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The other day, we tried to compare Spectrum vs Frontier internet on things like coverage, browsing speeds, and tech. In this review, we’re going to continue on the topic and compare Frontier vs Xfinity wired internet to see how they stand out from each other.
As we mentioned the other time, most of the information on either provider is available on their official websites. But this article brings you a comprehensive recap of the crucial differences between the two on one page.
I’ve also made effort to include some of the latest performance results and statistical details from communication bodies.
For instance, the 2023 internet service customer satisfaction index, which outlines the overall connectivity experience of users, is finally out. And in the latest result, Frontier has just topped a score of 61 points, a position it last reached in 2015.
Read on to learn more about where Xfinity internet stands on customer satisfaction and what has driven the 7% growth on Frontier.
Spectrum vs Frontier: A Summary of the Internet Service Providers
| Feature | Frontier Internet | Xfinity Internet |
|---|---|---|
| Parent Company | Frontier Communications | Comcast Communications |
| Service Availability | Residential & Business | Residential & Business |
| Internet Technologies | Fiber, ADSL, & Fixed Wireless | Fiber & Cable |
| Internet Speed Tiers | Six | Eight |
| Highest Internet Plans | 2000Mbps | 6000Mbps |
| Data Caps | NO | YES |
| Cheapest subscription | $32.99 introductory price | $25 introductory price |
| Affordable Connectivity Program Discount | YES | YES |
| Coverage Across the U.S. | 10.75% | 36.49% |
| Subscribers | Almost 3 Million | 32+ Million |
| Out-of-home WiFi Access | YES | YES |
| Phone Discount | YES | YES |
| Contract Buyout | YES | NO |
| Other Extra Perks | 3-month Apple TV+ trial & $10 discount on YouTube TV | Free Flex 4K streaming box & Premium Peacock trial plan |
Who Should Get Frontier Internet?
Frontier is currently the most improved internet service provider in the country. In the aforementioned American customer satisfaction index, it has improved from a score of 57 points to 61. And that’s a 7% growth- the highest on the report sheet.
Different from most providers, Frontier still has its largest internet infrastructure on the digital subscriber line (or DSL). But during 2021-2022, it has registered the most new connections on the fiber broadband: 54,000 to be exact.
The good thing with the Frontier fiber is that it’s available from 500Mbps at $49.99 for the first 12 months. Then, the connection has symmetrical speeds where the uploads are as fast as the downloads.
So, Frontier internet’s a nice pick if you regularly download and upload huge files online.
About Xfinity Internet
(Comcast) Xfinity is one of the most accessible internet providers in the country. It covers about 37% of the US population, which means 120+ million Americans could get connected today if they are interested.
However, the majority of the Xfinity internet connections run on the hybrid fiber-coaxial cable that offers asymmetrical browsing speeds. Hence, the reason you’ll find most of the complaints on community forums revolve around low upload speeds.
But again, the Xfinity cable internet price is a bit more reasonable than the fiber packages. You can get the 50Mbps Performance Starter plan (previously called Connect plan) at an introductory price of $20/ month.
As for the fiber internet, Xfinity has less than 1% of the total covered areas. But they have been expanding the connectivity footprint in the last few months. And we might even see more customers switch over to it now that the 2000Mbps symmetrical plan price has dropped to under $120.
- Phones Compatible with Xfinity Mobile
- Xfinity Mobile vs Verizon
- Xfinity Mobile Vs T Mobile
- Xfinity Mobile vs Visible Wireless
- Xfinity Mobile vs AT&T
Frontier vs Xfinity: Comparing Features & Perks of the Internet Service Providers 133
The section above has covered most of the key details about Frontier and Xfinity internet. So, in this section, we’ll only highly how the internet providers compare on the various key points.
Fans Favorite
Xfinity should be the winner here since its 2023 customer satisfaction index has even surpassed the average score of 64 points. But, I’m going to give the points to Frontier internet. Why?
Well, Frontier is one of the major corporations here in the country that have been struggling with bankruptcy during the COVID crisis. But even then, it has still managed to expand its fiber footprint across the country and at the same time cater well to its existing subscribers.
In the recent 2023 American customer satisfaction index report, Frontier has topped 61 out of 100 points. And that’s four points (7%) more than the company achieved in 2021 or 11% higher than in 2020.
