Xfinity Gigabit is the second-fastest internet-only plan available from Xfinity in most of their coverage area. At a price of $99 per month after promotions, it’s also one of the most expensive.
Right off the top, let’s address the upload speed. The upload speed of Xfinity Gigabit is only 100 Mbps.
This means that the upload speed of Xfinity Gigabit is only 10% of the download speed.
If you’re buying this plan for the upload speed, you’ll likely get better mileage by purchasing the “xFi Complete” Wi-Fi package with a cheaper plan. As of 2024, they upgrade the upload speed to 100 Mbps for all xFi Complete customers. This costs an extra $25/month, but it includes unlimited data — which you’re going to want anyway with a gigabit-speed plan.
Despite the limited upload speed, Gigabit will run you around $1,416 per year once the new-customer discounts expires — assuming you want the xFi complete package for unlimited data. (There’s little point to this plan with a data cap, and I’m surprised it’s even the default in 2023.)
| Plan Name | Download | Upload | Promo Price* | Final Price | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity Gigabit | 1000 Mbps | 100 Mbps | $65 per month | $99 per month | View Plan |
| Xfinity Superfast | 800 Mbps | 20 Mbps | $60 per month | $89 per month | View Plan |
Compare this with the $792 annual cost of service + WiFi equipment with the entry-level Xfinity 75 Mbps plan, and it starts getting hard to justify.
There are a few situations where it’s worth it, but most customers will get a similar experience from one of the mid-range plans like Superfast.
Summary of Recommendations
- Xfinity Gigabit is mainly worth considering if you work from home because it's the cheapest Xfinity plan with upload bandwidth above 20 Mbps. This is useful for running a large smarthome with cloud-connected cameras, moving large files such as video files, and broadcasting video streams. The gigabit download speed is useful for home entertainment use, but only if you have multiple 4K screens in your house and a large floorplan with 4+ bedrooms.
- The Xfinity Gigabit Extra offers higher speeds, but for the extra cash, most people won't notice the difference between 1,000 and 1,200 Mbps download speed; and the upload speeds are the same with these plans. My opinion is that the Gigabit Extra and X2 plans mainly exist so Xfinity can claim speeds above 1,000 Mbps when compared to their competitors in marketing materials.
Xfinity plan comparison table
Here’s a breakdown on speed and pricing for all current Xfinity plans, starting with Gigabit Extra and walking back towards the slower basic service options:
| Plan Name | Down/Up | Promo/Final Price | Avg price over 2 years | Price increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gigabit X2 | 2000/200 Mbps | $120/$120 | $120/mo. | +0% |
| Gigabit Extra | 1200/100 Mbps | $70/$109 | $90/mo. | +56% |
| Gigabit | 1000/100 Mbps | $65/$99 | $82/mo. | +52% |
| Superfast | 800/20 Mbps | $60/$89 | $75/mo. | +48% |
| Fast | 400/10 Mbps | $50/$79 | $65/mo. | +58% |
| Connect More | 200/20 Mbps | $30/$69 | $50/mo. | +130% |
| Connect | 75/5 Mbps | $19.99/$57 | $38/mo. | +185% |
As you can see, Xfinity’s main strength is reasonable pricing on the mid-low-end plans. Once you get into the “pro” plans, the pricing gets high considering they charge an extra $25 per month if you want unlimited data. Xfinity caps most plans at 1.2 TB.
Xfinity Gigabit Contract Requirements
Xfinity Gigabit requires a one-year contract in order to get the lower $65 per month promo price. If you don't want to sign a year contract, you can get month-to-month service with no contract, but it voids the new customer promotion, meaning you'll pay $99 per month starting on day one, rather than after the first year of service. Breaking the contract incurs a fee, which is $110 if you cancel in the second month and decreases by $10 each month over the first year. During the first month, you are allowed to cancel with no fee if you have an issue or don't like the service.
Xfinity Gigabit promotional rate
Here’s how those rates of Xfinity Gigabit compare with the fastest plan option, Gigabit X2.
Note that these are internet-only service rates and do not include the WiFi equipment fee, or any additional data fees.
Discount for automated billing
Xfinity Gigabit pricing goes up by $10 if you opt out of automated paperless billing. Paperless billing is the default when you sign up.
Xfinity Gigabit WiFi and Equipment Fees
Like all Xfinity cable internet plans, Gigabit gives you three options when it comes to WiFi:
- Lease the router (xFi Gateway)
- Lease the router + unlimited data and mesh WiFi extender pod (xFi Complete)
- Bring your own (free, but voids some of your tech support options)
| WiFi option | Monthly fee | Hardware | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| xFi Gateway | $14 | xFi Gateway (modem/router combo device) | WiFi |
| xFi Complete | $25 | xFi Gateway, xFi Pod, unlimited data | WiFi |
| Own Router option | No charge | Bring your own modem and router | Voids tech support |
Xfinity pushes the xFi devices because it ties you into their larger “cinematic universe” of xFi TV, smart home, and security products. They’ll even offer WiFi-connected security cameras during checkout! It’s an interesting strategy, and worth considering if you are a smart home fan.
Gigabit internet: overhyped?
Gigabit internet is really only useful for homes that do an abnormally high amount of concurrent streaming. If you have more than two 4K TV screens and you’re watching content on them using a Roku or similar streaming device, there’s a case to be made for Gigabit. However, given you only need 15 Mbps or so of bandwidth to support each stream, it’s overkill unless you’re sharing the connection with dozens of smart home devices, laptops, phones, and a few kids or roommates who do lots of screentime.
As discussed above, the main benefit of Xfinity’s gigabit plan specifically really isn’t the gigabit downloads; it’s the 100 Mbps upload rate, which is 5X the next-fastest plan.
The second-fastest 600 Mbps plan only saves you $5–10 per month, and right away they reduce the upload speed to 20 Mbps.
In terms of download, most homes don’t use more than 100–200 Mbps max at any given time. A cloud-connected camera only needs 2 Mbps or so for uploads, another couple for a video call here and there, etc.
Summary: Xfinity Gigabit is too expensive for the average user
To summarize, Xfinity Gigabit is good if you have a large household and home office setup, but will be a minor performance increase for the average home. If you have fewer than four people using the internet and you don’t have a special upload-intensive use case like streaming Twitch or running a YouTube channel in mind, I’d recomend you opt for a lower plan and only upgrade if you run into regular bandwith issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Xfinity Gigabit internet make a difference for gaming?
Xfinity's gigabit internet plan won't make a noticeable difference in terms of download, since most games require no more than 10 Mbps even when streamed from a platform like Stadia. However, the 100 Mbps upload speed of Xfinity Gigabit is twenty times their base plan, and can make a difference for gaming if you have multiple users sharing the upstream bandwidth in your home.
What is the upload speed of the Xfinity Gigabit plan?
Xfinity Gigabit offers a 100 Mbps upload speed. While this sounds low for a gig plan, it's actually more than twice as fast as their mid-tier plans.
Does the Xfinity Gigabit plan have a data cap?
Xfinity Gigabit has a 1.2 TB data cap. However, you can get unlimited data if you subscribe to their $25 per month xFi Gateway Complete package, which includes unlimited data and a mesh networking kit. The xFi Complete package is discounted to $0 for the first 24 months of service for new customers in 2024.
