Xfinity vs. AT&T U-verse

Get the Gist

Xfinity looks good and feels good to use. It’s also an excellent choice if you hate being trapped by a contract.

AT&T U-verse takes care of your basic DVR needs without charging you extra, and it has the highest channel counts on the market.

In the battle of Xfinity vs. U-verse, it’s a close match. U-verse pulled ahead of Xfinity in our 2019 customer satisfaction survey, but not by a significant margin. Customer service is the only tipping point—U-verse doesn’t have the best customer service, but Xfinity’s is just abysmal.

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty with Xfinity and U-verse, you may want to check that both providers are available in your area.

We wouldn’t want you to get your heart set on one and then realize you don’t have access to it. Enter your zip code below, and we’ll find the TV providers available near you.

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Xfinity vs. AT&T U-verse Side-by-Side Comparison

Data effective 06/28/19. Not all offers available in all areas.

Packages and Pricing

Xfinity and U-verse have similar pricing options, but Xfinity’s channel counts pale in comparison to U-verse’s.

Xfinity Packages

Pricing for the first 12 months with a 1 year agreement, unless otherwise noted. Data as of 06/28/2019. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

With prices varying greatly across the US, Xfinity packages and rates can be hard to nail down.

No-contract plans, where they’re available, tend to be $10 per month more than their 12-month contract counterparts. But keep in mind that Xfinity charges an extra $10 per month fee if you want HD service.

These extra charges may be why Xfinity placed last in the monthly bill section of our survey for “2019’s Best TV Providers in Customer Satisfaction.”

Learn about Xfinity’s hidden fees.

Although Xfinity’s channel counts fall in the normal range for cable TV services, its 260+ channels is still less than half of AT&T’s 550+ channels. That’s a bummer.

But at least Xfinity has a massive library of on-demand shows—like America’s Got Talent and Game of Thrones—and movies, 90% of which are free.

View Xfinity’s full channel lineup.

AT&T U-verse Packages

Pricing for the first 12 months with a 1 year agreement, unless otherwise noted. Data as of 06/28/2019. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

AT&T U-verse’s packages and bundles fit a variety of budgets, and they include DVR equipment and service for no extra charge. With more channels available for less than Xfinity’s similar packages, there’s a lot to like about U-verse here.

Unlike Xfinity’s low score in monthly bill satisfaction, AT&T U-verse placed second in that category for this year’s survey.

Learn about AT&T U-verse’s hidden costs.

Before it sounds like U-verse is our honor-roll child/five-year-old concert pianist, we want to point out its channel count is inflated. Compared to Xfinity, it has more HD channels, which are just clearer repeats of their SD counterparts.

Now, we think HD channels are important, but maybe you don’t care as much. Also, U-verse packages have a ton of music channels—like radio for your TV—which we’re not huge fans of.

All that being what it is, customers still appreciate U-verse’s massive channel lineup. It ranked in the top three for channel selection in our 2019 customer satisfaction survey.

View AT&T U-verse’s full channel lineup.

Equipment

Xfinity X1

The Xfinity X1 DVR has a smooth user experience, and you can record more shows at once than AT&T U-verse’s DVR. In fact, Xfinity customers were excited enough to put the X1 in second place in the DVR section of 2019’s customer satisfaction survey.

AT&T U-verse Total Home DVR

That’s all pretty sweet, but U-verse customers still like the AT&T U-verse Total Home DVR, probably because it costs less and holds more than the Xfinity X1 DVR.

But the Total Home DVR didn’t place in the top three of our survey, so that still tells you something.

Equipment Price

Xfinity

The X1 DVR from Xfinity comes at an average price for provider DVRs. You’ll pay $9.95 per month, with no additional DVR service payment.

However, because the X1 provides HD service, you’ll also pay for Xfinity’s $10-per-month HD service. In our professional opinion, that’s grossly overpriced.

AT&T U-verse

On the other hand, AT&T U-verse includes the Total Home DVR in your service. That should save you from debating whether or not a DVR is worth the expense.