Meanwhile, Xfinity internet has a customer satisfaction index of 66 points, which means many people are satisfied with their connection. But it also means the provider has dropped in the end-user experience since the 2021 report had recorded 67 out of 100 points.
Coverage & Availability
Xfinity is no doubt the clear winner here. As was mentioned earlier, the provider has coverage for more than 120 million people across the country.
But in the recent 2023 first-quarter report, Xfinity has confirmed they have a little over 32.16 million connections. So, a big population has opted for other providers that overlap with its lines.
Frontier is one of the said “other providers”. But the Fixed Broadband Deployment report from FCC places it with a 10.75% nationwide coverage. And that would mean only 35 million people can easily get connected today.
Nonetheless, the 2022 first-quarter report that Frontier has brought forward shows only about 2.82 million people are currently connected. And while not the best, that would mean they have grown their customer base a little bit within the 2021-2022 calendar.
Ps. FCC is an acronym for the federal communications commission
Internet Technologies
As you might know, different internet providers use different methods to reach a connection to their customer base.
In the case of Xfinity, you can get a connection on either fiber or the cable line. But, cable connections are the most available, with access to 99+% of the total business and residential clients.
As was mentioned earlier, the Xfinity fiber is available to less than 1% of the total connections. But the provider has been expanding the connectivity technology in Maryland, Delaware, and other regions since last year.
Speaking of expansion, Frontier has also been very active in extending its fiber footprint across the country.
But in the last deployment report from FCC, the Frontier fiber comprised 33.7% of the total covered areas. Then the ADSL (asymmetrical digital subscriber line), which uses the telephone lines, had a 99% coverage.
The Frontier fixed wireless internet has the least coverage, accounting for 0.41% of the total connections.
Internet Speeds
In the Xfinity vs Frontier internet speeds, I’m going to stand neutral for now as their fiber connections have somehow similar results.
For instance, in the Frontier 2Gig connection, you can record up to 2300+Mbps on the wired connections. And as a fiber connection, you’ll get symmetrical speeds that are similar (or almost) on downloads and uploads.
Meanwhile, the Frontier DSL packages are asymmetrical connections. And for that, the highest plan will only get you 115MMbps on downloads and up to 3Mbps uploads.
As for Xfinity, the cable internet plans are also asymmetrical, and the reason many people have been unhappy with the service recently. Even on the Gigabit plan with up to 1290+Mbps download speed, the upload speeds are capped at 35-40Mbps.
The only way to get higher upload speeds will be on Xfinity fiber. And, luckily, the Gigabit x2 plan has just dropped in the price- perhaps from the many complaints on the Xfinity forum and Reddit. Then, you get symmetrical speeds with up to 2080+Mbps on downloads and uploads.
As for the subscribers previously on the Gigabit Pro (3Gbps), Xfinity will be upgrading your account to the 6Gbps tier. So, your download and upload speeds will now be peaking up to 6,000Mbps, provided you’re okay with its hefty price.
Internet Plans & Pricing
Bother Frontier and Xfinity has quite many competitive internet rates to choose from for your home. See below.
