Plans starting at: $35
Popular Package: AT&T FIBER - INTERNET 1000
Download speeds up to: 5 Gbps
Connection Types: Fiber & Wireless
Plans starting at: $45
Popular Package: 1 Gig
Download speeds up to: 2 Gbps
Connection Types: Cable
AT&T Staff rating
Industry-leading fiber internet speeds and strong reliability from AT&T
AT&T Fiber can support all your data-intensive internet activities, now and in the future. AT&T continues to lead the industry with multi-gigabit ( Mbps) internet speeds available in select areas and more speed on the way. Following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, AT&T is accelerating its fiber network expansion, adding an additional 1 million fiber customer locations annually starting in 2026 [6]. AT&T's network is growing even faster: AT&T agreed to acquire substantially all of Lumen's Mass Markets fiber internet connectivity business—about 1 million fiber customers across more than 4 million fiber locations—in a $5.75 billion deal expected to close in the first half of 2026 [8]. This expansion will bring AT&T Fiber to major metro areas, including Denver, Las Vegas, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, and Seattle. The transaction will stimulate investment, create new middle-class jobs, and help AT&T reach approximately 60 million total fiber locations by the end of 2030—roughly doubling the number of locations where AT&T Fiber is available today. This expansion means more customers will have access to AT&T's superior all-fiber internet service. When you add no contracts, no equipment fees, no data caps, and a reputation for reliable customer service, AT&T is a superior choice for all-fiber internet. In areas where only AT&T copper service is available, customers should also check other options and compare speeds and pricing.PROS
Cons
Cities with AT&T availability
Xfinity Staff rating
Xfinity has great promotional prices, but higher long-term rates and fees
Xfinity is a giant cable internet service provider that offers coverage to tens of millions of households across the United States. Xfinity’s introductory plan prices are some of the best in the industry at around $45/month for 12-24 months for first-tier plans. After the promotional period, though, customers will need to be aware of significant price hikes, including equipment rental fees. Though Xfinity’s HFC (hybrid fiber-coaxial) technology can’t provide the full symmetrical speed of an all-fiber network, it can offer gigabit download speeds up to 2000 Mbps. That top speed will cost you $100 a month, but it will certainly support any residential internet need. In addition, in limited areas, Xfinity had a Gigabit Pro plan that is 100% fiber and up to 6 Gigs.PROS
Cons
Cities with Xfinity availability
AT&T Internet Plans
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Xfinity Internet Plans
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AT&T Pricing
AT&T Fiber internet is affordably priced given its high quality and dependability
AT&T offers reasonable fiber pricing with first-tier fiber internet plans currently starting around $/month. AT&T won’t always offer you the lowest price for fiber in your area. But AT&T will offer you the low end of industry standard prices. For those prices, you’ll often get higher internet speeds from AT&T than from the competition. You will get good value for the internet speed you’re buying. AT&T Fiber’s advantage is that their fiber connections give you equal download and upload speeds. So, even if AT&T Fiber and a cable provider offer you the same price for a speed they both call “300 Mbps,” you will not be getting the same speeds from fiber and cable providers. All cable internet may have high download speeds, but has much slower upload speeds (usually around 10-20 Mbps). AT&T Fiber will give you the same upload speed as your download speed for your monthly price. Having upload speed equal to your download speed can make a big difference for real-time activities such as video streaming and gaming. Fiber also offers low latency, which you’ll see in a ping test. So overall, you are getting more for your money with a fiber internet plan, even when fiber and cable plans advertise the same prices and download speeds. There’s one drawback to AT&T’s pricing. AT&T’s copper-wired service (DSL/ IPBB) is priced at around the same as its first-tier fiber plan. This price is higher by Mbps given that copper service is much slower and less reliable than fiber. We hope AT&T will consider lowering the price of its copper service to give better value to DSL/IPBB customers.Xfinity Pricing
Xfinity stands above the pack for its low initial pricing, but pay attention to the later price hikes and fees
