DIRECTV vs. Xfinity

Is DIRECTV or Xfinity better?

Satellite TV company DIRECTV is the best TV provider for sports, thanks to its abundance of sports channels and add-on packages. But DIRECTV’s high plan prices and hidden fees make it too expensive, even with the new two-year price guarantee.

Xfinity is best if you want to bundle cable TV and internet service. The provider has super-fast internet connections but only half as many channels as DIRECTV. And, while Xfinity is more widely available than other cable TV and internet providers, it can’t compete with DIRECTV’s 99% availability.

DIRECTV vs. Xfinity pros and cons

Jump to:

• Deals and promotions
• Head-to-head comparison
• Plans, prices, and fees
• Channels
• Equipment and features

DIRECTV vs. Xfinity deals

Sometimes, choosing a TV provider comes down to deals. Before we look at packages and pricing, let’s check out current promotions from DIRECTV and Xfinity.

DIRECTV deals

Current deals and promotions for new DIRECTV customers:

• Get three free months of Max™ (formerly HBO Max), Paramount+ with SHOWTIME®, STARZ®, Cinemax®, and MGM+™ when you order the ENTERTAINMENT All Included, CHOICE™ All Included, or ULTIMATE All Included packages. (Note: PREMIER All Included already has these channels.)

See our DIRECTV deals page for more money-saving offers.

Xfinity deals

Current deals for new Xfinity customers:

• Get internet + streaming for $50/mo. when you add Xfinity Mobile

Find more special offers on our Xfinity deals page.

DIRECTV vs. Xfinity head-to-head

Data effective as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
* for 24 months plus taxes and fees w/ 24-mo. agmt.; AutoPay and Paperless Bill req’d. Advanced Receiver Service Fee $15/mo. is extra and applies.
**No term contract. Does not include broadcast TV fee; price subj to change. Taxes and equipment not included.

If the price ranges in this table make it seem like Xfinity is cheaper, it’s because Xfinity has 155 fewer channels than DIRECTV. So a better way to show each TV provider’s value is by cost per channel:

• DIRECTV: $0.41–$0.52 per channel
• Xfinity: $0.37–$0.48 per channel

So DIRECTV and Xfinity offer similar value—but you’ll pay a lot more per month for DIRECTV. Is it worth the money? Maybe if you’re a sports fan. Otherwise, you’re paying extra for a bunch of DIRECTV channels you probably won’t watch.

Let’s get a look closer at each provider’s plans and pricing.

DIRECTV vs. Xfinity plans and prices

DIRECTV has the same four packages—at the same price—no matter where you are in the US. Xfinity plans and pricing vary across the provider’s three US regions.

DIRECTV plans and prices

Data effective as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
* for 24 months plus taxes and fees w/ 24-mo. agmt.; AutoPay and Paperless Bill req’d. Advanced Receiver Service Fee $15/mo. is extra and applies.
**No term contract. Does not include broadcast TV fee; price subj to change. Taxes and equipment not included.

In January 2023, DIRECTV ditched its horrible second-year price hike in favor of a two-year price guarantee. We have to give DIRECTV props for that, but it’s still expensive—especially now that the provider charges $15 a month for its Genie DVRs.

We like DIRECTV’s CHOICE™ All Included ($84.99 a month, 200+ channels) for the average user—but if your budget can handle it, we love PREMIER All Included ($159.99 monthly, 340+ channels) because it includes Max, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, STARZ, Cinemax, and MGM+.

Okay, it’s Xfinity’s turn—let’s see how Xfinity plans and pricing compare to DIRECTV’s.

Xfinity plans and prices

Data effective as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
**No term contract. Does not include broadcast TV fee; price subj to change. Taxes and equipment not included.

In the US, Xfinity has three regions—West, Central, and Northeast—with basically the same TV packages, but different pricing. Xfinity’s West region is the cheapest, while Xfinity’s Central and Northeast regions are slightly more expensive.

In the West region, Ultimate TV ($68.50 a month, 185+ channels) is your best bet. In the Central and Northeast regions, the exact same package costs $11.50 more per month (perhaps due to increased costs in those regions), but it’s still the best Xfinity TV plan in that area and a decent deal.

Xfinity prices don’t include broadcast TV fees and regional sports upcharges, so you’ll want to check those prices before committing to a plan. We go over hidden fees for both providers in the next section.

DIRECTV vs. Xfinity fees and extra charges

Data effective as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

DIRECTV has a lot of hidden fees, which are as unavoidable as they are infuriating—but every cable and satellite TV provider has them. If you’re sick of these extra charges, look into live TV streaming services, which don’t have them.

