Customers credit Xfinity for being “reliable” and having “reasonable” prices, but is customer service up to the task?
11 min readXfinity Internet is a solid provider in a lot of ways. It delivers fast speeds over a cable internet connection, holding its own against top-notch fiber-optic brands in our Fastest Internet Providers lineup. New customers can get low introductory prices and a sweet mobile and internet bundle.
“I’ve never had any real trouble with Xfinity,” said Bill Holmes, an IT specialist who lives with his wife in Portland, Connecticut. “I’m one of those guys who tests their plans a lot to make sure I’m getting what I’m paying for. Overall, I’ve been very happy.”
Xfinity falls short compared to Verizon Fios and other fiber providers like AT&T Fiber or Google Fiber, which offer simpler pricing, faster speeds, and (often) unlimited data. However, in areas with limited fiber availability, Xfinity is a better choice than Frontier DSL, for example. Fairly or not, parent company Comcast also doesn’t have the best brand reputation.
Although Xfinity gets average or above-average ratings in major satisfaction surveys, some customers who spoke with Reviews.org either loved it or hated it, while others gave mixed reviews.
“Xfinity had many plans available, which made it possible to find one to fit our budget,” said longtime Xfinity customer Derek Marsden, who shares the internet with his wife Rachel. “The downside is the prices would often jump around after a year, and we would either end up paying more or switch plans.”
I went way down the rabbit hole into the ins-and-outs of Xfinity, speaking with customers, experts, and a company spokesperson and poring over the company’s fine print to find out what you can expect when you sign up. Read on for my big takeaways in this comprehensive Xfinity review.
Guide to this Xfinity review:
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Enter your zip code, and see if you’re eligible for Xfinity Internet.
Xfinity Internet and Mobile Black Friday deal
Order Xfinity's 300Mbps Internet plan and get an Unlimited Mobile line—both for just $35/month for 12 months. (Valid through 12/3/2024)
Get to know Xfinity: Plans and prices
Xfinity offers up to eight plans (depending on where you live), all of which run over a cable network. Prices vary based on region, but expect to pay between $30 and $120 a month for download speeds that range from 150Mbps to 1,200Mbps. (There is also a 2,000Gbps plan available in select areas.)
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For 12 month, no term contract. Taxes not included. Incl. up to $10/mo. auto-pay & paperless bill discount.
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For 36 months. No term contract. Includes $10/mo automatic payments and paperless billing discount. Taxes and equipment not included. Prices may vary by location.
Some Xfinity plans require a one-year term contract, but others don’t. You also get lower “promotional” pricing for 12–36 months after you sign up, depending on the plan. Once the promotional pricing expires, the cost of your plan goes up (usually by $20–$30 per month).
Xfinity plans in some service areas come with a monthly data cap of 1.2TB, which is plenty for most users. An additional $10 per block of 50GB gets added to your bill when you exceed your cap, or you can get unlimited data through the xFi Complete service, which costs $25 per month on top of your bill.
You pay a $15 monthly fee if you're renting a modem/router from Xfinity. But you can waive the fee by investing in your own Wi-Fi equipment. “Over the long run, this will save you substantially over the cost of leasing, and it will get you access to much better equipment,” said Scott King Walker, a former Xfinity customer in southern Virginia.
Save 40% on top streaming services
New and existing Xfinity TV or Internet customers can add StreamSaver for just $15 per month and get Peacock Premium with ads, Apple TV+, and Netflix Standard with ads.
That's three streaming services for the price of one! And the savings are no joke–without StreamSaver, all three services would cost $29.95 per month.
Which plan is right for you?
Xfinity's 150Mbps and 200Mbps plans offer enough download speed for households with three to five people, supporting 4K streaming, multiplayer gaming, smart home devices, and video calls.
For larger households or heavy internet users, Xfinity's 400Mbps plan offers speeds that support streaming, gaming, and video calling for households with six to nine people.
Most households don't need 1Gig speeds; however, if you have a ton of smart home equipment like security cameras, a media-heavy hobby, or a profession like videography or high-resolution gaming, Xfinity's 800Mbps or Up to 1000Mbps plans should have you covered.
Xfinity fees for modem and installation
Professional installation
$100.00 one-time fee
Self-installation kit
$15.00 one-time fee
Modem/router rental
$15.00/mo.
Data cap
1.2TB per month
Data overage charge
$10 per 50GB
Early contract termination fee
$10 per each month left on your bill
Data as of 02/12/2024.
