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Xfinity vs. Frontier: Which Internet Provider Is Best for You?

See how these two internet providers stack up so you can choose what’s best for you.

  • Best for speed
    • Customer rating: 3.9
    • Price: $19.99–$95.00/mo.*
    • Speed: 150–2,000Mbps
    • Internet type: Cable, fiber
    • Data cap: 1.2TB, none
    • Contract: Contract-free
  • Best for availability
    • Customer rating: 3.5
    • Price: $29.99–$299.99/mo.
    • Fiber speed: 200–7,000Mbps
    • Internet type: DSL, fiber
    • Data cap: None
    • Contract: Optional 1-year agreement with Visa Reward Card

Compare Xfinity and Frontier head to head

Frontier’s fiber plans provide the most bang for your buck with fast speeds, unlimited data, and symmetrical bandwidth. Xfinity is a great choice if you’re looking for more budget-friendly plans or don’t have access to Frontier’s fiber network.

If you can’t get cable or fiber internet, Frontier’s DSL has your back.

Pros and cons: Xfinity vs. Frontier

Pros:

  • Fast speeds
  • Good plan variety
  • Wide availability
  • No term contracts

Cons:

  • 1.2 TB monthly data cap
  • Added fee for unlimited data

Pros:

  • Unlimited data
  • Fast and reliable fiber internet
  • Symmetrical speeds
  • Wide DSL availability

Cons:

  • Limited fiber availability
  • Added fees for equipment and installation

Want to know if you can get Xfinity or Frontier?

 

Enter your zip code below to find out.

Plans and pricing: Xfinity vs. Frontier

Xfinity and Frontier offer two very different internet connection types. Frontier’s fiber internet brings crazy-fast speeds up to 7,000Mbps and symmetrical bandwidth. But Xfinity’s cable internet is no slouch, also packing multi-gig speeds up to 2,000Mbps. If choosing between the two, we recommend Frontier, you get more internet speed for the money and the peace of mind of a fiber internet connection.

We only recommend Frontier’s DSL internet if you don’t have access to their fiber plans or Xfinity’s cable internet. DSL has a hard time keeping up with modern internet needs.

Xfinity plans and pricing

PackagePriceSpeedOrder online
Connect$19.99/mo.*150MbpsView Plan
Connect More$35.00/mo.300MbpsView Plan
Fast$45.00/mo.*500MbpsView Plan
Gigabit$60.00/mo.*1,000MbpsView Plan
Gigabit Extra$75.00/mo.*1,200MbpsView Plan
Gigabit X2$95.00/mo.*2,000MbpsView Plan

Xfinity has a leg up on Frontier when it comes to budget plans with its very affordable Connect and Connect More plans. There’s no benefit to purchasing more internet speed than you need, so you if you have light to average bandwidth needs, one of Xfinity’s cheaper plans may be your best bet.

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Frontier plans and pricing

PackagePriceSpeedTypeOrder online
Frontier Fiber 200$29.99/mo.200MbpsFiberView Plan
Frontier Fiber 500$44.99/mo.500MbpsFiberView Plan
Frontier Internet$64.99/mo.*Call for detailsDSLView Plan
Frontier Fiber 1 Gig$69.99/mo.1000MbpsFiberView Plan
Frontier Fiber 2 Gig$99.99/mo.§2,000MbpsFiberView Plan
Frontier Fiber 5 Gig$129.99/mo.#5,000MbpsFiberView Plan
Frontier Fiber 7 Gig$299.99/mo.**7,000MbpsFiberView Plan

Frontier’s fiber plans bring a ton of value with blazing speeds at super-low prices. For example, the Frontier Fiber Internet 500 plan is one of the best deals we’ve seen, delivering 500Mbps speeds for just $44.99 per month; Xfinity doesn’t have anything comparable in the same price range. The trend continues with all of Frontier’s fiber plans, always coming in about $15-$20 cheaper than Xfinity plans with similar speeds. If you’re looking for the most bang for your buck, Frontier is the way the go.

Frontier recently introduced its Fiber 5 Gig plan to better compete with Google Fiber and AT&T. Xfinity’s one fiber plan, Gigabit Pro, tops out at 6 Gbps, but its availability is extremely limited.

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Deals and promotions: Xfinity vs. Frontier

Xfinity
  • Get a $200 Amazon gift card when you order online through Dec. 15
  • Get high-speed internet plus one line of mobile phone service for as little as $25 per month through Dec. 31
  • Get two years of Peacock Premium when you sign up for a Gigabit or Gigabit Plus plan


Get the Deal
Frontier
  • Get free rental of the Amazon eero router with a qualifying Frontier fiber internet plan.

