Choosing a high-speed internet provider can feel complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. Chances are, there are just a handful of internet service providers (ISPs) available in your area. If you’ve narrowed the field down to Xfinity (Comcast) vs CenturyLink, you may be wondering which is a better fit for you. This detailed comparison will break down pricing, features, availability, customer service, and more, to help you make an informed decision.
Check out our roundup of Best Internet Providers
Xfinity vs CenturyLink: At a glance
| Xfinity | CenturyLink | |
| Service Type | Cable & Fiber | DSL & Fiber |
| Speeds | 25 Mbps–2 Gbps | 15 Mbps–940 Mbps |
| Cost | $20-$299.95/mo | $49-$65/mo |
| Contract | Up to 2 years (no-contract available for an additional fee) | None |
| Equipment Fees | Up to $14/mo | Up to $15/mo |
| Installation Fee | $89.99 | Up to $125 |
| Availability | 40+ states | 36+ states |
| Data Cap | 1.2 TB | 1 TB |
Xfinity offers the fastest speeds and the most widespread availability. Particularly in areas with Xfinity Fiber plans, the internet speeds are unbeatable. On the other hand, Xfinity requires lengthy contracts in order to get the best pricing, and in areas without fiber plans, speeds are more comparable to competitors like CenturyLink.
See the full review of Xfinity here.
CenturyLink offers solid speeds, albeit not quite as impressive as Xfinity’s. One of the most appreciated features from CenturyLink is that they offer no contract plans. They even have a “Price for Life” feature, allowing customers to lock in a specific price for the life of their plan. With that said, pricing is typically higher than Xfinity, at least on basic plans.
See the full review of CenturyLink here.
CenturyLink vs Xfinity: Plans & pricing
When it comes to specific plans and their pricing structure, CenturyLink is far simpler, but Xfinity (from Comcast) offers more options. CenturyLink has just 2-3 plans, depending on your area, compared to more than 10 from Xfinity.
CenturyLink plans & pricing
Note: Plan availability and pricing may vary depending on your area. Check CenturyLink’s website for the most up-to-date pricing and availability.
| Package | Service Type | Cost | Speed |
| Price for Life 100 Mbps | DSL | $49/mo – no contract | Up to 100 Mbps |
| Price for Life 15 Mbps | DSL | $49/mo – no contract | Up to 15 Mbps |
| CenturyLink Fiber | Fiber | $65/mo – no contract | Up to 940 Mbps |
As you can see, the pricing for the 15 Mbps and 100 Mbps are identical. The speeds you receive will vary depending on your location, but unfortunately, pricing is no cheaper for the slower speeds. For this reason, CenturyLink is a much better value in communities with access to the 100 Mbps plan, or better yet, CenturyLink Fiber Internet.
One huge selling point is this: CenturyLink offers “Price for Life” plans. This means the listed price of $49 per month is what you will pay (plus taxes & fees), for the life of the plan. Many competitors offer low prices for the first 12 months but proceed to drastically increase pricing after the first year. If transparent, predictable pricing is what you’re after, CenturyLink internet is a great option.
Xfinity plans & pricing
Note: Plan availability and pricing may vary depending on your area. Check Xfinity’s website for the most up-to-date pricing and availability.
| Package | Service Type | Cost | Speed |
| Performance Starter | Cable | $20-$49.95/mo* | Up to 25 Mbps |
| Performance Select | Cable | $34.99/mo* | Up to 100 Mbps |
| Performance | Cable | $40-$77.95/mo* | 60-100 Mbps |
| Performance Pro | Cable | $39.99/mo* | Up to 200 Mbps |
| Performance Pro Plus | Cable | $49.99/mo* | Up to 200 Mbps |
| Blast! | Cable | $50-$59.99/mo* | 200-300 Mbps |
| Extreme | Cable | $60/mo* | Up to 300 Mbps |
| Extreme Pro | Cable | $69.99/mo* | Up to 600 Mbps |
| Extreme Pro Plus | Cable | $74.99/mo* | Up to 600 Mbps |
| Gigabit | Cable | $79.99-$84.99/mo* | Up to 1,000 Mbps |
| Gigabit Pro | Fiber | $299.95/mo* | Up to 2,000 Mbps |
*12-month contract required. Lower pricing applies to the first 12-months only. Offers may vary by location. Additional fees may apply.
Xfinity offers a huge selection of plans, with initial 12-month pricing stretching from $20 to $300 per month. Suffice it to say, there’s an Xfinity internet plan for any need and budget. And if speed is what you’re after, Xfinity delivers Blazing-fast speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps for cable service and up to 2,000 Mbps for fiber internet.
Of course, keep in mind that available speeds and packages vary by location. The list above covers all Xfinity plans, but typically most areas will not have access to all of these plans.
Pricing for Xfinity internet plans seems more competitive than CenturyLink’s pricing structure. However, Xfinity only offers the best advertised pricing for the first 12-months. New customers will get the best pricing, and it’s difficult to keep a similar price once you’ve been subscribed to Xfinity for a while. The best prices require a 12-month contract, enrollment in AutoPay, and paperless billing. Without these commitments (and after the initial 12-month pricing period), costs are significantly higher.
Keep in mind that both services offer bundling options with other services (cable TV, phone services, etc.) If you’d like to explore TV bundles, both Xfinity and CenturyLink are TV providers. Both offer traditional TV channels, as well as bundled streaming services, for additional costs.