What makes this Xfinity review legit?
Our fact-based research centers around interviews with internet customers from across the country, helping us understand how internet services hold up against diverse needs and challenges.
To put together this review, I interviewed seven current and former Xfinity customers from Utah, New Mexico, Virginia, and Connecticut. We let their experiences guide our research and shape our conclusions. I also spoke with an Xfinity spokesperson to discuss the company’s reputation and customer service, and I took a close look at the brand’s pricing, speeds, and technical capabilities.
Our breakdown of Xfinity Internet
For all our internet reviews, we give a rating based on three main criteria—speed and reliability, dollar value, and customer experience—which we then average to make an overall score. How does Xfinity internet stack up? See our full take below.
Speed and reliability
4/5.0
Xfinity is quick. On our Fastest Internet Providers report, Xfinity Internet took third place with a speed score of 166.05—a score that we got by adding 90% of Xfinity's average actual download speed with 10% of its average actual upload speed. Only fiber providers Google Fiber and Metronet scored higher than Xfinity. That’s really impressive on Xfinity’s part—cable providers usually don’t come close to delivering the same speeds as fiber.
Dylan Woolf, a customer in Salt Lake City, lives alone and said his 200Mbps plan is all he needs for streaming, browsing, and remote work. “What I need it for, it works. I just don’t think about it that much,” he said. “I have had a couple outages, but they’re so infrequent that I don’t generally notice them.”
But a few customers told Reviews.org that their service tended to run slow, while others said they experienced frequent outages. Bridget Gutierrez, who lives in suburban Albuquerque with her husband and two kids, told Reviews.org that her Xfinity internet is always a little too slow no matter what plan she tries. “It seems like every time I've gone up to the next speed, it didn't make a difference,” Gutierrez said.
Curious to see how your internet speed compares to Xfinity? Take our speed test.
Dollar value
3.3/5.0
Xfinity’s prices compare favorably to other internet providers. But while you may pay less for your cable internet plan, you usually get less too.
For example, Xfinity’s cable internet connection isn't as fast or reliable as fiber internet, and you only get unlimited data if you pay extra for it. Xfinity also has installation and rental fees—extras that fiber providers have begun phasing out. In many cases, you can get more bang for your buck paying for a gigabit plan with unlimited data from a fiber provider compared to a slower Xfinity plan with a data cap.
Also, Xfinity starts customers off by charging promotional rates that go up after a year or two of service. After the promotion period expires, your monthly bill goes up by anywhere from $20 to $30. It’s not a dealbreaker—promo prices are common among internet providers—but it can make for an unpredictable billing experience.
Customer experience
3.8/5.0
Customers who talked with Reviews.org gave mixed reviews about their experiences with Xfinity. Guterriez, the customer in Albuquerque, tries to renegotiate her contract every year, but customer service never offers her a deal—which she suspects has to do with the fact that Xfinity is the only high-speed internet provider available in the suburban development where she lives. “They always say, ‘Oh, only this [plan] is available,’ and pretty much you don’t have a choice,” she said.
Other customers describe routine interactions with customer service. “Nothing sticks out,” said Woolf, the Xfinity user in Salt Lake City. He’s rarely had to seek out customer support for a technical issue and doesn’t recall any standout moments. “It’s just one of those sort of routine, run-of-the-mill experiences that doesn’t register as notable,” he said.
When pressed, some customers who were down on Xfinity didn’t have actual negative experiences to draw on—suggesting that Comcast’s reputation may cause premature bad feelings. In fact, data shows that many Xfinity customers are satisfied with parts of the service. For example, HighSpeedInternet's Customer Service Satisfaction Survey finds that 95% of Xfinity customers are happy with their speeds.
How long it takes to get a real human on the phone: It took two minutes to reach a live person, but that was for someone who didn't have Xfinity already. Gutierrez says she usually has difficulty getting a service rep on the phone. "They want to do everything through the app," she said.
Our experience with Xfinity’s chat service: The Xfinity Assistant chat service is convenient for easy issues, but the service uses an AI chatbot that is not so bright. If you ask a question that doesn't have a preset response, you may have trouble getting a straight answer.
We go into more depth about the Xfinity customer experience later in this review.
