Verizon Fios vs. Comcast Xfinity: Which One Is Worth Your Money?

Verizon Fios mostly has a good reputation, both critically and among its customers. “Haven’t had to interact with customer service—everything has been smooth since we started with Fios a bit over a year ago,” says Darren Hansen, a Fios customer in Brooklyn.

Another customer, Laviet Joaquin, praises Verizon Fios to the skies, saying she can’t see herself switching providers if offered a chance. “I would remain loyal to Verizon Fios. Its dependability and swiftness are unmatched and essential for my professional and everyday tasks.”

Of course, once in a while, even Fios messes up. Fios customer and Reddit user lets_try_civility has such dependable service that they rarely need to contact customer service. “But when I do,” they say, “whoa boy. It's a disaster.”

Xfinity Internet may run through Comcast, but it isn’t the unmitigated disaster some critics would have you believe.

“I’ve never had any real trouble with Xfinity,” says Bill Holmes, an IT specialist living in Portland, Connecticut. His experience has been smooth even though, “I’m one of those guys who tests their plans a lot to make sure I’m getting what I’m paying for.”

But Holmes’s flawless Xfinity experience is unusual—even customers who have an otherwise good experience typically encounter bumps.

For example, former Xfinity customer Derek Marsden in Farmington, Utah, recalls, "Xfinity had many plans available, which made it possible to find one to fit our budget." But this flexibility backfired.

“The downside is the prices would often jump around after a year, and we would either end up paying more or switch plans,” says Marsden.

In Bountiful, Utah, Rachel Mabey ran into more serious issues when the service experienced a data breach. "[Xfinity] didn't do anything while it was happening," says Mabey. "I reached out to customer service and they acted like everything was fine."