Compare XFINITY vs. CenturyLink

Is XFINITY or CenturyLink better for you?

At Allconnect®, we’ve done the research on XFINITY and CenturyLink, so you can easily compare and choose the best internet and TV services for your home. Depending on how you use the internet and what TV entertainment you prefer, you may find that either XFINITY by Comcast or CenturyLink better fits your unique needs. As ranked by Reviews.com as of 4/19/2018, 5/8/2018 and 8/7/18.

• Best internet price-lock guarantee: CenturyLink lets you keep the same monthly internet service rate as long as you have CenturyLink service without ever signing a contract.
• Best for fastest internet speed: XFINITY offers internet speeds up to 2,000 Mbps in select areas.
• Best for cheap TV bundle deals: XFINITY internet and TV bundles start at $39.99/mo.* with a one-year term agreement for internet speeds up to 60 Mbps, one premium channel included for 12 months and 10+ channels.
• Best for flexible TV contract options: XFINITY offers no contract options as well as one-year term agreements.

*Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. As of 9/17/18.

XFINITY vs. CenturyLink quick comparison

• Available in 39 states
• Triple play bundles starting at $79.99/mo.*
• Speeds from 15 Mbps to 2,000 Mbps
• Channel counts from 10+ to 260+
• DVR up to 6 shows at once
• No contract, 1-year contract & 2-year contract plans available
• 1 TV box included

• Available in 35 states
• Triple play bundles starting at $120/mo.*
• Speeds from 3 Mbps to 1,000 Mbps
• Channel counts from 155+ to 255+
• DVR up to 2 shows at once with standard DVR, up to 6 shows with Enhanced DVR
• No contract internet or home phone, 2-year contract plans with DIRECTV

*Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. As of 9/17/18.

Check out a full comparison of CenturyLink and XFINITY bundles, TV and internet plans to find the best services for your home.

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XFINITY vs. CenturyLink packages

XFINITY offers cable internet, TV and digital phone while CenturyLink offers high-speed DSL internet, home phone and fiber internet services. If you’re looking for TV service with CenturyLink, CenturyLink partners with DIRECTV to offer satellite TV bundles.

XFINITY gives customers more ability to mix and match internet speed options with TV channel plans than CenturyLink does. However, CenturyLink internet gives customers the opportunity to get a fixed internet rate for life and to choose from one of five DIRECTV channel packages.

*Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. As of 9/17/18.

XFINITY offers customers savings for bundling services while CenturyLink does not. Since most XFINITY standalone plans already start at lower prices than comparable CenturyLink plans, additional bundle savings are the cherry on top with XFINITY’s Triple Play deal.

What shoppers should consider in different regions

XFINITY pricing and package options vary across the country. For instance, different internet speeds are available for XFINITY bundles in different regions. When you combine varying speed availability with regional pricing differences, potential “bundle savings” can fluctuate across the U.S. In contrast, CenturyLink offers more consistent pricing and package options. Internet speed availability changes by area with plans sometimes starting at 3 Mbps, but CenturyLink price tiers of $45, $55 and $65 per month* for internet plans stay pretty consistent. The exception is CenturyLink fiber internet service, which has slightly higher starting prices.

*Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. As of 9/17/18.

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XFINITY vs. CenturyLink availability

XFINITY offers internet, TV and home phone services in select areas of 39 states. CenturyLink offers internet, TV and home phone services in certain regions of 35 states.

Regions where the two providers overlap include central Colorado, parts of New Mexico, the Northwest Pacific coast, central Virginia and additional areas.

States where service availability differs significantly include Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and others. For instance, in Missouri, XFINITY offers internet in parts of Kansas City while CenturyLink offers internet throughout rural Missouri.

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XFINITY vs. CenturyLink internet

Compare speed options based on lowest starting price

Providers	Starting price	Starting speeds	Fastest speeds	Data caps	Wi-Fi hotspots
	$29.99/mo.*	15 Mbps	2,000 Mbps	1 TB	More than 18 million nationwide with XFINITY mobile
	$45/mo.*	3 Mbps to 20 Mbps	940 Mbps	1 TB with DSL	Not available

*Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. As of 9/17/18.

