
Article Summary
Xfinity and Frontier each deliver a broad range of speeds that reach gigabit heights, but overall Xfinity boasts higher speeds for a lower monthly cost. What's more, Xfinity's top speed is double Frontier's highest speed. Xfinity also has better customer reviews, but Frontier doesn't cap their data like Xfinity. Overall, Xfinity's the better bet, but read on to find out more about how each provider compares in value, pricing, speeds, coverage, customer reviews, and bundle packages.
Xfinity vs Frontier
Xfinity vs Frontier: Internet Speeds
Winner: Xfinity
Xfinity and Frontier each offer customers gigabit internet speeds, but Xfinity offers more bandwidth for each dollar you're spending. On top of that, instead of topping out at 1Gbps like Frontier—Xfinity's speeds climb all the way to 2Gbps in some areas. So if it's speed you need, then Xfinity's got you.
Fiber internet aside, each company offers an additional connection type: Frontier offers ADSL and Xfinity offers cable. Routinely, cable is able to offer higher, more stable speeds for less money than ADSL. So regardless if you choose Xfinity for their fiber or cable service, you'll get faster internet service with them.
Data and Value
Winner: Frontier
Monthly Cost
Frontier can offer their customers plans that start at just $20/month, which is great for the users who can browse comfortably on 10Mbps or less. However, once you need to reach speeds fast enough to be considered high-speed (which is 25Mbps or faster) each provider's plans stay relatively comparable in monthly price to speed ratios.
The real difference between the two companies' offerings becomes clear when you start comparing each of their fiber plans. While Xfinity's monthly gig plan prices might be less than half than Frontier's, Xfinity has a much higher upfront fee than Frontier. To decide which is better for you, you'll just have to consider how long you plan to stick with the service.
Data Allowance
Frontier offers their customers unlimited data, no matter which plan you're signing up for. While Xfinity offers unlimited data with their fiber plans, they do cap their monthly cable data allowance. Though, that cap is set at a whopping 1000GB or 1TB per month.
If seeing a data cap (at all) scares you, it's helpful to think of that allowance in terms of streaming usage. For perspective's sake, to use 1Tb of data per month—that would be equal to 4 people streaming HD quality videos for 5 hours a day, every single day, all month long. Knowing that, if the 1TB cap still scares you, then Frontier might be your clear winner here.
Deals
Both Xfinity and Frontier offer deals for new customers throughout the year. However, in terms of monthly costs, which is where most of us need a deal—Frontier offers customers a guaranteed 24-month price lock (even without a contract). Xfinity offers their customers a price lock guarantee too, but theirs lasts 12 months instead of 24.
Keep in mind that if you're getting promotional pricing without a contract, you might have the option to renegotiate your prices once the promotion ends. So there's no guarantee that you won't continue to get a great deal after your promotion expires, but many people make the mistake of simply allowing their offer to expire without proactively monitoring their monthly bill—which can end up being a very expensive decision.
Availability: Xfinity vs Frontier
Winner: Xfinity
In terms of availability, Xfinity is available in about 40 states and serves over 20 million customers each year. Frontier is available in about 30 states and serves about 2 million customers each year. With numbers like that, it's pretty clear that Xfinity's customer bandwidth is much higher than Frontier's.
Customer Reviews: Xfinity vs Frontier
Winner: Xfinity
A lot of factors can impact the quality of your internet service—and sometimes the issue is out your service provider's control. Nevertheless, nothing should impact the service that a representative gives you when you're trying to work out an issue. That stated, while both Xfinity's and Frontier's millions of customers agree that each provider has a lot of room for improvement—more people feel that way about Frontier's service than Xfinity's. Therefore, Xfinity wins here, but not by much.
Bundle Packages: Xfinity vs Frontier
Winner: Xfinity and Frontier
Both Xfinity and Frontier offer bundle packages for internet plus home phone and/or TV. Xfinity offers to throw in premium channels and faster speeds when you sign up for their bundle, whereas Frontier will throw in free professional installation and modem rental.
Keep in mind that if you own your own modem, Xfinity offers you a chance to save on installation with their "self-install" option—which is best for customers that plan on sticking with their service long-term. Because bundle packages are so subjective, each of the provider options are a tie. It's up to you if you want a lower overall cost in lieu of faster speeds and more premium channels, or the other way around.
Winner: Xfinity vs Frontier
Whether you're going for fiber internet or shooting for speeds below the gig range, you're going to get a better overall deal with Xfinity. Though their fiber internet installation fees are (very) high, you'll come out a winner inside of a year's service with them by several hundred dollars.
While Frontier's unlimited data caps were closely considered in this decision, so were their negative customer reviews and more limited coverage capacity. In the end, both companies offer great deals on their standard internet service but need to offer their customers a better overall experience–and when compared side-by-side—Xfinity wins this time.
If you want to do some comparing on your own, take a look below to see how Xfinity's and Frontier's plans stack up for you. You can also check out our hands-on Frontier review.
Xfinity Internet Plans
Frontier Internet Plans
Lauren Hannula
Managing Editor
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