Overall quality
3.7/5.0
Xfinity has much to offer customers, particularly its speed, availability, and introductory prices. Its customer service issues definitely dull some of the shine, and it can be a hassle to remember how long your contract has been in effect to anticipate price hikes. But Xfinity’s mobile bundle options offset the costs of a plan, and Xfinity’s track record for delivering fast speeds make it a solid cable contender. Also it’s widely available across the country, so it’s more likely you can get fast internet from Xfinity compared to a fiber provider.
What Xfinity deals and promotions can you get?
You can get a free Unlimited Intro mobile line for two years through Xfinity’s prepaid phone brand, Xfinity Mobile, when you sign up for a qualifying Xfinity Internet plan. Order a plan with internet speeds of 400Mbps or faster to get the deal. You also get Wi-Fi equipment included for two years. Prices start at $50 a month.
New customers can also get the 300Mbps Connect More internet plan for as little as $25 a month for two years when they sign up. See our guide to other ideas on how to lower your Xfinity bill.
Get the 200Mbps Connect More internet plan for $30 to $35 a month for two years.
Xfinity add-ons and perks
Xfinity Unlimited Data option
Pay extra to add unlimited data to your plan (price and availability vary based on location)
Xfinity X1 live TV channels and streaming
Sign up for the X1 add-on
Xfinity Stream app
Download the app after signing up for an Xfinity service and log in with your Xfinity ID
Xfinity Rewards discounts, deals, and giveaways
Join through your Xfinity account after signing up for an Xfinity service and enjoy discounted Universal tickets, sports giveaways, and more
What do customers think of Xfinity?
It’s a tale of two providers when you talk with Xfinity customers. Some love Xfinity’s speeds, reliability, and promo prices, while others give the impression that they’re locked into something with few other options.
Even just in northern Utah—one of the regions where Xfinity is widely available—customer takes can be split between loving it and hating it, with little nuance in between.
“My parents had Xfinity Internet, and there were no problems,” said Chantel Buchi, an Xfinity customer in Salt Lake City. “So when we got our own place, Xfinity was the first internet service I thought of ordering. Also, based on reviews, I knew Xfinity was one of the best cable internet providers. We’ve never experienced throttling or outages.”
“Xfinity was the first internet service I thought of ordering.” – Chantel Buchi
Rachel Marsden, who often works remotely, says she had a great experience with Xfinity, but then experienced more technical issues after moving to another city just a few miles away. "Since moving to Farmington, it has been awful. Not sure why, but in this area, the internet is going out pretty often,” she said. “We have an outage at least once or twice a month, which impacts my ability to work from home."
A short drive away, in the city of Bountiful, Rachel Mabey said she only chose Xfinity over CenturyLink to avoid a slow DSL connection. She was one of the victims of an October 2023 data breach that impacted nearly 36 million Xfinity customers. "I've not had many good experiences with Xfinity," she told Reviews.org.
As an IT worker, Mabey has an intimate understanding of network security—making the breach all the more frustrating. She told Reviews.org that hackers gained access to sensitive information from her account, including the last four digits of her social security number and answers to her security questions. The hackers tried to access her and her fiancé’s email accounts, but were foiled by two-factor authentication.
“[Xfinity] didn't do anything while it was happening. I reached out to customer service and they acted like everything was fine. I, however, knew it wasn't,” Mabey said. “About a week later, they put a message on their website talking about the breach.”
“The area I live in only has two choices, Xfinity and Centurylink. Otherwise I would go with someone else in a heartbeat.” – Rachel Mabey
Getting a deal through Xfinity can be tricky
Xfinity offers lots of deals to bring down its monthly bill—but usually those deals are available only to new customers. That’s why Albuquerque customer Gutierrez can’t get a better rate whenever she tries to negotiate with customer service. "I wish that they would treat their new customers the same as their existing customers," Gutierrez says.
Bill Holmes, a customer in Connecticut, found a clever workaround. In August 2022, he went into a brick-and-mortar Xfinity shop to return his Xfinity Flex streaming box and cancel his account. He and his wife then went on vacation, and when they came back they signed up for a new plan—this time under his wife’s name. “She’s a brand new customer, so we got a two-year [deal] for $39.99 a month,” he said.
Spencer Biehler, an Xfinity customer in Layton, Utah, is intrigued by Xfinity’s internet and mobile bundle, which gives customers a free line through Xfinity Mobile for a year when they have a qualifying internet plan. “They are doing a cell phone discount I might check out,” he said, “and possibly move my phones over if I decide to stay with them.”
Need to contact Xfinity customer service or tech support?
Xfinity prefers customers to reach out through the app or chat with the Xfinity assistant, but if those don't work for you, there are other options.
