Compare AT&T Internet to Xfinity Internet

Do you live in a place where AT&T and Xfinity providers are available? Both companies offer high-speed internet. Therefore, knowing which one suits you best can be difficult. We've got you covered. This guide compares these two providers' features, plans, and pricing.

AT&T vs Xfinity Internet Services: An Overview

AT&T Fiber provides fast and reliable internet plans exclusively with fiber-optic connections in areas where it’s available. If you live in a region with AT&T Fiber access, the company offers excellent value for high-speed internet. Prices start as low as $55 per month with no annual contract or equipment fees. AT&T Fiber's pricing is straightforward and transparent. However, a significant limitation is that its fiber services are not yet available in all areas.

On the other hand, Xfinity also provides high-speed home internet plans with fiber and cable connections available. Compared to AT&T, Xfinity is widely available (41 states). It has many pricing plans to suit any budget. With Xfinity, speed is solid, and if you live in an area with access to fiber infrastructure, the company offers better value for money. However, it's important to note that Xfinity's prices differ according to location.

How Do Their Features Match Up?

When deciding which internet service provider suits you better, you must compare their features, such as performance and speed. Let us discuss some factors, but first take a look into the feature comparison table below.

AT&T Fiber vs Xfinity Cable Internet

	AT&T Fiber	Xfinity Cable
Fastest speed available	5 GIG Internet	2 GIG Internet
100% fiber network
Equal upload & download speeds
Unlimited internet data included		Depends on the region
No annual contract
Equipment fee included

Internet Speed

Which is the fastest? There is a battle between the major internet providers when it comes to speed. Regarding internet speed, Xfinity falls behind AT&T.

Xfinity provides rates ranging from 150 to 1,200 Mbps, and up to 2,000 Mbps in limited areas. It even advertises a 10,000 Mbps plan, but while checking some addresses in all three service regions, we haven't come across this plan yet. In any case, Xfinity internet plans have a lot to offer for every kind of user.

On the other hand, with AT&T Fiber, you enjoy packages providing 300 Mbps to 5 Gbps speeds. If a full fiber service is not available, there may be plans with lower speeds, up to 100 Mbps. In addition, the new AT&T Internet Air is an option, the service delivered over the AT&T's 5G wireless network.

Both companies will offer you adequate services if available in your area. Are you a heavy internet user, requiring both download and upload speeds to be fast? Then AT&T Fiber might suit you better, just because of its symmetrical speeds (equal download and upload speeds). Otherwise, you can choose either of these providers. But we can't deny competition between these two providers is stiff regarding prices and speed.

Availability

The bad thing is that neither AT&T nor Xfinity offers their internet services in all states in the USA. Xfinity offers its services in 41 states, while AT&T is in 25. AT&T concentrates more on the Southern and Western regions of the US, as well as on the mid-Northeast. Xfinity company covers most of the Midwestern and Eastern parts of America, and some Western part as well. Here is the list of states their services are available in. Please note that no Internet provider covers all addresses in any state. There is always a chance their service is not available at a specific address.

AT&T Fiber Internet and Xfinity Internet Availability by State

State	AT&T	Xfinity
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
DC
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Massachusetts
Maryland
Maine
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Vermont
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin

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* Not available in all areas.

Equipment

To use either Xfinity or AT&T, you require a router and modem. AT&T's packages are such that the equipment fees are included in the monthly subscription fees. With Xfinity, the xFi Gateway, an internet modem and WiFi router in one, costs an additional $15 per month.

Data Caps

Data caps, also called data allowance limits, is the amount of data a household can use every month without experiencing speed slowdowns or extra charges. Most ISPs will charge an additional fee if you exhaust the allowed data in a specific month. Luckily, in most cases, users don't finish their allocation, so you probably don't need to worry about these limits. However, if you usually download or upload large files or your work requires a lot of data, you should consider Xfinity and AT&T data caps.

Xfinity allows users to use up to 1.2 TB per month before reaching the limit. You won't pay anything extra if you exceed this limit for the first time. But if you go over 1.2 TB for the second time, you'll pay $10 per block of 50 GB. It's important to note that Xfinity offers an unlimited data option for extra charges. At this time, the Unlimited Data Option can be added for a fee of $30 per month.

On the other hand, AT&T Fiber packages provide unlimited data. The lower speed internet plans (up to 75 Mbps) have a 1.5 TB per month data cap. Plans 100 Mbps and up have no data caps.

Connection Types

The type of internet connection also matters when selecting a provider. The three most common types of internet service include:

• Fiber, also known as fiber optic, is the most reliable and fast internet connection. Unluckily, it is yet to be available in many places. Both AT&T and Xfinity offer fiber options in some areas.
• Cable is a more popular high-speed internet that uses existing cable TV infrastructure to offer internet access. Xfinity is a cable ISP.
• DSL uses telephone lines to offer high-speed internet to its users. AT&T offered DSL internet service in the past, but not anymore.

How Do Their Plans and Prices Compare?