Xfinity is the largest internet service provider in the United States, with 32 million broadband subscribers [1]. Xfinity is a subsidiary of cable giant Comcast. Company size and strength gives Xfinity the ability to offer very low promotional prices to consumers for a year or even two years. Xfinity’s promotional plans begin around $45/month. Here's the kicker: after a year or two, your promotional rate will end. At that point, your rate can go up by anywhere from $25 to $50 per month. And Xfinity pricing varies all over the country and is pretty complex in how it changes from plan to plan. By our evaluation standards, this lack of simplicity in pricing hurts Xfinity’s rating despite its great initial promotional rates. In addition, Xfinity’s lower-tier plans have data caps that apply under certain conditions. The data cap is 1.2 TB (terabytes) per month, which is enough to cover many households’ monthly usage without any trouble. However, the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society analyzed data from OpenVault to show that 14.6% of homes used more than 1 terabyte per month, and 2.4% used over 2 terabytes per month [2]. This data suggests that 1 in every 7 homes would run a risk of exceeding the Xfinity data cap. Comcast/Xfinity claims that it does not throttle internet and slow it down, however, Xfinity will charge you overage fees if you exceed your data cap [3]. Those fees can go up to a maximum of $100/month [4]. Odds are that you won’t exceed your data cap. But if you have lots of real-time gaming or heavy streaming in your household, the extra cost for data overage could really add up. With Xfinity's top tier plans, though, you will get unlimited data.AT&T Reliability and Performance
Decades of growth give AT&T reliable infrastructure and sophisticated operations
As the third-largest ISP in the United States, AT&T has massive corporate size and history on its side. AT&T’s home internet serves over 100 metro areas in 22 states, with over 19 million fiber internet passings [1] [2]. AT&T provides strong infrastructure and tech support. With 99% reliability for your internet connection, AT&T Fiber service is less likely to be disrupted by outages or slowdowns than many other internet providers [3]. AT&T’s reliability rating is higher than some other ISPs because AT&T customers do not have to work with internet data caps. Many internet service providers have soft data caps. When you hit your data allowance for the month, your ISP will throttle your internet. Your internet speed will slow down to the point that only the simplest email tasks will be possible. You won’t be able to do complex web browsing, streaming, or your other usual internet tasks. In other words, your internet will become unreliable when you hit the limits of your data caps. AT&T and other providers with no data caps give you peace of mind because you won’t suddenly lose most of your internet functionality in the third week of the month. Unlimited data is a major bonus for your internet connection’s reliability.Xfinity Reliability and Performance
Xfinity’s hybrid fiber/coaxial cable supplies gigabit download speeds but slower upload speeds
Though Xfinity has advanced cable technology and good speeds, their network seems to be more prone to outages than users would like [5]. That’s the major reason Xfinity gets a lower rating for performance, in addition to the intrinsic differences between cable speed and all-fiber speed. Xfinity uses technology that is mostly fiber but uses coaxial cable for a short stretch of your internet connection. This type of connection is known as hybrid fiber/coaxial cable, or HFC. An HFC internet connection is better than older cable technologies because it can supply download speeds up to gigabit speeds. HFC will give you faster, more reliable internet service than DSL, satellite internet, or fixed wireless internet. And for streaming in HD, this hybrid fiber- cable internet will certainly be able to support multiple devices. The major difference between HFC and an all-fiber internet connection is upload speeds. Your upload speed will be no faster than 35-50 Mbps. An-all fiber connection, by contrast, will give you the same upload speed as your download speed. Your upload speed will affect activities such as gaming, videoconferencing and large file uploads. The good news is that if you have an upload speed of 35 Mbps, you’re still going to be able to upload pretty quickly. For most average households, 35 Mbps is enough. But if you have four or more people in your household streaming HD, playing games, working from home, and videoconferencing simultaneously, you’re going to want all-fiber internet, or what is often called “fiber to the home” (FTTH). Xfinity does have one all-fiber connectivity option that is full FTTH. If your household’s location is eligible, Xfinity will install an FTTH connection for their Gigabit Pro plan. Gigabit Pro is up there with the fastest fiber plans on the market.AT&T Equipment, Installation and Bonus Features
AT&T offers no equipment fees, optional self-installation, extra cybersecurity features
