AT&T vs Xfinity Mobile: Plans Compared

Xfinity Mobile and AT&T both have a lot to offer. The question is which carrier and cell phone plan will best meet your needs? If you're considering AT&T vs Xfinity, our phone plan comparison is sure to help. In this guide, we call out the similarities and differences between these two carriers and examine how their phone plans stack up, focusing on price, data, coverage, perks, and more.

You can also compare cell phone plans at other top carriers with our free, unbiased Plan Finder.

{{toc}}

AT&T vs Xfinity Mobile: Similarities

• With both AT&T and Xfinity Mobile, you can rely on plans that give you both 4G LTE coverage and 5G coverage. 
• AT&T and Xfinity Mobile include hotspot data with their unlimited data plans - though with caveats, more below.
• Neither AT&T nor Xfinity include taxes and fees in their plans, so be ready to add 10-12 percent to plan prices. 
• Both Xfinity and AT&T offer home Internet plans and other services you can bundle with cell phone plans.
• Neither Xfinity Mobile nor AT&T bundles perks with their plans, like streaming service subscriptions.

AT&T vs Xfinity Mobile: Differences

• Xfinity Mobile is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO). Instead of owning cell tower infrastructure, as AT&T does, Xfinity rents infrastructure from Verizon’s network.
• AT&T plans are available to everyone, but only Xfinity Internet customers can get an Xfinity Mobile phone plan at the advertised prices. Non-customers have to pay an additional fee to access Xfinity Mobile plans.
• Xfinity Mobile unlimited plans will slow down your data speeds after a certain amount of use, while AT&T's unlimited plans offer truly unlimited data at 4G/5G browsing speeds.
• Every AT&T unlimited plan comes with unlimited talk, text, and data in and between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. With Xfinity Mobile, you have to purchase an additional travel pass to be able to text, call, and use data abroad.
• AT&T offers multi-line pricing, which means that every subsequent line you add lowers your monthly cost per line. Xfinity Mobile adds new lines at a flat rate.

What Is an Unlimited Plan?

As the name implies, you get unlimited data usage with these plans. However, some kinds of unlimited data come at faster speeds than others.

Entry-level unlimited plans give you unlimited data, but it’s typically deprioritized data. Some entry-level plans give you some high-speed data, but not all do. 

Mid-level unlimited plans provide that same deprioritized data but also include an allotment of high-speed data. 

Premium unlimited plans provide unlimited high-speed data, with no restrictions on speed or amount.

What Is a Capped Plan?

By contrast, capped plans have a set limit on the amount of data you can use per month. Once you run out of that data, some plans cut you off entirely, while others put you on quite slow 2G/3G data. All capped data plans only include deprioritized data, so if you’re ever in a busy place like a sports area or a concert, you will most likely find that your capped data slows down. 

Capped data plans are most appealing to customers looking for a budget option, who don’t mind slower upload and download speeds on their mobile, and don’t need a lot of data while out and about. 

What About Hotspot Data?

It’s easy to get confused about where exactly hotspot data falls into unlimited data budgets.

In short, it depends on the carrier. Some plans offer a separate hotspot allowance. For example, AT&T might give you 50 GB of premium data per month, with an additional 10 GB of premium hotspot data. Using that 10 GB of hotspot data doesn’t impact the amount or speed of the 50 GB of normal premium data you have. Once those 10 GBs are gone, hotspot speeds will slow to a crawl until next month.

Other plans include hotspot data in your overall data allowance. Although data is theoretically unlimited, past a certain amount of use, the carrier can subject you to slowdowns. When you use hotspot data in these types of plans, it counts against your data allowance. For instance, on some unlimited data plans, you may have 30 GB of premium data before you enter the “slowdowns” zone. Of that allotment, you can use up to 5GB for hotspot usage. Once you’ve used up those 5 GB, you'll only have 25 GB of data remaining, and if you try to use your “unlimited” hotspot, you’ll find that data speeds are effectively unusable.

This isn’t a deal breaker if you don’t use hotspots very often. But if you are a frequent hotspot user, this is an area to compare closely. 

Comparing Plans

AT&T vs Xfinity Mobile Capped Plans

Both carriers provide customers with capped data plan options. Xfinity Mobile’s “By the Gig” model charges customers a set amount depending on how many gigs they purchase. On the plus side, you have the option to share your data across all the lines on your account. For example, you could buy 10GB per month, and share that across your whole family. AT&T offers both prepaid and postpaid capped plans with a set amount of data. Those plans do not permit sharing data across multiple lines. 

{{cards-1}}

AT&T vs Xfinity Mobile Entry-Level Unlimited Plans

Let’s talk about entry-level options. If you’re in the market for a cost-effective plan that still gives you unlimited data, both AT&T and Xfinity have strong contenders. These plans are best for folks who don’t use a lot of data, and when they do use data, it’s primarily for checking emails, browsing socials, and maybe watching a YouTube video or two. Mobile hotspot usage is infrequent. If that’s you, check out these plans.

{{cards-2}}

AT&T vs Xfinity Mobile Mid-Level Unlimited Plans

What if you want at least some high-speed internet when you’re out of WiFi range? If so, these mid-level unlimited plans could provide you with a possible option. These are a good compromise between the affordable prices of entry-level plans while still giving you a pretty good Mbps speed. If you consider yourself to be an average data user who switches on a WiFi hotspot no more than three times per week, plays some mobile phone games, perhaps streams some Netflix shows, and limits social scrolling to an hour per day, these plans could be a good fit for your lifestyle. 

{{cards-3}}

AT&T vs Xfinity Mobile Premium Unlimited Plans

This section is the easiest one to compare, because only AT&T has a premium cell phone plan. AT&T’s Premium Unlimited PL plan truly fits heavy data users who never want to experience slowdowns. That’s you if you often connect your phone as a hotspot,  you love watching live sports or streaming videos, you post plenty of content on social media, and you’re a big mobile gamer. In other words, if you don’t ever want to be slowed down, then AT&T’s Premium Unlimited plan below can keep up with your data needs.

{{cards-4}}

The Bottom Line

For a quick, simple comparison of not just Xfinity Mobile and AT&T, but all major carrier plans, try our Plan Finder. Just answer a few questions like whether you want to bundle in extra perks, how much premium data you need, and whether you use your hotspot. We’ll sift through thousands of plans in seconds to make it easy for you to compare cell phone plans.

Still thinking about what factors to consider? Our article on how to choose the best cell phone plan can provide some clarity.