DISH vs. Xfinity TV

Is DISH satellite TV or Xfinity cable TV best for you?

We’ll help you find the answer by going over monthly prices, fees, channels, and equipment. And trust us, you’ll leave here knowing exactly which one is the perfect fit for you.

Without further ado, let’s get into the details of this epic battle and eliminate the weaker opponent.

DISH vs. Xfinity TV price comparison

Xfinity has an inexpensive entry-level plan, but DISH offers more channels

If you’re looking to save the maximum amount of money while getting the most of the popular channels we all love, you’ll want Xfinity. The $50 per month plan is ideal for those who want channels ranging from Disney Channel to ESPN to HGTV.

And if you want more than 220 channels, paying a bit extra for DISH will be the best option for you. You’ll get more channels for sports, movies, and entertainment.

With Xfinity, you get two options that determine your monthly pricing: no contract or a 1-year contract.

The Extra and Preferred Plus plans require a 1-year contract, but you’ll save $20-$30 per month. That’s $240-$360 you could save in one year! You know that money is better spent on date nights.

Or, if you’re afraid of commitment, you could go with the Digital Starter and Digital Preferred plans, so you don’t have to worry about a contract and early termination fees.

DISH vs. Xfinity TV contracts

DISH requires a 2-year contract if you want the advertised pricing above. We don’t like contracts either, and we wish they weren’t a thing, but we like the idea of saving $10-15 per month.

Xfinity requires a 1-year contract if you want the cheaper pricing (in this case, only the Preferred Plus plan). You’ll save $20-$30 per month to put toward your date nights, or you could use this money to go toward Xfinity’s list of fees (ugh).

DISH vs. Xfinity TV hidden fees

Xfinity has the most fees and the most expensive fees we’ve seen from a TV provider. Xfinity is one of the best cable TV service providers in the US, but this is the biggest downside.

So what if you need a TV box for the living room ($5/month) and your daughter’s bedroom ($10/month), DVR storage ($15/month), HD channels ($10/month), news channels ($20/month), and sports channels ($15/month)?

You’ll be paying an extra $75 on top of your monthly bill!

DISH doesn’t have these outrageous fees. Although two TV boxes are $5 more expensive with DISH, DISH has a DVR fee of $5 instead of $15 like Xfinity.

DISH doesn’t have an HD technology or broadcast fee, and the regional sports broadcast fee is only $3 instead of $10-$15.

As for DISH’s local channels fee, it’s optional. You can choose to remove ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC from your lineup to save $12 per month (but we know you probably want to stay updated with the local and world news).

^{Data effective 3/15/2021. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.}

We understand that you could become unhappy with the service, you could move, or you want to cut out some bills to save money. If you want to avoid cancellation fees, check out our guide to try to get around them.

DISH vs. Xfinity TV bundles

DISH and Xfinity provide many bundling options to fit your needs

We like the bundle options for both DISH and Xfinity TV, and bundling is so convenient because you only have to pay one bill.

DISH has you choose from one of the four TV plans and then one of the three internet plans, so it’s somewhat more customizable to your needs. You can get our favorite TV plan, America’s Top 200, and the Frontier FiOS internet plan if you have a family who uses the WiFi all at once.

Choose from broadband/wired, fiber, and satellite internet, and choose the download speeds you and your family needs. If you need help deciding, check out our Best DISH Bundles piece.

Xfinity has so many bundles to choose from that this provider makes it feel like it’s customized, as well.

For example, there are plans with higher download speeds for a higher price than what is shown in the table below. Such as the Choice TV Select Double Play, it also comes with download speeds of 200 Mbps, but for $15 more per month.

You’ll find all of your options at checkout. And keep in mind, these prices require a 1-year contract.

^{*Data effective 3/15/2021. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.}

DISH vs. Xfinity TV channels

You won’t go wrong with either service

Both DISH and Xfinity TV have all of the popular channels. You’ll just need to make sure your other favorite channels are in the package you want.

For example, if you need channels like ACCN, Pop, Comet, or Fuse, you won’t get them with Xfinity. And one favorite channel Xfinity has that DISH doesn’t is Telemundo.