As long as you have AT&T internet service, you will also get to use an internet gateway at no charge [4]. (This gateway is a modem/router combo known as AT&T Smart Wi-Fi.) Your plan may also include a free Wi-Fi extender depending on your terms. If you order AT&T Fiber, technicians will install an ONT (optical network terminal) and a fiber jack or ethernet jack. Professional installation from AT&T will cost you $99 for either copper internet or fiber installation. If you are planning to order copper-based internet (DSL/IPBB) and there is already a dual-port phone jack in your home, AT&T can mail you a self-installation kit at no charge. You can even self-install fiber internet if you are comfortable with a wall installation and following technical instructions. AT&T customers have access to the AT&T ActiveArmor internet security app. The app will block fraud calls and guard risky Wi-Fi connections. For a small extra monthly charge, ActiveArmor offers advanced functions such as Identity Monitoring and Reverse Number Lookup. AT&T also offers a Smart Home Manager app to manage your Wi-Fi and all smart home devices and check for outages.Xfinity Equipment, Installation and Bonus Features
Xfinity offers two different gateways and popular Flex 4K streaming TV box
For TV fans, Xfinity internet service brings the added bonus of its free Flex 4K streaming box [6]. This convenient gadget will work much like a Roku box to consolidate your streaming apps, plus give you over 10,000 free movies and shows, free channels, and a voice remote. Xfinity TV customers are not eligible for a free Flex 4K, however. For your modem and router, you will get the xFi Gateway with its multi-gig speed capability, Wi-Fi 6E, parental controls and security protection [7]. Or you can upgrade to the xFi Complete, which includes unlimited data. Both require a rental fee after the promotional period that could be $15-25, which is part of why your price goes up. If you use your own router and modem to avoid the equipment fee, you will have to live with the 1.2 TB data cap. Installation fees will be similar to other providers at around $100 for a technician install and $15 for a self-install ($15).AT&T Experience & Support
AT&T Customer Service provides 24/7 tech support and ranks #1
AT&T has a robust customer support framework, including community forums, live chat, and phone assistance. Tech support is available 24/7, which can be a lifesaver if you work or study from home. Billing and account support are available from 7 AM to 9 PM CT Monday through Friday, and 8 AM to 9 PM Saturday. Those Saturday hours are especially valuable if you work Monday to Friday and can’t squeeze in personal business during the week. In 2023, AT&T ranked#1 for Customer Satisfaction in Residential Internet Service (North Central and West regions) with J.D. Power and Associates [5]. AT&T also ranked #2 in the South region.Xfinity Experience & Support
Xfinity Customer Service shows improvement
Xfinity has not been known for strong customer service over the years. Online reviews continue to mention some problem areas. But Xfinity has been moving up in official rankings, and for that reason, we give them 4 stars for improving their customer experience. Xfinity has customer support on its website, with 24/7 chat for help and 24/7 tech support. An online status center allows you to check for outages and troubleshoot your service. The Xfinity app will make your online customer experience more streamlined. You can also find Xfinity help communities through Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit. Customer service rankings have been improving for Xfinity in recent years. In 2022, Xfinity ranked third in three of four regions in the J.D. Power Residential Internet Service Provider Customer Satisfaction Study [8]. This ranking reflects Xfinity’s recent effort to improve their customer support. Though Xfinity’s customer support ratings from other sources are not always as high, overall, signs are getting better that you will be satisfied with your customer experience.AT&T FAQ's
Xfinity FAQ's
AT&T Sources
[1] ATT.com. "Network Quality and Reliability."
[2] ATT.com. "Fiber Internet."
[4] ATT.com. "Learn About AT&T Internet Equipment."
[5] JDPower.com. "2023 U.S. Residential Internet Service Provider Satisfaction Study."
[6] About.att.com. "Accelerating Fiber Network Expansion One Big Beautiful Bill Act" [7] Investors.att.com. "AT&T-Lumen Transaction" [8] https://about.att.com/story/2025/lumen-mass-markets-fiber-business.html [9] https://hostingjournalist.com/news/lumen-finalizes-5-75b-sale-of-quantum-fiber-business-to-at-tXfinity Sources
[1] Dgtlinfra.com. "Top 125 Internet Providers in the U.S."
[2] Benton Institute. "Broadband Usage Still Robust for First Quarter 2022."
[3] ArsTechnica.com. "Comcast Says It Doesn't Throttle Heaviest Internet Users Anymore."
[4] Xfinity.com. "Data Usage."
[5]Wpst.com. "Xfinity Outage in Philadelphia."
[6] Xfinity.com. "Xfinity Outage in Philadelphia."
[7] Xfinity.com. "Modems and Routers."
[8] JDPower.com. "2023 U.S. Residential Internet Service Provider Customer Satisfaction Study."
AT&T Customers Review
Xfinity Customers Review