Check out our guide to the Hidden Costs of DIRECTV for more information on these fees.

Data effective as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Xfinity has fewer fees, which is another advantage over DIRECTV. To learn more about Xfinity’s sneaky charges, see our guide to the Hidden Costs of Xfinity.

DIRECTV vs. Xfinity channels

We’ve mentioned the difference in channel counts between DIRECTV (340+) and Xfinity (185+) more than once so far. It bears repeating because channel counts are one of the bigger differences between the providers. We’ll get more specific in this section.

Popular channels

Xfinity carries all of the top 35 most-watched channels of 2022, according to Variety.¹ DIRECTV carries all but two: The CW and MeTV.

Variety’s Top 35 most-watched channels of 2022¹

Data effective as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
* Not included in DIRECTV ENTERTAINMENT package
^§ Add-on only for DIRECTV ENTERTAINMENT package
^¶ Add-on only for DIRECTV
^† Not carried by DIRECTV
^‡ Xfinity: Not included in Extra or Popular packages

Channel comparison

Both DIRECTV and Xfinity have the top 35 popular channels in most of their packages. So your decision, as far as channels go, is a little easier to make. It’s gonna come down to which specialty channels you want.

If you’re looking for particular entertainment, family, news, sports, or premium channels, see our DIRECTV Channel Lineup Guide and Xfinity Channel Lineup Guide. There, use CTRL-F to look for your favorites. (Sports fans will notice DIRECTV carries more regional sports networks.)

Now let’s see how DIRECTV and Xfinity stack up in the equipment department.

DIRECTV vs. Xfinity equipment, specs, and features

DIRECTV DVR and equipment fees

Data effective as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
*$99 bridge free due at signup.

DIRECTV’s Genie DVR is one of the best around, with 200 hours of HD storage, up to five simultaneous recordings, and multiroom TV with the Genie Mini.

And, as we mentioned, the Genie still has a physical hard drive inside, while Xfinity (like a lot of cable TV providers) removed physical storage from its (also acclaimed) X1 TV box and started selling cloud DVR storage.

DIRECTV DVR and equipment fees

Xfinity DVR and equipment fees

Data effective as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Xfinity charges separate fees for the X1 receiver and cloud DVR storage. On the storage tip, Xfinity gives you 20 hours free or you can upgrade to 150 or 300 hours for $10.00 or $20.00 monthly, respectively.

We don’t want to complain about a TV provider giving us something for free, but what self-respecting couch creature can work with a measly 20 hours? It’s almost (read: definitely) like Xfinity wants to push us toward its pricier DVR upgrades. That feels a little manipulative, but let’s see what the math says.

Let’s say you chose the biggest Xfinity cloud DVR upgrade (300 hours for $20 a month). With that and the  X1 rental fee, Xfinity TV packages would cost $77.50–$107.50 per month.

That’s still cheaper than DIRECTV, and you’d get 100 more hours of DVR space than with the standard Genie DVR. You’d have fewer channels than with DIRECTV, but the Xfinity TV packages, with fees included, is still pretty channel- and feature-rich. Heck, you might even have enough left in your budget for a premium channel or two.

And you know what? You can save money by going without the X1 box and cloud DVR service (see our tip below).

DIRECTV vs. Xfinity mobile apps

Data effective as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

One way that cable TV services compete with live TV streaming services is by providing a mobile app that lets you stream your TV package, on-demand titles, DVR recordings, and more while you’re away from home. Most of them even allow you to download programs for offline viewing.

DIRECTV’s DIRECTV on the Go app (Android, iOS) is a newer version of the DIRECTV App. It’s about evenly matched with Xfinity Stream (Android, iOS), which lets you create user profiles and a watchlist.

Is DIRECTV or Xfinity more worth it?

Our major gripe with DIRECTV is its high pricing and hidden fees. But DIRECTV is available almost anywhere and sports fans will probably accept the additional expense to get the best TV service for sports.

We’re more inclined to recommend Xfinity to users who want an exceptional TV experience at a fair price. We also love the flexibility of Xfinity’s no-term agreement plans—but not the cost. And, with Xfinity, you also have to option to bundle with internet and phone service.

DIRECTV vs. Xfinity FAQ

Methodology

CableTV.com’s TV experts, collectively, have logged thousands of hours researching and testing TV providers like DIRECTV and Xfinity. For this review, we compared the providers’ packages, pricing, deals, value, equipment, and apps, processing the data into solid recommendations for our readers. You can learn more about our process on our How We Rank page.

Endnote

1. Michael Schneider, Variety, “Most-Watched Television Networks—Ranking 2021’s Winners and Losers,” December 29, 2022. Accessed February 15, 2023.