  • Save $10 per month on your first year of YouTube TV.



  • Get the Deal

    Extra fees: Xfinity vs. Frontier

    Equipment feeInstallation feeOther fees
    Xfinity ● $15.00/mo.● $100 for pro install
    ● Free for self-install with standard shipping<
    ● $10.00 late payment fee
    ● $10.00/50 GB overage fee
    ● $30.00/mo. for unlimited data
    Frontier ● No charge for DSL modem or wireless gateway● Free fiber expert installation, $100 for DSL plan *● $85.00 DSL activation fee
    ● $10.00 restocking fee fee
    ● $9.99 equipment fee for extra devices
    ● $5.00/mo. no AutoPay fee
    ● $2.99/mo. paper bill fee
    ● $1.50 pay in person fee
    ● Up to $10.00 pay by phone convenience fee

    Xfinity has a shorter list of fees, charging the standard installation and rental fees. The fee for unlimited data is optional and could be your cheaper route if you usually spend more than $30 in overage fees each month.

    With Frontier, there’s no overage fee or an additional charge for unlimited data. But subscribers must pay a monthly surcharge that applies to network maintenance and other costs associated with Frontier’s infrastructure.3 Frontier also offers self-install for some fiber plans.

    Want to know which Xfinity or Frontier plans are in your area? Enter your zip code below to get all your options.

    Customer ratings: Xfinity vs. Frontier

    OverallSpeedPriceReliabilityCustomer service
    Xfinity 3.94.03.53.93.7
    Frontier 3.53.63.43.53.6

    Xfinity earned high rankings in our annual customer satisfaction survey, overtaking Frontier in every category. In fact, customers rated Xfinity’s speeds higher than any other national ISP—93% of Xfinity customers said their internet speeds meet their needs.

    While Frontier didn’t perform as well as Xfinity in the survey, we think that was largely due to ratings of Frontier’s DSL internet service. When we isolated Frontier fiber customers, ratings dramatically improved. Frontier’s fiber ratings for speed and overall satisfaction are almost as high as Xfinity’s.

    If you have access to Frontier’s fiber internet service, it’s certainly a tougher call, but our data suggests customers are happier with Xfinity, overall.

    Best TV and internet bundles

    Internet speedTV channelsPriceOrder online
    Xfinity Connect More + Choice TVUp to 300Mbps10+$68.00/mo.*View Plans
    Xfinity Connect More + Ultimate TVUp to 300Mbps185+$137.65/mo.*View Plans
    Frontier 500 + YouTube TVUp to 500Mbps100+$107.98/mo.†View Plans
    Frontier 1 Gig + YouTube TVUp to 1,000Mbps100+$127.98/mo.†View Plans

    All TV and internet bundles provided by Frontier are with YouTube TV.  When customers sign up for a qualifying plan they get a $10 monthly discount for an entire year.

    Xfinity offers many bundles across its coverage areas. Some bundles include Netflix or Max, like the Gigabit Extra+ Ultimate TV package with 185+ channels and fiber-based 1,200 Mbps download speeds.

    Internet types: Xfinity vs. Frontier

    Internet typeOrder online
    Xfinity CableView Plans
    Frontier Fiber, DSLView Plans

    Xfinity is one of the largest cable companies in the US, delivering internet through the same coaxial cables used for cable TV. Even though Xfinity is a cable ISP, it operates on a hybrid-fiber-coax network, meaning its coaxial cable network is backed up by extremely powerful fiber-optic lines that act as internet super highways.

    Frontier offers fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) internet connections, bringing a super fast fiber-optic connection directly to your home, whereas Xfinity uses coaxial cables as a sort of middleman between your home and its fiber-optic lines. FTTH is the fastest and most reliable internet connection you can get. It also carries the benefit of symmetrical bandwidth, which means your upload speeds and just as fast as your download speeds.

    Frontier’s DSL service is the slowest of the three connection types. Frontier acquired its DSL and fiber lines from Verizon starting in 2009 and renamed the fiber service from Frontier FiOS to Frontier FiberOptic in 2020. Now it’s called Frontier Fiber Internet as of February 2022.

    Data caps: Xfinity vs. Frontier

    Data capOrder online
    Xfinity 1.2 TB*View Plans
    Frontier NoneView Plans

    What separates these two providers is Xfinity’s 1.2 TB monthly data cap. To get unlimited data from Xfinity, you must pay a $30 fee each month. Otherwise, you’re charged $10 for every 50 GB used beyond the monthly data allowance.

    Frontier doesn’t enforce a data cap, nor does it charge an extra fee for unlimited data like Xfinity.

