Frontier vs. Xfinity: Compare Internet Pricing, Plans and Speeds

Frontier and Xfinity are two of the biggest US internet providers, with significant overlap in a few areas. The odds of choosing between more than one good option for high-speed internet are low, but if you have both of these providers available at your address, you should take a closer look at the service terms of each before jumping into a service agreement.

In most cases, Frontier will be the better option because of its lack of contracts, data caps or equipment fees. However, if you can only get Frontier’s DSL service at your address, you’ll be better off going with Xfinity. Let’s explore these top provider’s speeds, pricing, service details and customer satisfaction records to help you determine which option is better for your home.

Our take – Frontier Fiber is as good as any internet service provider, and in some ways better, when it comes to pricing, speeds and fine-print details like equipment fees, contract requirements and data caps. Despite fair pricing and favorable service terms, the ISP has suffered from consistently low customer satisfaction scores. I’d largely attribute the low scores to Frontier’s DSL service, which offers far less value, speed and reliability than Frontier Fiber.

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Our take – Other than maybe Cox, another cable internet provider, I can’t think of another ISP with as many plan options as Comcast’s Xfinity service. Customers will have six, maybe seven plans to choose from, most competitively priced but may require signing a contract to get the lowest pricing. You’ll also have to agree to a rather high equipment rental fee, a data cap with possible overage fees and a lofty price hike after your promo period. There are workarounds to all of that, such as using your own equipment or managing your data usage, but the added fees are an important consideration before you sign up.

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Frontier vs. Xfinity: Availability and technology

According to the most recent Federal Communications Commission data, Xfinity is the second-largest internet provider in the US, available to 35% of the population. In contrast, Frontier is only available to around 6%. Looking at the map here (Frontier in purple, Xfinity in red), the total coverage area appears to be about the same between the two — especially in the Midwest. However, Xfinity tends to operate in more densely populated areas, whereas Frontier largely sticks to suburbs and rural areas. Hence the vast difference in the population served.

If both providers are available at your home, the next thing to consider is the technology each provider uses.

Cable internet from Xfinity, which you’ll find in essentially all service areas, uses coaxial cables to run service to your home. While not without fault (cable internet comes with low upload speeds and inconsistent speeds during peak usage times), cable internet generally supports download speeds up to a gigabit per second and offers decent connection quality. 

Roughly two-thirds of those in Frontier service areas will only be eligible for DSL service, which is likely to come with slow, unsteady speeds. The remaining lucky third will be able to get Frontier Fiber, which has all the perks of a 100% fiber service — fast download and upload speeds, supreme reliability and less susceptibility to slowed speeds during peak usage times. 

The Frontier connection type available at your address will be the biggest factor when choosing between Frontier and Xfinity. If you can only get DSL, Xfinity will be your better option. On the other hand, if you can get Frontier Fiber service at your address, you’ll find its speeds and overall value hard to pass up compared with cable internet from Xfinity.

Frontier vs. Xfinity: Comparing internet plans and pricing

Frontier Fiber service offers six plan options, including a 7-gig tier. Your options with DSL service are a bit more limited in that available speeds are at the mercy of your address. 

Frontier Fiber plan details

Frontier DSL plan details

Xfinity internet plans may also vary depending on where you live, but the differences are less volatile than what you’ll get with Frontier’s DSL service. I’ve listed the Central region pricing for Xfinity plans below, but keep in mind that pricing and speeds may differ in your area. 

Xfinity Internet plans (Central region)

If you’re looking for cheap internet, you’ll find both Frontier and Xfinity have some competitive options, with both providers starting in the $30 to $45 monthly range. However, if you factor in the cost of equipment rental (an additional $15 to $25 charge) Frontier is the more cost-efficient option, with a better cost per Mbps. Pricing is about the same for comparable Fiber and Xfinity plans, but you’ll get significantly faster upload speeds, unlimited data, free equipment and no contract requirements with Frontier.

Plus, Xfinity plans come with a specified price increase after the initial lower rates — $20 to $30 or more per month — while Frontier plans do not. That’s not to say Frontier won’t raise the price on you at some point, but there is no guarantee of a significant spike after a set time.