Chart 2.0 Xfinity Cable Internet plans Structure
| Features | Performance Starter | Performance Plan | Performance Pro | Extreme Pro | Gigabit Plan | Gigabit x2 Fiber |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introductory Price/ month | $19.99 (12 Months) | Not Available | $39.99 (24 Months) | $69.99 (24 Months) | $79.99 (24 Months) | Not Available |
| Regular Price Rate/ Month | S65.00 | $83.95 | $88.95 | $98.95 | $103.95/ | $113.95 |
| Installation Fee | $0 – $100 (One-Time) | $0 – $100 (One-Time) | $0 – $100 (One-Time) | $0 – $100 (One-Time) | $0 – $100 (One-Time) | $0 – $100 (One-Time) |
| Equipment Fee | $14 – $20/ Month | $14 – $20/ Month | $14 – $20/ Month | $14 – $20/ Month | $14 – $20/ Month | $14 – $20/ Month |
| Data Caps | YES (1.2TB) | YES (1.2TB) | YES (1.2TB) | YES (1.2TB) | YES (1.2TB) | YES (1.2TB) |
| Download Speeds | 50Mbps | 100Mbps | 300Mbps | 900Mbps | 1200Mbps | 2000+Mbps |
| Upload Speeds | 10Mbps | 10Mbps | 10Mbps | 20Mbps | 35Mbps | 2000+Mbps |
| Free Flex 4K box | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
2.2 Frontier Internet Plan Structure
| Features | Basic DSL Plan | Preferred DSL Plan | Premium DSL Plan | 500Mbps Fiber Plan | Gig Fiber Plan | 2Gig Fiber Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introductory Price | $32.99/ mo. | $39.99/ mo. | $49.99/ mo. | $49.99/ mo. | $74.99 mo. | $149.99/ mo. |
| Installation Fee | – | – | – | $85 | $85 | $85 |
| Modem Fee | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO |
| Router Fee | $10 (Avoidable) | $10 (Avoidable) | $10 (Avoidable) | $10 (Avoidable) | $10 (Avoidable) | $10 (Avoidable) |
| Data Caps | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO |
| Download Speeds | 9Mbps | 25Mbps | 115Mbps | 500Mbps | 940Mbps | 2000+Mbps |
| Upload Speeds | 1Mbps | 1Mbps | 3Mbps | 500Mbps | 880Mbps | 2000+Mbps |
| Free YouTube TV Discount | N/A | YES ($10 off) | YES ($10 off) | YES ($10 off) | YES ($10 off) | YES ($10 off) |
| Other Promo Deals | N/A | N/A | N/A | $50 | $200 | Free Apple TV+ Deal |
Xfinity has a total of eight internet service plans to choose from, with six of them on the cable lines. So, the upload speeds won’t be so satisfying if your online activity involves a lot of video conferences and heavy cloud backups.
Conversely, Xfinity cable internet is relatively cheaper than fiber. You can get the lowest Xfinity Performance Starter plan at $20 in a one-year contract during a promotion before reverting to the regular rate of $65/ month.
The other Xfinity internet plans you can get the promotional introductory price are 300Mbps, 600Mbps, 900Mbps, and 1200Mbps packages. But the fiber packages are only available at the regular rate, with 2,000Mbps at $113.95/mo and $299.95/mo for 6,000Mbps.
As for frontier, all the plans do include introductory prices, starting at $33/ month for the first year on the basic DSL plan.
Nonetheless, the Frontier fiber internet will be more reliable with its symmetrical speeds. And in that case, you can get connected from as low as $50 on the 500Mbps plan to $150 with the 2Gig.
Remember, after the introductory period, your Frontier internet will now revert to the regular rates. But I’ve opted to leave that out of the chart as it varies with your location.
Oh, also remember the listed Xfinity and Frontier prices are before the taxes and other government fees. So, expect an increase by $3 to $8 on checkout depending on your State.
Common Related Questions
Should I switch from Xfinity to Frontier?
If the lines overlap in your new home, it’s worth it to switch from Xfinity to Frontier. You’ll get access to more fiber internet deals from as low as $50 and with symmetrical speeds.
Is Xfinity and Frontier the same?
No, Xfinity and Frontier are not the same internet providers. The only thing we could say is similar between them is the fact they have fiber connectivity. But even then, Frontier has a larger fiber footprint than Xfinity internet.
Why is Frontier WiFi so slow?
Usually, your Frontier WiFi will be slow if you have many devices connected to your wireless internet at the same time. The issue can also be based on the internet plan you’re on- especially in the DSL category. But also an outdated modem and or router can be a cause.
Is Frontier or Xfinity cheaper?
Technically, all the two providers have budget-friendly plans. But Xfinity cable internet is cheaper than Frontier plans during the introductory months. The newly-added 2000Mbps fiber plan is also about $35 cheaper than the Frontier 2Gig plan.
Don’t Forget the Data Cap
In truth, there’s so much to talk about when it comes to internet providers. But due to limited time, that’s all we can cover for now on the differences between Frontier vs Xfinity service.
Frontier is the better option if you have access to their fiber internet. At only $50, you can enjoy symmetrical speeds of up to 500Mbps in the first year. Then, all the plans usually have unlimited data speed with no caps to browse as much as you’d want.
Sadly, Xfinity has capped all their plans at 1.2TB/ per month, whereby you’ll get overage fees at $10 per 50GB. But you do get a “courtesy” month where there are no overage fees the first time you exceed the 1.2TB limit.