AT&T Internet offers a variety of plans to accommodate different needs, from basic web browsing to high-speed streaming and gaming. The company designs its packages to be straightforward and user-friendly, ensuring customers can easily find a plan that suits their requirements. However, compared to competitors like Xfinity, AT&T's plans tend to be slightly more expensive, which may influence budget-conscious users.

AT&T Fiber stands out as a premier option for those seeking ultra-fast internet speeds. Offering up to 5 Gbps in select areas, AT&T Fiber delivers exceptional performance for bandwidth-intensive activities like online gaming, 4K streaming, and working from home. Starting at $55 per month, these plans include no annual contracts or hidden equipment fees, making them an appealing choice for many households.

Despite its advantages, AT&T Internet has a key limitation: regional availability. While its transparent pricing and high-quality service are attractive, not all areas have access to AT&T Fiber. This makes it essential for prospective customers to check coverage in their location before committing to a plan.

AT&T Fiber Internet pricing plans are as follows:

• 300 Mbps
  • $55 per month
  • Speed up to 300 Mbps
  • $100 reward card
  • Fast internet speeds for families
  • Great for streaming, gaming, and large file transfers
  • Connects up to 10 devices

• 500 Mbps
  • $65 per month
  • Speed up to 500 Mbps
  • $100 reward card
  • Excellent speed for a household
  • Enables streaming and sharing of large files
  • Works on a maximum of 11 devices

• Up to 1 GIG speed
  • $55 per month
  • Speed up to 1,000 Mbps
  • $150 reward card
  • Suitable for smart (IoT) homes
  • Great for gamers and those with home offices
  • Connects 12 devices (or more)

• 2 GIG speed
  • $125 per month
  • Speed up to 2,000 Mbps
  • $150 reward card
  • High-speed internet for smooth remote work
  • Works on 12 devices (or more)

• 5 GIG Speed
  • $155 per month
  • Speed up to 4.7 Gbps
  • $150 reward card
  • Fastest package for building content and live video
  • Perfect for serious gamers
  • Connects 12 devices or more

Note: The prices are not inclusive of taxes.

► Check AT&T Internet Service Availability

The pricing for Xfinity's plans depends on where you live. For prices showing on this page, we used zip codes in three cities across three different Xfinity's regions:

• Baltimore, MD 21224
• Atlanta, GA 30305
• San Jose, CA 95110

The plans we got listed were from 150 Mbps to 2000 Mbps. Not all plans are available in all regions. Xfinity internet plans are as follows:

• 150 Mbps
  • $19.99 per month (CA), and $35 per month (GA)
  • Stream content and video conferencing, and downloading music and photos
  • Good for 4 devices at a time
• 300 Mbps
  • $35 per month
  • Stream content and video conferencing, and downloading music and photos
  • Good for 5 devices at a time

• 500 Mbps
  • $65 per month
  • Downloading shows/large files, streaming on multiple devices
  • Good for 8 devices at a time

• 1000 Mbps
  • $75 per month
  • Downloading for heavy usage activities, streaming with extreme speed, multiplayer gaming
  • Supports more than 12 devices at a time

• 1200 Mbps
  • $75 per month
  • Downloading for today's ultra-connected household, streaming through the ultimate WiFi experience
  • Allows unlimited devices

• 2000 Mbps
  • $95 per month
  • Downloading for today's ultra-connected household, streaming through the ultimate WiFi experience, multiplayer gaming
  • Allows unlimited devices

It is interesting that Xfinity upload speeds vary a lot in different regions. The speeds listed in the table above are from a region in CA (except 2000 plan which is GA), while same plans in GA region offer upload speeds from 100 to 150 Mbps.

► Check Xfinity Internet Availability

AT&T and Xfinity Internet Service Extras

Some Internet providers are good in making their offers more attractive by adding extras to their plans. Some do more, some less or none. As we are comparing AT&T Internet vs Xfinity Internet, here are two tables listing what you get when you subscribe to the Internet service provided by the two providers, respectively.

* As with all services today, certain limitations apply, always read small print.

As you can see in the table above, AT&T is pretty good in what it offers for its fiber optic Internet plans. Equipment inclusion, 12 months price guarantee, reward cards, ETF cost covered, no data caps.

The table below lists what comes with Xfinity Internet plans. Again, keep in mind that offers and plans by this provider vary based on your location. The data we are showing here for Xfinity is based on the zip code 21224. Anyhow, for extras, Xfinity comes quite modest when compared to AT&T.

All plans include unlimited access to Xfinity hotspots. In addition, the two fastest plans include Peacock Premium for 24 months (plans 1000 and 2000). Furthermore, if opting for no contract, plans 500, 1000, and 2000 come with 12 month price guarantee. For the equipment, Xfinity customers may use their own compatible modem or gateway.

AT&T Fiber and Xfinity Internet Services: Final Thoughts

There you have it, a quick summary and comparison of AT&T and Xfinity in terms of their internet services. Both ISPs have their strengths and weakness. The notable difference lies in their coverage areas. If speed is your ultimate desire, consider AT&T Fiber Internet. However, if you're working with a slimmer budget, Xfinity offers more attractive options with its lower speed plans.

For more info, visit the respective pages for the Internet service of these providers.

AT&T Fiber Internet ––– Xfinity Internet