unknown
• Xfinity internet data cap: 1.2 TB

But until it says otherwise, we’ll assume that Verizon Fios Home Internet comes with no data caps, making it the superb choice if you work from home or have lots of internet users in your household.

That’s not to say Xfinity’s data cap is horrible. To be honest, 1.2 TB of data is pretty standard. And you can purchase an unlimited Xfinity data plan for a little extra each month.

Verizon Fios Home Internet is the top scorer in the ACSI’s latest look at customer satisfaction, while Xfinity is more in the middle.

In general, internet providers aren’t known for great customer service. (Though we’ve heard glowing remarks about Verizon Fios Home Internet and not-so-glowing remarks about Xfinity.) If you do need to call your ISP’s customer service, check out these tips for an easier customer service call.

If you can get it in your area, Verizon Fios Home Internet is the way to go. It elbows past Xfinity with low prices, no annual contracts, faster, more reliable internet speeds and better customer service. (It may also come with no data caps, but the ISP neither confirms nor denies that.)

But Xfinity is still a great choice for low promotional prices and fast internet speeds, plus you’re more likely to find it in your neighborhood.

• Price: Verizon Fios Home Internet. Both ISPs offer low prices, but Verizon Fios Home Internet doesn’t require an annual contract on any of its plans.
• Internet speed: Verizon Fios Home Internet. Thanks to its fiber internet network, Verizon Fios Home Internet offers fast download speeds that tend to be more reliable. Plus it comes with just-as-fast upload speeds that are perfect for creatives and those who work from home. Xfinity internet speeds are still great though, and will work well for a majority of people.
• Data caps: Tie. Xfinity caps your data at the usual 1.2 TB, while Verizon Fios Home Internet has its lips sealed when it comes to its data cap. We’ve got a hunch the Verizon Fios Home Internet doesn't come with data caps, though.
• Customer service: Verizon Fios Home Internet. Both ISPs scored well in a customer satisfaction survey, but Verizon Fios Home Internet rose to first place with better overall scores.

How do we compare internet service providers? It’s simple. Okay, actually it’s not.

We take quantifiable items like price, advertised download and upload speeds, actual download and upload speeds (when we can find them or get them ourselves), and ACSI customer service scores. We also factor in our own experience and voilà! A star (rating) is born.