XFINITY offers similar starting internet speeds to CenturyLink internet in certain localities, but often costs less. XFINITY also offers plans that reach faster top speeds. While XFINITY offers lower starting internet prices, CenturyLink offers better value pricing for gig internet. Where CenturyLink Fiber is available, customers can get speeds up to 940 Mbps for $85/mo.* compared to XFINITY internet speeds up to 1,000 Mbps for $110/mo.* Another major difference between the two internet providers is CenturyLink’s lack of Wi-Fi hotspots.

*Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. As of 9/17/18.

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XFINITY vs. CenturyLink cheap internet plans

The cheapest internet plan in your area will likely be an XFINITY internet plan, but the best value plan can vary by location and what internet speed you want.

Overall, XFINITY offers a higher variety of internet speeds and tends to have lower pricing for comparable speeds. However, if you’re interested in gig speeds, CenturyLink offers a better deal with fiber internet speeds up to 1,000 Mbps for $85/mo.*

*Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. As of 9/17/18.

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XFINITY vs. CenturyLink fastest internet plans

XFINITY currently offers the fastest internet speeds available in residential markets—the Gigabit Pro Internet plan has speeds up to 2,000 Mbps. However, XFINITY’S price for speeds up to 2,000 Mbps costs nearly $300/mo.* XFINITY also offers internet plans with speeds up to 1,000 Mbps for prices as low as $110/mo.* where available.

Is CenturyLink internet fast?

While XFINITY offers the fastest residential internet available, CenturyLink has internet plans with speeds up to 940 Mbps. Using a fiber internet connection, CenturyLink offers gig speed internet in select U.S. cities, including Denver, CO, Portland, OR, Seattle, WA, and other major metro areas.

*Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. As of 9/17/18.

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XFINITY vs. CenturyLink TV

As you compare XFINITY TV packages to CenturyLink TV options provided by their partner, DIRECTV, consider the following plan features and costs:

Comparing these factors can help you find the best TV provider and plan for you.  

XFINITY vs. CenturyLink/DIRECTV TV costs

XFINITY TV plans start at a lower monthly price than DIRECTV. XFINITY Digital Economy offers 100+ channels for $19.99/mo.* with a one-year term agreement. As channel counts rise, though, DIRECTV plans become better value. For instance, XFINITY Digital Starter includes 140+ channels for $49.99/mo.* while DIRECTV CHOICE costs just $45/mo.* and includes 185+ channels. Plus, CenturyLink offers exclusive savings on certain DIRECTV packages with higher channel counts, so you can save on your monthly rate when you choose DIRECTV XTRA or DIRECTV ULTIMATE.

*Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. As of 9/17/18.

XFINITY vs. CenturyLink/DIRECTV TV channel packages

XFINITY and CenturyLink via DIRECTV both offer 5 channel packages. XFINITY’s highest channel count is more than 260 channels while DIRECTV’s highest count is more than 250. DIRECTV has a number of exclusive channels that could make it the right fit for you depending on your favorite watching habits. DIRECTV exclusively offers the following:

• NFL SUNDAY TICKET with select plans
• MBC Drama HD, a 24-hour Korean HD channel
• DOGTVTM for pet entertainment
• AUDIENCE^Ⓡ for original series and exclusive concerts

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XFINITY vs. CenturyLink customer satisfaction

In 2018, the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) ranked XFINITY customer service team two points ahead of CenturyLink in its internet service providers rankings. XFINITY received a 60 out of 100 and CenturyLink received a 58 out of 100.

ACSI ratings 2017 & 2018

	2017	2018
	60	60
	59	58

XFINITY has a 1.7 star rating on ConsumerAffairs while CenturyLink has a 1.2 star rating.

Last updated 9/17/18.

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