But the good news for those who want to save cash: most of the popular channels are offered in the entry-level package for both TV providers.

DISH vs. Xfinity TV premium channels

Xfinity offers all of the premium channels, while DISH doesn’t offer HBO channels or CINEMAX (ask us how we’re supposed to live without our daily movie marathon).

Although you can subscribe to HBO Max and CINEMAX as a standalone service, it’s nice having all of your premium channels in one place.

Xfinity wins this round because we need Mrs. Doubtfire or Pitch Perfect playing in the background while working from home.

^{Data effective 3/15/2021. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.}

DISH vs. Xfinity TV sports channels

Sports channels are super vital in the TV world, and these channels can make or break a TV provider. We can confidently say that DISH wins this round immensely.

With DISH’s America’s Top 200 and 250 plans, you’ll get more than 30 sports channels. And you can get DISH’s Multi-Sports pack ($13/month) for more sports channels like MLB Network Strike Zone, NFL RedZone Channel, and ESPN Goal Line. (And trust us, you’ll want the NFL RedZone Channel if you’re an NFL fan and a fantasy player).

You can get up to 14 sports channels with the Preferred Plus and Digital Preferred plans, but you’ll actually be losing some important sports channels when you upgrade to this plan, like the ESPN and FS1 channels (boooo!).

DISH has the following sports channels:

Xfinity’s Extra and Starter packages have the following sports channels:

• ESPN, ESPN2
• FS1
• Stadium
• NBC Sports Network
• PAC-12 Network
• Tennis Channel
• Golf Channel

Xfinity’s Preferred Plus and Digital Preferred packages have the following sports channels:

DISH vs. Xfinity TV DVR

Both DISH and Xfinity’s DVR offer different upsides and downsides, but it’ll all come down to your needs.

With DISH, you could get 125 hours of DVR storage for two rooms for a total of $10 (not bad).

Xfinity charges you $30 for two set-top boxes and the DVR service (three times the amount!). But you’ll get 600 hours of DVR storage when you order more than one set-top box for your home.

So you just have to decide if you’d like a small storage space because it’s only you and a partner in the house, or if you’d like to avoid family conflicts, you’ll want that 600 hours of DVR storage.

^{*Data effective 3/15/2021.}

Recap: DISH takes the crown

Both have their ups and downs, but which one is best for you?

This versus piece is honestly a tricky one. You might consider going with a cable TV over satellite TV, but if we were to compare them side by side, they’re almost equal.

DISH has more channels, including sports channels, but it does require a 2-year contract.

Xfinity offers all premium channels and has a bigger DVR storage space, but its sports channel lineup and fees list are less enticing.

• Pricing and contracts: DISH and Xfinity are neck and neck when it comes to monthly pricing. DISH gives you decent pricing for the number of channels it offers, but you have to sign a 2-year contract for the promotional pricing. Xfinity has great pricing with its 1-year contract plans, but the number of fees is outrageous. So you could be paying the same price with both depending on how many channels you want and how many additional fees you’ll need to pay for your perfect service.
• Channels: DISH offers the most channels between the two, and this is where you’ll get more sports, movie, and entertainment channels. But you’ll get all of the popular channels with both providers. DISH doesn’t have HBO or CINEMAX, while Xfinity offers all of the premium channels.
• Sports Channels: DISH offers over 30 sports channels, and that’s hard to beat. Xfinity offers up to 14 sports channels in its higher-tier package, but the Preferred package doesn’t even have ESPN, FS1, or the Tennis or Golf channels.
• DVR: DISH includes the Hopper Duo with 125 hours of DVR storage, and you can get an additional TV box for $5 each and pay $5 per month for the DVR service. Xfinity’s X1 DVR is not included, and you must pay $5 for your first set-top box. The additional TV boxes are $10 per month, and the DVR service is $15! But you do get 600 hours of DVR storage when you have more than one set-top box in your home.

If you’re still on the fence, you can dive into the details in our full reviews:

• DISH Review
• Xfinity TV Review

What do you think?

Do you have DISH or Xfinity TV? What’s your experience with it been? Or do you like a different provider better? Drop us a comment below!