DISH vs. Xfinity

OVERVIEW

DISH and Xfinity are both big-time TV providers, but which delivers the better TV experience? Both DISH and Xfinity offer hundreds of channels, tens of thousands of on-demand programming options, and some pretty nifty DVRs (Xfinity’s X1 and DISH’s Hopper 3). In the end, we found that DISH does TV better than Xfinity—though it’s a bit of a close call.

Overall winner: DISH

^{Data effective 8/17/18. Offers and availability may vary by market and are subject to change.
*For 24 months with a 2-year contract
†For 12 months with a 1-year contract}

DISH vs. Xfinity—quick comparison

A better DVR and lower, long-term pricing make DISH the winner.

DISH and Xfinity are two of the biggest TV service providers out there, but besides both being household names, the two don’t have much in common.

DISH is satellite TV service, so you can get it anywhere in the United States (as long as you’re willing to install a satellite dish). On the other hand, Xfinity is a cable TV provider, so its service is delivered via coaxial cables to your home. Also, DISH requires a 2-year contract, but Xfinity lets you choose between contract and no-contract service.

Here’s quick look at what DISH and Xfinity have to offer.

^{Data effective 8/17/18. Offers and availability may vary by market and are subject to change.
*For 24 months with a 2-year contract and eAutoPay}

DISH’s four TV plans don’t vary that much (the DVR is the same for all), but we think the America’s Top 120+ plan should meet most people’s needs. It has sports channels and 22 of the 25 most popular cable channels¹ (FX, ESPN, USA, TNT, etc.). If you’re wondering, you can check the channels in each plan using DISH’s channel guide.

^{Data effective 8/17/18. Offers and availability may vary by market and are subject to change.
*For 12 months with a 1-year contract}

There’s an 80-channel difference between Xfinity’s Digital Starter and Digital Preferred plans, so we say go for the latter. It’s the best for the money. If you want to know which Xfinity plans include which channels, check out Xfinity’s channel guide.

Comparing DISH and Xfinity prices and plans

Turns out you pay more for Xfinity in the long run.

We included the monthly service prices from DISH and Xfinity in the tables above, but they don’t tell the whole story (in a perfect world, we think they should).

Fees

At first glance, DISH and Xfinity seem pretty comparable—DISH’s Top 120 and Xfinity’s Starter both start at $49.99 a month. You’d think it’d be like comparing apples to apples because it’s the exact same monthly service price—but it’s not.

Xfinity adds a handful of monthly fees to its monthly service price. It has a broadcast fee, a regional sports fee, and more.

Though these fees vary slightly by location, they can easily add up to more than $30 a month. So even though Xfinity’s Digital Starter is advertised at a price of $49.99 a month, the actual price is closer to $79.99 a month, and we still haven’t talked about the contract.

Contracts

Yes, DISH requires a 2-year contract, which we don’t like, but if you’re living in a home and putting down roots, commitment doesn’t seem like such a big deal. Plus, DISH’s 2-year contract saves money because its prices are guaranteed for the length of the contract, whereas Xfinity’s prices increase after the first year of service.

Don’t get us wrong—we give Xfinity points for offering no-contract TV service. (Some of us at Reviews.org had to get no-contract Xfinity service because of commitment phobia.) However, Xfinity’s no-contract service is more expensive than its contract service—usually about $10 more a month.

The savings

With all the extra fees Xfinity adds to your bill, DISH and its two-year price guarantee will probably cost you less over the course of two years than Xfinity. But while it’s fair to say that DISH can save you hundreds of dollars long-term, you may be more interested in having plenty to watch with Xfinity than saving dollars.

Channels

DISH has more channels total, but that doesn’t mean you’ll have more to watch. Channel counts are like the advertised price—they don’t tell you what you’re really getting. For example, every TV provider, not just DISH and Xfinity, includes music stations and promotional channels (example: a “what’s-coming-soon” channel) in channel counts. We think it’s fair to say the majority of customers don’t pay for TV service to listen to Radio Margaritaville (yes, that is a real channel).

We checked which plans from DISH and Xfinity include the 25 most popular cable channels (by viewer count), and it turns out that the cheaper plans include most of the top 25 channels.

Xfinity’s Digital Starter, Digital Preferred, and Digital Premier plan all have the top 25 cable channels seen above except HBO.

As for DISH, it has all of the top 25 cable channels except HBO in the America’s Top 200 and America’s Top 250 plans. But its America’s Top 120 and America’s Top 120+ plans do not have Investigation Discovery and the Hallmark Channel.

Packages and pricing summary—DISH vs. Xfinity

• Though pricing seems comparable, DISH will save you money with a long-term contract.
• DISH’s and Xfinity’s plans have similar channel lineups, except for Investigation Discovery and the Hallmark Channel.

Which has better equipment and features, DISH or Xfinity?

DISH’s Hopper 3 DVR records eight times as much as Xfinity’s X1 DVR.

Xfinity’s X1 DVR boasts some neat features (like a voice-controlled remote), but when compared to DISH’s Hopper 3 DVR, the X1 just doesn’t hold up.

Storage hours

First off, the Hopper 3 can hold 500 HD recording hours. Xfinity’s X1 holds only 60 HD recording hours, which means the Hopper 3 can hold eight times the movies and shows—that’s a big difference.

Sure, 60 recording hours may be more than enough for one person, but what if you’re sharing the DVR, or you’re a movie fanatic, or you just never want to delete past seasons of Archer?

For example, we record every episode of Chopped. Each episode is an hour long (with commercials), so Chopped can fill up the DVR fast. On an Xfinity X1 DVR, one season of Chopped would take up almost half the available storage space, which means if we were sharing an X1 DVR, we’d have to be picky about what we choose and choose not to record. We don’t like being “choosy,” especially when it comes to Chopped, so having a DVR with plenty of space is definitely a benefit.

Simultaneous recording

Another thing to think about is how many shows you want to record at once. DISH’s Hopper 3 can record up to sixteen shows at once, and Xfinity’s X1 can record up to six at once. We can’t imagine recording sixteen different shows or movies at the same time, but again, we like the idea of never having to be choosy with what we watch.

Equipment and features summary—DISH vs. Xfinity

• The DISH Hopper 3 DVR can record eight times the movies and shows of the Xfinity X1 DVR (500 hours compared to 60 hours).
• The Hopper 3 can record sixteen shows at once, while the X1 can record six simultaneously.

DISH vs. Xfinity recap

DISH wins for having a DVR that can “out-record” the Xfinity X1 in every way possible. Also, DISH doesn’t have as many extra fees, so though it requires a contract, you’ll save more money with DISH down the line.

• Overall winner: DISH.
• Plans and prices: DISH’s long-term contract saves you money, and you won’t have to bother with Xfinity’s extra fees.
• Equipment and features: Considering DISH’s Hopper 3 DVR can hold and do so much (500 hours, 16 simultaneous recordings, etc.), the Xfinity’s X1 DVR doesn’t come out looking nearly as impressive.
• Full reviews: Check out our full-length reviews of DISH and Xfinity.

Sources

1. Statista.com, Leading ad supported broadcast and cable networks in the United States in 2017, by average number of viewers