Xfinity vs. CenturyLink: Which Internet Provider is Better?

CenturyLink

4.5 out of 5 overall

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• Cheap fiber
• Great rural coverage

Xfinity

4 out of 5 overall

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• Strong availability
• High average speeds

CenturyLink and Xfinity are two of the largest internet service providers (ISP) in the country. When combined, both companies offer internet service to over 150 million Americans. Xfinity offers cable and fiber internet connections, while CenturyLink provides DSL and fiber connections. Keep reading to learn about both ISPs and how they compare to each other.

In this Guide

1. Coverage and Availability
2. Price
3. Internet Speed
4. Data Limits
5. Bundles
6. Customer Service
7. Bottom Line
8. Frequently Asked Questions

CenturyLink vs. Xfinity: Summary

Xfinity’s cable internet offers a reliable and fast connection at competitive prices. CenturyLink’s DSL provides broadband internet to more people in rural areas, but prices can be high for the inferior internet connection type. CenturyLink’s fiber, however, is less expensive than Xfinity’s fiber.

Coverage
Price
Speeds
Data Limits
Bundles
Customer Service
	CenturyLink Plans	Xfinity Plans

CenturyLink vs. Xfinity: Coverage and

Xfinity is the largest cable provider in the country. Using that vast infrastructure to make its cable internet available to over 110 million people, Xfinity is also one of the largest internet providers in the country. While CenturyLink is definitely no slouch when it comes to availability, it’s a bit of an unfair fight putting it up against Xfinity. CenturyLink’s DSL and fiber connections reach just over 40 million people.

Xfinity has a powerful presence in some of the most populated regions on both coasts. Meanwhile, CenturyLink is known for providing broadband to some of the more rural areas in the middle of the country. Although CenturyLink has its strengths, Xfinity is the clear winner in this category.

CenturyLink vs. Xfinity: Price

You might think comparing prices between these two ISPs should be as simple as seeing who offers the cheapest service, and while that does factor into the equation here, there’s more to the story.

First, we have to consider that we aren’t really comparing apples to apples for the bulk of each providers’ services. CenturyLink mainly offers DSL, which is one of the weaker types of broadband connections. Xfinity by Comcast primarily sells much more reliable, and generally faster, cable internet. Paying a little more for cable probably gets you more value than paying a cheaper price for DSL. That said, Xfinity also offers the cheapest prices, starting as low as $40 for 300Mbps internet. Almost all of CenturyLink’s DSL plans start at $55/month, with maximum speeds varying depending on location.

On the other hand, both ISPs also sell limited internet plans on fiber connections. Fiber is the current king of home internet connections, allowing for breakneck gigabit speeds. Comparing Xfinity and CenturyLink fiber prices, the situation flips. CenturyLink offers a slightly cheaper fiber plan starting at around $75/month whereas Xfinity’s starts at $85/month. Additionally, CenturyLink offers a less comparable Fiber plan starting at $30/month in select locations, but you're getting considerably slower speeds. 

The last part of the story for this category involves price increases. All of Xfinity’s prices are introductory rates that increase after your first 12 months of service. CenturyLink offers price-for-life rates, meaning the monthly price you sign up at will remain the price you pay for as long as you keep your service active.

CenturyLink Fiber Gigabit

4.5 out of 5 overall

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• Starting at $75/month
• Price for life
• Unlimited data

More Plan Details

Xfinity Gigabit Extra

4.5 out of 5 overall

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• Starting at $85/month
• Price increases after 12 months
• Unlimited data

More Plan Details

All things considered, even though CenturyLink does provide the cheapest prices overall, we think the low price for gigabit fiber combined with price lock helps CenturyLink tie Comcast Xfinity in this category.

CenturyLink vs. Xfinity: Internet Speed

As with the price category, when it comes to comparing speeds, connection type plays a significant role. Cable connections will always provide faster speeds than DSL, and this holds true when comparing CenturyLink and Xfinity. CenturyLink’s DSL tops out at 100Mbps (not all of its DSL plans can reach this speed). Xfinity’s cable internet can potentially reach up to 400Mbps download speeds.

Xfinity offers faster internet speeds reaching 1,200Mbps with its fiber connections. That's faster than CenturyLink.

It’s important to note that both Xfinity and CenturyLink don’t get the best marks for actually meeting their advertised speeds, but they aren’t alone in this matter. Most ISPs promote top speeds in ideal situations that are not often met in everyday life.

This category basically comes down to cable vs. DSL, and cable is always going to win the internet speed battle against DSL.

CenturyLink vs. Xfinity: Data Limits

If you’ve spotted a pattern and are guessing that connection type plays a role with data limits, as it has with our other categories, well, you’re right! That is, both CenturyLink and Comcast Xfinity do not impose a data limit on customers with gigabit fiber connections. Luckily, Xfinity has no data limits on its internet plans, meaning you won't have to worry about data all month long.

Since both providers have almost the exact same data limits, this category is very easily tied.

CenturyLink vs. Xfinity: Bundles

Xfinity is the largest cable TV provider in the country, and so it probably doesn’t come as a big surprise that Xfinity offers a ton of bundle options for anyone who wants to combine TV service with internet service on one bill. CenturyLink is not a TV provider, and rather than offering TV bundles, the ISP sells customers live TV streaming services like YouTube TV. However, keep in mind that CenturyLink does not sell those streaming services at a discounted rate.

Xfinity is the clear winner here for its many bundle options.

CenturyLink vs. Xfinity: Customer Service

Internet providers, TV providers, and telecommunication companies are not known for their great customer service. CenturyLink and Xfinity are no exception, and both have pretty bad customer service reputations. For Xfinity, this is likely due to just how big the company is—creating more chances for customers to be angry with them. Common complaints include slower than desired speeds and frustration with price increases. CenturyLink customers are also not satisfied with the consistency of speeds or service.

It’s important to note that these are concerns you’ll see with just about all ISPs. While it’s a good idea to understand the pain points customers have, you should also keep in mind that frustrated customers are more likely to speak out against an ISP than satisfied customers are to speak up for them.

We’re calling this category for CenturyLink based on it having a slightly better customer service reputation than Xfinity by Comcast.

CenturyLink vs. Xfinity: Recap

The battle of CenturyLink vs. Xfinity, like many ISP comparisons, has a lot to do with connection type. Xfinity has a big advantage over CenturyLink because its primary internet connection (cable) is faster and more reliable than CenturyLink’s primary internet connection (DSL). Plus, Xfinity sells some of its cable plans at cheaper rates than CenturyLink charges for DSL. If you have a choice between Xfinity cable and CenturyLink DSL, we recommend Xfinity.

As far as both ISPs’ fiber is concerned, there’s not a significant difference between the two for speed or reliability. However, CenturyLink’s lower and locked prices make it the better choice for fiber.

CenturyLink vs. Xfinity: Frequently Asked Questions

Is CenturyLink Cheaper than Xfinity?

Are CenturyLink Internet and Xfinity the same company?

Can you have Xfinity and CenturyLink at the same time?

Angelo Ilumba

Senior Writer

Angelo is a highly experienced writer for WhistleOut, specializing in unraveling the complexities of the mobile and tech world so that readers can easily understand what is relevant to them. Angelo has been featured on several publications such as MoneyTalksNews, Yahoo Finance, NPR and more.

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