Xfinity Internet vs. Google Fiber: Which Is Best?

All it takes is a quick glance at the prices of Comcast Xfinity and Google Fiber’s plans to see that Xfinity is a much cheaper service. But there’s more to the story.

Google’s prices are higher, but the company also has more straightforward contracts and faster service. Meanwhile, Xfinity’s cheap prices come with slower speeds and often include pesky price hikes after a year or two. Here are all the details, starting with Xfinity

Xfinity offers five different tiers of high-speed plans, starting at just $25 a month for 200Mbps. That’s plenty of speed for small families or couples. Those who need more can pay just $10 a month more for double the speed.

Note that prices in the chart above are for the Northeast, but you can see the prices for Xfinity (and other ISPs) in your area by using the zip-code plan finding tool right here.

These prices already include a $10-per-month discount for enrolling in auto-pay. There are several ways to save even more on Xfinity plans, like bundling your service with a TV package or mobile phone service.

So, what’s the catch? Well, the biggest issue with Xfinity’s super low prices is that they are often just temporary. Prices are locked in for 12 to 36 months, but if you remain with Xfinity after that, you can see an increase in your monthly rate. In some cases, that increase can more than double your bill! Yikes.

Another issue with Xfinity’s prices is that they don’t reflect fees, like the $15-a-month rental fee for using the company’s standard modem and Wi-Fi router (which is why we recommend buying your own).

You’ll also have to pay a one-time installation fee in many cases, which usually costs $50.

For month-to-month customers there isn’t any fee for cancellation, but if you’re on one of Xfinity’s higher-tier plans you may be required to sign up for a 12-month contract, which can come with hefty early termination fees. There’s nothing worse than paying to not have internet.

Google Fiber’s plans are, obviously, a lot faster than Xfinity’s. At the low end, you have 1Gbps speeds (that’s 1,000Mbps!). That’s more than enough bandwidth for most families. But it also costs a lot more than most families want to pay for home internet.

At $70, Google Fiber may have the most expensive entry-level plan on the market. From there, it goes up quickly, all the way to $150 a month for the 8Gbps plan.

If you do decide to shell out for one of Google’s super-high-speed plans, at least you won’t have to worry about pesky fees or price hikes. In fact, the company has made its own list of potential fees to look out for so that you don’t get mad when a charge shows up on your bill.

In most areas, Google Fiber installation and equipment are free! That’s already like $10 to $20 you’ll be saving every month. And the company never requires contracts or charges fees for early termination.

In short: Google is pricier up front, but it gives you better speeds and clearer contract terms with no price hikes down the line.

The main difference between Google Fiber’s internet service and Xfinity’s is the type of network that they use. Xfinity internet is mostly run through cable lines, like those that provide cable television. Google’s service uses, you guessed it, a fiber-optic network.

So what’s the big deal? It all boils down to speed and reliability. Fiber networks have much higher top speeds than cable networks and are less prone to fluctuations. Also, they offer symmetrical download and upload speeds.

With non-fiber internet connections, your download speeds are much faster than your upload speeds. This is usually fine, since upload speed isn’t important for most activities, like streaming video or sending email. But with more people playing high-end games and working from home, upload speeds have become more important.

These speeds aren’t just the advertised speeds. According to our very own testing, Google Fiber is the fastest provider in the United States right now. And while Xfinity isn’t as fast, it actually makes it to the top of the list because it offers superfast speeds in areas where other providers aren’t available.

Google Fiber has no data caps. That means you can binge reruns of The Office till the cows come home, and you can download the endless Warzone updates stress-free. With Xfinity, you might run into issues.

Most of Xfinity’s plans come with a data cap of 1.2TB. That’s still a lot of data. Most casual users will never go over that limit (you’d have to watch about 400 hours of full HD video to reach that cap), but it’s still a pain for bigger families or very online people.

You can pay extra for more data. Here’s the breakdown of your options:

Data overage fee: $10 per 50GB, up to $100/mo.

xFi Complete (already have xFi Gateway and in West region): $15/mo. for 12 months $25/mo. after first year

Unlimited Data plan: $30/mo. extra

Google Fiber has made a big splash in the home internet market, but it’s still only available in a few select cities. Here’s a list of the areas where you can sign up for Google’s service:

• Huntsville, Ala.
• Orange County, Calif.
• Atlanta, Ga.
• West Des Moines, Iowa (coming soon)
• Kansas City, Kan. and Mo.
• Charlotte and The Triangle, N.C.
• Nashville, Tenn.
• Austin and San Antonio, Texas
• Provo and Salt Lake City, Utah

In seven additional cities, Google offers a service called Webpass.  You can learn more about availability and Webpass in our full Google Fiber Review.

As for future expansion, Google has been pretty slow to roll out and tight lipped about its plans. But it does look like some areas in Colorado, like Lakewood, and additional cities in Utah, Idaho, and Nebraska may see Google Fiber soon.

When you compare Google Fiber’s availability to that of Comcast Xfinity, there isn’t really any competition. Xfinity is available in 40 states, with especially strong coverage in parts of the Northeast, Southeast, and Northwest. Just take a look at this map.

There are many parts of the country where Xfinity is one of the only high-speed internet options around, which can be frustrating. But services like T-Mobile 5G Home Internet are starting to change that.

Let’s be honest: Most ISPs are awful at customer service. But that’s not true for Google Fiber.

According to the latest customer satisfaction surveys, fiber customers are very happy. The company actually scores the highest of all ISPs, with 4.2/5. Meanwhile, Xfinity lags a bit with a score of 3.7/5. These same results are mirrored by the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) report.

While Google does score higher, Xfinity has done a lot to boost its customer service reputation in recent years. Both companies should be easy enough to deal with when you’re experiencing a problem. Just remember these important customer service tips. You can reach Google or Xfinity using the following channels.

Google Fiber customer service:

• Call +1-866-777-7550
• Visit fiber.google.com/support

Xfinity customer service:

• Call +1-800-934-6489
• Visit xfinity.com/support/contact-us

We just threw a lot of information at you. But the long story short is this: Google Fiber offers faster speeds, better customer service, and simpler contracts. But it costs quite a bit more than Xfinity and it isn’t available in most places.

Here’s a quick review of the important head-to-head stats to help you make your final decision.

• Price: Xfinity wins out when it comes to prices by offering plans as cheap as $25 a month (or maybe even free if you qualify for ACP). Google Fiber’s cheapest plan costs a whopping $70 a month.
• Internet speed: Google’s fiber-optic network outperforms Xfinity’s cable network in pretty much every way. However, you can still get very fast download speeds with Xfinity in most places.
• Data caps: Google Fiber doesn’t have any data caps, so that’s a win. Xfinity’s plans come with a standard 1.2TB cap.
• Customer service: While Xfinity has done a lot to improve customer service recently, Google Fiber still leaves customers more satisfied.

We take our comparison reviews very seriously, striving to give our readers the most accurate, relevant, and easy-to-digest information so that they can choose the perfect home internet plan for their lifestyle.

For this review of Google Fiber and Xfinity, we used a number of sources, including customer reviews, outside collectors, internal research, user testimonials, and first party publications. Most of our information about plan options, prices, and availability come directly from the service providers.

Not everyone wants the same thing from their internet, so we make our final analysis and recommendations based on the needs and desires of several different kinds of internet users.