Just so you know, U-verse doesn’t charge an HD service fee on any package except for U-Basic—which we haven’t told you about here because we didn’t want you to see the low price and think its a great deal.

Spoiler alert: it’s not. Check out “The Hidden Costs of AT&T TV and Internet” if you want to learn more about why.

Simultaneous Recordings

If your favorite shows are on at the same time, don’t worry. Simultaneous recordings allow you to record multiple shows at the same time:

• The Xfinity X1 DVR can record 6 shows at once.
• The AT&T U-verse Total Home DVR can record 4 shows at once.

The X1 has more simultaneous recording capacity, but if you don’t have a ton of favorite shows playing at the same time, the Total Home DVR will do just fine.

Storage and Recording Capacity

There’s nothing too special about how many shows you can record on these DVRs. AT&T’s Total Home DVR has the fairly standard 1 TB of storage, but Xfinity’s X1 has only half that with 500 GB.

User Experience

Xfinity

The X1 excels at user experience with its sleek on-screen guide. You can set your favorite channels and shows, use the voice remote to search, and access Netflix without changing devices.

Customers agree this is Xfinity’s strong suit—Xfinity placed first for user experience in this year’s customer satisfaction survey.

AT&T U-verse

AT&T U-verse came in sixth in the user experience category.

Its on-screen guide looks dated, and while the remote puts plenty of functions right at your fingertips, it’s bulky and confusing.

But AT&T updated DIRECTV’s on-screen guide recently, so maybe U-verse is up next for a facelift.

For more information on these DVRs, read “The Definitive Review of the Xfinity® X1 from Comcast” and “Review of the AT&T U-verse Total Home DVR.”

Data as of 11/30/2018.

Overall, customers scored AT&T U-verse and Xfinity close in this year’s customer satisfaction survey.

Both placed in the top three for four different categories, but Xfinity dropped to last place in the Monthly Bill and Tech Support and Customer Service sections.

If you can, troubleshoot your problems with Xfinity’s online service before you try your luck with under-trained oversea call centers. U-verse also has an online support center, should you be interested.

Mobile Apps

We recommend you take advantage of TV providers’ apps to make waiting at the dentist’s office a tad less terrible.

U-verse’s app is well liked and good for live TV, but Xfinity’s can stream your DVR recordings thanks to Xfinity’s cloud DVR capabilities.

On-the-Go Viewing Apps

Data as of 11/30/2018.

Don’t forget to bundle with internet.

Bundling TV and internet with one company is an excellent way to save on both services.

In addition to TV, both Xfinity and AT&T are also internet providers. They have broadband internet speeds up to 1 GB or more, and offer modem/router combos so you can support all your internet-ready devices with Wi-Fi.

Is AT&T faster than Xfinity?

Actually, Xfinity offers faster speeds than AT&T. Its fastest plan is Gigabit Pro, which offers up to 2000 Mbps. AT&T Fiber’s fastest plan is Internet 1000, which offers speeds up to 1000 Mbps.

But these plans are available only in certain areas, so you’ll have to see which speeds are available where you live to know which will be the fastest internet provider for you.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Xfinity and AT&T U-verse

To recap, here are the strengths and weaknesses of Xfinity and AT&T U-verse we’ve pulled from our research and “2019’s Best TV Providers in Customer Satisfaction survey“

Our verdict

Despite Xfinity’s fancy on-screen guide and no-contract plans, we recommend AT&T U-verse as the better TV provider.

With AT&T U-verse, you can expect better customer service and get more value from your monthly bill. With its strong customer satisfaction reputation, it’s the safer bet.

Our recommended package

This affordable starter package from AT&T U-verse has excellent value. We recommend it if you want great TV but don’t want to break the bank.

Interested in other recommendations? See our “2018’s Best TV and Internet Deals” for more savings or “5 Best TV Packages for 2019” if you’re looking to go all out.