A Frontier spokesperson informed CNET that prices generally go up by around $10 per month after the first year, but some customers may see no increase at all. On the flip side, there’s nothing to say prices won’t go up more than that, or that it will be the only price increase.

Frontier vs. Xfinity on the fine print

Pricing and speeds are arguably the two most important considerations when comparing internet providers, but added fees and service terms can also come into play. That’s certainly the case with Frontier and Xfinity.

Equipment fees

Frontier includes equipment fees in the monthly cost, so there are no additional fees for renting equipment. Frontier provides an Amazon Eero 9 Plus router, which works with Alexa and offers a built-in Zigbee smart home hub. Additional mesh Wi-Fi extenders are available for $10 extra monthly.

You can also get a top-of-the-line xFi Gateway, a modem-router combo from Xfinity, but it’ll cost you an added $15 or $25 per month. The gateway comes with free security measures, parental controls and tech support. There is the option to use your own equipment and skip the fee, but unless you already own a compatible router, there’s still the upfront cost of purchasing one to consider.

Data caps

Frontier plans come with unlimited data, so you don’t have to monitor your monthly data usage to avoid going over and incurring fees. 

Unfortunately, Xfinity Internet has a monthly data cap, but it’s a generous 1.2TB (1,200GB). Exceeding that limit could add $10 for each 50GB block needed to satisfy your overage, but the good news is that the average household is unlikely to get anywhere close to going over. According to the latest data from OpenVault, the average household consumes 590GB of data monthly. That’s well below Xfinity’s 1,200GB cap but if you’re still concerned about going over, you can sign up for unlimited data for an added $30 per month.

Contract requirements

Another win for Frontier here. No contracts are required when signing up for Frontier internet. 

Xfinity’s contract requirements are a bit more complicated. In some locations, a contract may not be required when signing up for anything less than Gigabit Pro service, which comes with a two-year contract everywhere the plan is available. You may be required to sign a one-year contract in other areas to get the lowest introductory pricing. Opting out of a contract is possible in most locations, but doing so will mean sacrificing the low introductory pricing.

Frontier vs. Xfinity: Fiber is a clear winner, DSL not so much

The American Customer Satisfaction Index and the J.D. Power annual survey are two of our top sources for gauging customer satisfaction with top internet providers. The ACSI divides internet providers into “fiber” and “not-fiber” categories and while Frontier’s fiber service performed decently (meeting the industry average of 76), Xfinity’s fiber service scored close behind with a score of 75.

Our non-fiber category is a different story. Xfinity scored an overall 67, a 1% decrease from last year’s score, while Frontier received a score of 59 — second to last overall. Both providers fell short of the industry average of 68, though Xfinity was much closer.

Over at the J.D. Power study, it’s a little trickier to parse out how Frontier stands since its fiber services are lumped in with its DSL services. Either way, Xfinity topped the charts by coming in second place for every region except the South. Frontier bested Xfinity in the South with a score of 580 to Xfinity’s 565. In every other region, however, Frontier lagged either in the middle or towards the bottom of each regional ranking.

Frontier’s low customer satisfaction scores are a warning sign, but I wouldn’t call them a red flag. After reading an assortment of complaints against the company filed with the Better Business Bureau and reviewing the company’s official response, it’s apparent that much of the low customer satisfaction scoring can be attributed to the DSL side of the business along with service transfer disruptions after Frontier either acquired or sold networks from other providers.

In conclusion: Consider Frontier Fiber (but not DSL) over Xfinity

A good rule of thumb when shopping for home internet service is that fiber-optic is preferable to cable internet, and cable is a better option than DSL. That’s certainly the case here when comparing Frontier and Xfinity. Frontier’s Fiber service boasts significantly faster upload speeds than Xfinity, and the 100% fiber connection can result in better performance and reliability. However, DSL paints a different picture. Although Frontier abstains from data caps, contracts and equipment fees, if you’re choosing between Frontier’s DSL service and Xfinity, you’ll find cable internet from Xfinity to offer faster speeds and better value than Frontier’s DSL.