Xfinity vs CenturyLink: Features & performance
When choosing the best internet service providers, one of the first things you should think about is what kind of features, speeds, and performance requirements you might need. When it comes to “performance”, most people really mean two things: Speed, and reliability.
Internet speed
When it comes to available speeds, Xfinity shines. A wide variety of cable plans are available, with speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps. In select areas, fiber internet is also available, with up to 2,000 Mbps speeds. And even in areas with more limited coverage, Xfinity still tends to be competitive with CenturyLink’s speeds. Keep in mind that listed speeds refer to download speeds. Upload speeds are separate and are usually not advertised directly.
What speeds do you need?
Before comparing the performance of two different companies or plans, it’s wise to think about factors that will influence the speeds you need, such as:
- The size of your home
- The number of internet-connected devices typically in use
- The internet activities you engage in (streaming, gaming, web browsing)
- The reliability you need (working from home, engaging in distance learning)
- Whether you’re using primarily Wi-Fi or wired connections
For many households, speeds of around 40 Mbps are recommended. This allows for adequate bandwidth for streaming, internet browsing, and more, so long as there are only a few internet users at a time. For larger households, competitive gamers, or those who work from home, faster speeds are recommended.
Reliability
Reliability can be difficult to measure, as many factors influence it. Your geographical location, the type of service available in your area, and even the internet equipment you use, all have an effect on reliability. With that said, Xfinity earned higher marks for reliability factors in a broadband usage report put together by the FCC. Xfinity scored higher for categories like overall uptime, outages, packet loss during peak use periods, and others.
Internet service type
Another factor to consider is the type of internet that each provider offers and the pros and cons of these services. Although each type can theoretically deliver reliable, fast internet, there are certainly some notable differences.
- Fiber – The fastest and most reliable internet available, fiber-optic plans from Xfinity can deliver speeds of up to 2,000 Mbps, while CenturyLink fiber offers speeds of up to 940 Mbps. Unfortunately, fiber has very limited availability. It’s most commonly found in bigger cities, and the suburbs surrounding them. Also, fiber internet plan costs will be much higher than cable or DSL. Both Xfinity and CenturyLink offer fiber plans, but again, availability is very limited.
- Cable – A standard delivery method for high-speed internet, cable plans max out at around 1,000 Mbps (although the vast majority of plans have much slower speeds). Cable is considered to be a reliable internet delivery method, although speeds can slow during peak use times. Xfinity is a cable internet service provider.
- DSL – DSL uses telephone infrastructure, rather than cable infrastructure, to deliver high-speed internet. It’s generally considered less reliable, as it relies on older telephone infrastructure, which can be less effective over long distances. CenturyLink is a DSL internet service provider.
Data caps
Data caps limit the amount of data your household can use in a given month, before getting charged extra, or having your speeds limited. Generally speaking, most households don’t need to worry about data caps. However, if you download or upload a lot of large files, video clips, etc. then you may wish to pay closer attention to the data caps.
Xfinity – 1.2 TB per month. Applies to all plans, excluding Gigabit Pro. If you exceed the 1.2 TB data cap in a given month, the additional charge is $10 for each additional 50 GB of data, up to 500 GB. Some plans offer an upgrade to unlimited data for around $30 per month.
CenturyLink – 1 TB per month. Applies to all plans, excluding CenturyLink Fiber Internet. CenturyLink does not charge extra for data exceeding this amount, however, the customer will receive a warning notifying them of the data use. If excessive use continues, CenturyLink may slow speeds, or discontinue the plan.
Equipment
To use high-speed internet and Wi-Fi from either provider, you’ll need a modem and router. These can be purchased or rented directly from Xfinity and CenturyLink. In general, Xfinity has slicker, more modern equipment. The new xFi gateway is particularly attractive, offering easy setup, great speeds, and compatibility with Xfinity Home.
- Equipment Rentals – Modem rental fees are around $14 per month from Xfinity and $15 per month from CenturyLink. Both offer modem & router combos for both wired and wireless internet connection.
- Equipment Purchases – Modems can be purchased directly from CenturyLink for around $200. Xfinity does not currently sell equipment directly, but it can be rented. Users can also purchase compatible equipment from third-party retailers – just make sure that it will be compatible with your internet service provider.
Availability
Neither Xfinity nor CenturyLink is available everywhere. In the United States, the coverage zones of these two providers are somewhat similar. Xfinity has a presence in 40+ states, while CenturyLink has availability in 36+ states.
With that said, CenturyLink has much wider availability in many states, most notably in the Midwest and the South. CenturyLink tends to be more widely available in rural areas, while Xfinity focuses more on cities and suburbs.
Before comparing providers, it’s recommended to use the built-in availability tools on each provider’s website, in order to verify that service is available in your area.
Xfinity vs CenturyLink: Customer service & ratings
Internet service providers (ISPs) often don’t have the best reputations. Customers frequently complain about service issues, increasing pricing, and poor customer support. These trends are almost universal when it comes to ISPs. Of course, it’s important to take these with a grain of salt – especially considering that customers usually only leave reviews when there is something wrong.
With that said, how do Xfinity and CenturyLink compare when it comes to customer satisfaction and reviews?
Taking data from a variety of online review sources, we noted that these two companies have fairly similar ratings – around 3 out of 5 stars.
CenturyLink customers mentioned many issues with poor speeds, particularly in rural areas.
Xfinity customers complained less about speeds and more about poor customer service.
Xfinity vs CenturyLink: Pros & cons
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| CenturyLink |
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