Xfinity vs. HughesNet Internet Providers Compared

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 $40/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 1000 Mbps. That top speed will cost you $70 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.

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 $40/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.

Hughesnet offers prices similar to Viasat, but often for slower speeds

Hughesnet offers its plans at rates that at first seem comparable to cable or fiber prices. The Hughesnet first-tier satellite internet plan starts at $49.99/month. But there are two catches. First, your initial rate is a promotional rate, and after the first six months, your prices will increase significantly for all plans. Second, you may only get an internet speed up to 50 Mbps download/5 Mbps upload, depending on your service area. This is not high-speed internet by the FCC’s definition [2]. And it is clearly not as fast as the 200-300 Mbps download speed you often get for $50-60/month from a cable or fiber internet plan.

Hughesnet uses soft data caps that may affect your internet speed

A drawback to Hughesnet plans is the use of soft data caps. When you order Hughesnet service, you don’t choose a speed level as you do with other internet types. Instead, you choose your data limit for the month, ranging from 100 GB to 200 GB. If you only surf the internet lightly and use email, you can stay within a 100 GB data limit pretty easily. But if you plan large file uploads, video streaming, or online gaming, the data usage can add up fast. Hughesnet does offer some solutions to help you work with their soft data caps. Their data tokens allow you to purchase extra data at the end of each month if you need more. Nonetheless, having soft data caps will affect how you use the internet. If you consistently need more data tokens, those extra charges may affect your monthly budget. Consider carefully whether you are likely to need more or less data than Hughesnet will allow you under each of their plans. Finally, Hughesnet requires a two-year contract. If you cancel your subscription early, you will pay an early termination fee prorated by the time still left in your contract.

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.

A Hughesnet internet connection is slower than most other ISPs

The nature of satellite internet technology means that satellite internet has always been different from wired internet in three ways. 1) Slower speeds: Hughesnet’s maximum download speed right now (100 Mbps) is much slower than speeds for fiber and cable internet that can often reach Gigabit speeds (1000 Mbps and up). 2) Weather interference: Bad weather can sometimes cause temporary slowing or outage in a satellite signal. 3) Latency: The distance of a satellite from Earth causes latency, which is a slight delay in data transmission. Despite these drawbacks, satellite service can still give you a solid connection if you live in a rural or underserved area. In today’s digital world, high-speed internet may be your ticket to education, a job, and even medical care. Satellite internet can support high enough speeds to provide you with access to these opportunities. Hughesnet has attempted to address latency with their new Hughesnet Fusion plans, which launched in 2022. This hybrid technology uses a satellite connection but can also route signals through wireless towers when necessary. Hughesnet has not released data to prove lower latency yet. They claim that the latency is 100 ms on their FCC Broadband label. Customers online report higher latency for their Fusion service [3].

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).

Hughesnet equipment requires initial investment or monthly rental fee

Buying satellite equipment can be expensive. The dish and gateway for Hughesnet Gen 5 plans costs around $350, while Hughesnet Fusion equipment is $450. If you don’t want to invest and would rather try out service first, you can rent the equipment for $15-20 a month. Buying the equipment outright will save you money if you end up using your service for more than 2 years. Hughesnet’s installation is often free, depending on your plan and current promotions. This is a nice bonus and ensures that a technician can get the best angle for your satellite dish. The technician will connect two of your devices in addition to setting up the antenna and modem/router.

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.

Hughesnet customer satisfaction below average

Hughesnet has sometimes received low customer satisfaction ratings both in national surveys and in online reviews. It’s hard to know how much of that response is related to unrealistic customer expectations about satellite internet performance. Certainly, when Hughesnet gets online comments from unsatisfied customers, they tend to focus on internet performance. Meanwhile, remember that while satellite internet service has limitations, it can still provide high-speed internet access when your only alternative is slower DSL or no internet at all.