- Download the Xfinity app
- Text “Xfinity app” to 266278
- Chat with the Xfinity assistant
- Call Xfinity at +1-800-934-6489
Is Comcast customer service all that bad?
Like many cable companies, parent company Comcast has been the target of withering memes and media scrutiny over service issues—most infamously for an incident in 2014 in which an ornery customer service rep refused to cancel a family’s internet service. Part of the reason Comcast adopted the Xfinity name was to improve its brand reputation.
It’s been a decade since Comcast’s biggest controversies, but Xfinity remains controversial among its customers. Some customers who spoke with Reviews.org have legitimate horror stories, like Rachel Mabey's incident with the data breach. Former Xfinity customer Scott King Walker even used scare quotes when discussing the customer “service."
But most people I talked to didn't have a specific egregious experience, suggesting Xfinity customer service is more meh than menacing. In fact, Xfinity Internet ranked highly on HSI's 2023 Customer Satisfaction Survey. And in the 2022–2023 American Consumer Satisfaction Index, Xfinity Internet scored 68 points—two above the average internet provider score of 66.
"We're always working to improve the customer experience ,and over the past several years have rolled out new and improved experiences," Comcast spokesperson Kristen Gohr told Reviews.org. She added that the company has invested "more than $20 billion in the last five years into the long-term health, security, and growth of our network, including the addition of advanced technologies like AI, which resolve more than 60% of issues before a customer notices them."
So, while Xfinity customer service may differ from some customer expectations, it could be better-than-standard for the internet market.
Have thoughts about home internet?
We’re eager to hear from internet customers about their experiences with their home Wi-Fi. Contact us at info@reviews.org to share your thoughts, recommendations, and hot tips.
Where is Xfinity available?
You can get Comcast Xfinity Internet in 35 states, Washington, D.C., and many major cities such as Denver, Atlanta, and San Francisco. Run a search below to see if you can get it in your area.
See if Xfinity Internet is available where you live.
Xfinity vs. the competition
Compared to the competition, Xfinity doesn’t always shine. It doesn’t offer a fiber internet connection or the fastest speeds. Plus, its upload speeds are notably lower, especially when compared to fiber options like AT&T, which offers superior upload speeds compared to Xfinity. But Xfinity holds up in a lot of ways. Its prices trend lower than other providers, especially if you're looking at the promo offerings in the western U.S. And Xfinity’s good old-fashioned cable connection is still incredibly fast and reliable, giving most users what they need.
Cable internet service is more widely available than fiber-optic internet, and it’s faster and more stable than 5G home internet, a fixed wireless service offered by Verizon and T-Mobile. It’s factors like this that make Xfinity a bread-and-butter internet option for millions of netizens.
How does Xfinity compare against Optimum?
Compare internet providers and prices
Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change. Data verified as of the article's publication date.
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Pricing for some packages are for the first 12 months. Some packages require a 1- or 2-year contract.
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Plus taxes and fees. Upload/download speed and device streaming claims are based on maximum wired speeds. Actual Internet speeds are not guaranteed and may vary based on factors such as hardware and software limitations, latency, packet loss, etc.
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Price after $5/mo Autopay & Paperless bill discount (w/in 2 bills). Plus taxes $ fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area.
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w/ Auto Pay. Regulatory fees included in monthly price for qualified accounts. See full terms.
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Price per month with Auto Pay & without select 5G mobile plans. Fios plan prices include taxes & fees
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Limited time offer; subject to change; valid to qualified residential customers who have not subscribed to any services within the previous 30 days and who have no outstanding obligation to Charter.
FAQs
A download speed of 200Mbps is solid for most households. Since most people only need around 100Mbps, 200Mbps can comfortably support activities like streaming in 4K on up to three devices, multiplayer gaming, video calls, and managing a few smart home devices.
Xfinity's 800Mbps internet plan offers plenty of speed for heavy internet use, like 4K streaming, online gaming, and using many smart devices at once. However, most households don’t need that much speed. Many can get by with plans offering 200Mbps or 400Mbps, which are more than enough for everyday use.
Consider how many Mbps you need before purchasing the $70 per month 800Mbps plan. A lower-speed plan might fit your usage and save you money without causing slowdowns.
Xfinity's 800Mbps plan can support 5+ devices streaming HD or 4K video, hosting a livestream, VR gaming, and running 9+ smart-home products simultaneously. It's perfect for households with high bandwidth needs.
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