Ziply vs. Xfinity

Is Ziply or Xfinity better?

We’d recommend Ziply Fiber over Xfinity, although our endorsement has a few caveats. Fiber internet consistently outperforms cable internet providers like Xfinity, but Xfinity’s budget and midrange internet plans are cheaper than Ziply. Plus, Xfinity has better customer support options compared to Ziply.

Ziply vs. Xfinity pros and cons

✓ Great fiber internet plans
✓ No contracts or data caps
✗ Worse value on some plans compared to Xfinity

✓ Wide availability
✓ Superior customer service
✗ Dismal upload speeds

Jump to:

• Deals
• Plans and prices
• Fees and extra charges
• Specs and features

Ziply vs. Xfinity deals

Ziply occasionally offers a free month of internet service and waived installation fees for new customers, while Xfinity’s best deals have included gift cards, long-term price guarantees, and discounts. Check out our Ziply internet review and Xfinity deals guide for current deal updates.

Ziply internet vs. Xfinity head-to-head

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

Ziply and Xfinity might be opposites in size, but they have a lot in common when it comes to download speeds and pricing. How did Ziply beat out Xfinity’s nationwide internet network? Read on to find out.

Ziply Fiber vs. Xfinity internet plans and prices

Ziply plans and prices

Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. For new residential customers only. No annual contract required. Prices shown are before taxes and fees and require autopay and paperless billing. Standard month to month pricing.
*for the first 12 mos. with Autopay and paperless billing.

Like most fiber internet providers, Ziply has great fiber internet plans alongside an aging DSL plan. Ziply’s DSL internet plan is fine if your neighborhood doesn’t have other internet coverage, but it’s more than a few steps behind Xfinity’s cable internet and Ziply’s fiber internet plans.

As for Ziply Fiber’s internet plans, they cover a wide range of budgets and speed tiers. We love Ziply’s willingness to have a budget-friendly fiber internet plan with Fiber 50/50. At $20 per month for the first year, it’s one of the cheapest fiber internet plans around and shows that fiber internet isn’t simply a premium internet option.

But at the same time, Ziply’s main fiber internet plans are slightly pricier than Xfinity. For instance, Xfinity’s Connect More plan offers 200Mbps download speeds for $25 per month with a two-year price guarantee. With Ziply Fiber, you’ll have to pay $40 per month for 200Mbps download speeds, and you’ll only get a one-year price guarantee. Fiber internet typically outclasses cable internet, which makes Ziply’s price disadvantage especially striking.

Xfinity plans and prices

*For the first 12 months with a 1-year agreement. Includes $10/mo. automatic payments and paperless billing discount.
**For the first 24 months with No Term Agreement. Includes $10/mo. automatic payments and paperless billing discount.
Data effective as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Xfinity has a bundle of internet plans designed to cover every price and download speed. They’ve also jumped into the multi-gig internet space with gigabit internet plans. As with Ziply, availability varies widely by location, and with prices that can reach up to $300 a month, these high-end internet plans won’t come cheap.

We’re generally fans of Xfinity’s internet plans, but the provider’s upload speeds can’t hold up to Ziply. Every Ziply fiber internet plan has identical upload and download speeds, which is huge if your household regularly takes Zoom calls or does Google Drive backups. With Xfinity’s paltry upload speeds, you’ll regularly hit your plan’s speed ceiling if more than a few people need to upload files at the same time.

Ziply vs. Xfinity fees and extra charges

Ziply Fiber fees and extra charges

Ziply has the usual optional equipment rental upgrades for households who don’t want to buy their own Wi-Fi equipment. We don’t love Ziply’s promotional pricing setup, which draws customers in with a low price before you get hit with a $20 monthly price increase after the first year.

Ziply Fiber’s 5-gig and 10-gig plans are the only packages that don’t have a second-year price increase. Fiber internet competitors like CenturyLink and AT&T have used flat-rate pricing for ages now, so it’s a bummer that Ziply still relies on this fine-print trickery.

Xfinity fees and extra charges

Speaking of internet providers with fine-print trickery: Xfinity’s biggest fees include data cap overage charges and post-promo price increases. Unlike Xfinity, Ziply Fiber has unlimited data on all plans. But Xfinity offers longer two-year price guarantees compared to Ziply’s one-year guarantee.

Check out our Xfinity hidden fees guide for a full breakdown of the provider’s extra charges.

Ziply vs. Xfinity specs and features

Ziply vs. Xfinity customer service

Xfinity was a strong performer in our annual internet customer satisfaction survey, ranking sixth out of 20 internet service providers (ISPs). Ziply landed in the middle of our rankings at 11th place.

Availability

As a regional provider, Ziply has a modest four-state footprint across Idaho, Washington, Montana, and Oregon. With the exception of Montana, Xfinity is available across Ziply’s footprint as part of its 40-state national network.

TV, internet, and phone bundle options

Between Xfinity’s TV, phone, cell phone, home security, and internet plans, you can build an Xfinity bundle that fits your budget and needs. By comparison, Ziply only has a landline phone service that runs an additional $20 per month.

Final take

Fiber internet usually blows cable internet out of the water, but Ziply’s narrow win over Xfinity highlights each provider’s coverage gaps. If overall performance is your biggest concern, grab Ziply Fiber and don’t look back.

But in terms of value, Xfinity beats out Ziply thanks to factors like its longer two-year price guarantees, bundle options, and cheaper budget and midrange internet prices. Ziply’s great if you want the most powerful internet plan, but Xfinity may be better if you prioritize convenience over download speeds.

Ziply vs. Xfinity FAQ

Methodology

Our experts drew from our existing Ziply and Xfinity coverage, rating both ISPs on areas including internet speeds, pricing, and availability. We also used our annual customer satisfaction survey to see how real customers felt about each ISP.

For more on our process, see our How We Rank page.