    Contracts: Xfinity vs. Frontier

    Contract lengthOrder online
    Xfinity ● Month-to-monthView Plans
    Frontier ● Month-to-month
    ● Optional 1-year contract with Visa Reward Card

    View Plans

    Most of Xfinity and Frontier’s plans are month-to-month. Frontier doesn’t appear to have contracts for DSL, but its three fiber plans have an optional 1-year contract when you sign up for the Visa Reward Card. Discounted pricing for the 500 Mbps plan ends after a year, while the Fiber 1 Gig discount ends after three years—there’s no discount for the 2 Gbps plan. Frontier’s TV and internet bundles require a two-year agreement. As an added bonus to a wide variety of plans, Xfinity doesn’t require term contracts and has no early termination fees.

    Installation: Xfinity vs. Frontier

    Installation optionsOrder online
    Xfinity ● $100 for pro install
    ● Free for self-install and standard shipping
    View Plans
    Frontier ● Free fiber expert installation
    ● $100 DSL expert installation
    View Plans

    Frontier charges $100 to install DSL service, but installation for fiber plans are free. Frontier also offers self-install for some fiber plans.

    Xfinity’s Getting Started Kit ships within three to five business days at no additional cost. If you can’t wait, priority shipping will see the kit arrive within one to two business days for $29.99. You can also choose the “Self Install Plus” option if you don’t want to bother with shipping, which has a technician deliver the kit and check all connections outside.

    Availability: Xfinity vs. Frontier

    Take a look at the Federal Communication Commission’s broadband map, and you’ll see that Xfinity serves approximately 34% of the American population as of October 2023—Frontier has a smaller footprint of around 5% with its fiber and DSL networks combined. Moreover, a closer look shows that they mostly overlap in certain parts of the Northeast, Florida, and around the Great Lakes.

    Xfinity’s biggest coverage area resides in the Northeast. It trickles into the edges of North Carolina and down through Tennessee to reach customers in the South. Other large coverage areas surround Detroit, Chicago, Indianapolis, Nashville, Memphis, Houston, San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland, and Seattle.

    Frontier serves around 11.7 million copper (DSL) lines and approximately 3.6 million fiber lines across 27 states as of August 2021.1 Its Frontier Internet DSL service covers the Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest. Its Frontier Fiber Internet network resides in portions of California, Florida, Indiana, and Texas, although the California market is expected to grow to 350,000 locations by 2026.5

    To see Xfinity or Frontier plans in your area, enter your zip code below:

    Final call: Xfinity vs. Frontier

    Get fiber internet from Frontier if it’s available in your area. It provides more speed for the money, symmetrical bandwidth, and unlimited data, all for a cheaper price.

    If you don’t need really high speeds, Xfinity’s budget plans are worth a look. Also, if you don’t have access to fiber, Xfinity’s cable internet plans are by far the next best choice over DSL from Frontier.

    View Xfinity Plans

    View Frontier Plans

    Methodology

    Our HighSpeedInternet.com editorial team bases our analyses on customer input from our annual customer satisfaction survey, our speed test tool results, and proprietaryhttps://www.highspeedinternet.com/tools/speed-test internet provider data on speeds and pricing. To strengthen our research, we look closely at provider contracts to get hard-to-find information on price hikes, data caps, and extra fees, and we keep tabs on the latest news reports and online reviews. When applicable, we also rely on our personal experiences testing these services.

    More about Xfinity and Frontier

    Sources

    1. Frontier Communications, ”Frontier (FYBR) Investor Day Presentation,” August 5, 2021. Accessed. September 15, 2021.
    2. Frontier Communications, “Answering Your Questions,” Accessed September 15, 2021.
    3. Comcast, ”We’re Giving Our Northeast Customers More Time,” February 18, 2021. Accessed September 22, 2021.
    4. Frontier Communications, “Before the Public Utilities Commission of the State of California,” December 24, 2020. Accessed May 4, 2021.

    Author -

    Austin worked as a broadband technician installing and troubleshooting countless home internet networks for some of the largest ISPs in the U.S. He became a freelance writer in 2020 specializing in software guides. After graduating with a BS in technical communication from Arizona State University, he joined the team at HighSpeedInternet.com where he focuses on home network improvement and troubleshooting.

    Editor - Cara Haynes

    Cara Haynes has been editing and writing in the digital space for seven years, and she's edited all things internet for HighSpeedInternet.com for five years. She graduated with a BA in English and a minor in editing from Brigham Young University. When she's not editing, she makes tech accessible through her freelance writing for brands like Pluralsight. She believes no one should feel lost in internet land and that a good internet connection significantly extends your life span.

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