Google Fi vs. Xfinity Mobile: The bundle isn’t worth it

• No bundle needed

  Google Fi

  Google Fi’s plans offer plenty of data for most people with two unlimited plans and a pay-as-you-go Flexible Plan. Google Fi also offers some of the strongest international roaming features of any carrier.

  Pros

  • Strong T-Mobile coverage in the U.S.
  • Excellent international roaming options
  • Free smartwatch connection

  Cons

  • No truly unlimited data
  • Flexible plan gets expensive fast
  • Taxes and fees are extra

• 

  Xfinity for home and mobile

  Xfinity Mobile

  If you’re an Xfinity customer already, you can get mobile service from Xfinity too with two unlimited plans and a By-the-Gig plan. With Verizon coverage, this could be a good pick with the right bundle discount.

  Pros

  • Solid bundles available with home internet
  • Fast Verizon data and coverage
  • Tons of Xfinity WiFi access points

  Cons

  • Fairly expensive base plans
  • Taxes and fees are extra
  • Only available to Xfinity Internet customers

Xfinity Mobile has been adding a lot of customers thanks to deals for its existing customers, and bundles for new customers. It’s only for Xfinity customers and can be appealing thanks to its lower prices compared to most postpaid options, while also helping people simplify their billing. When so many people use their phones as their main internet and communications device, it makes sense to get home internet and mobile internet from the same company.

On the other hand, keeping your phone and home internet plans separate can give you more flexibility to get a plan that’s a better fit for your needs. And, if you find the right plan, there’s a good chance you can save compared to Xfinity Mobile. Google Fi is a fairly unique option with strong international roaming options, easy data sharing with a mobile hotspot on all plans, a free data-only SIM on some plans, and free service for your Android smartwatch.

Mobile carrier features

Google Fi is an easy carrier to recommend to a lot of people because it nails most of the basics while keeping its prices relatively low. Google Fi uses the T-Mobile network for the majority of its coverage, with US Mobile also used for some coverage.

As T-Mobile has acquired US Mobile, coverage is largely the same as what a T-Mobile customer would get. That also means a wide range of phones will work with Google Fi, and get all of Fi’s features, like end-to-end calling encryption between Androids and network switching. Fi also comes with a VPN, so you can confidently use public Wi-Fi.

Fi’s pricier plans support international roaming in 200+ destinations, so if you head overseas a lot, Google Fi could be the perfect carrier. Roaming in Mexico and Canada is included with all of Fi’s plans at least. If you want to use your Fi plan internationally, you’ll need either the Flexible Plan or Unlimited Plus.

As for data, each plan gets a set amount of high-speed data before being slowed to 2G speeds. On the cheaper Simply Unlimited plan, you get 35GB of data, while Unlimited Plus gets 50GB. Hotspot data is also included with all plans, with Flexible and Unlimited Plus sharing their on-device data. These two plans can also order a free data-only SIM to use in something like a tablet. Beyond that, all plans get free connectivity for their smartwatches.

Xfinity Mobile is, unsurprisingly, built with bundles in mind. As such, it’s only available for those who already have an Xfinity Internet plan. Xfinity Mobile uses the Verizon network for the majority of its coverage but also has a significant number of Wi-Fi hotspots while you’re out and about.

These Wi-Fi hotspots are built into the gateways supplied to internet customers, both residential and business. That means you can stay connected without using any of your mobile data at home, at a friend’s house (presuming they have Xfinity), or in town at a business that uses Xfinity. The best part is that your phone can connect to these hotspots automatically.

Xfinity Mobile has two unlimited plans and a pay-as-you-go plan for lighter users. None of these plans are of tremendous value on their own, but if you get a good deal on it with a bundle or bring the whole family with you, Xfinity Mobile can make a lot more sense. It’s also worth keeping in mind that one of the main reasons companies are offering both home and mobile internet is that it makes it harder for customers to switch, improving loyalty.

Xfinity Mobile customers also get hotspot data on all plans and a reasonable amount of high-speed data on its unlimited plans. If you use all of your high-speed data, your speeds are reduced to 1.5Mbps down, which is slow, but fast enough for basic usage until you get back to Wi-Fi or reach the end of the billing period.

Compared to Google Fi’s punishing 2G speeds for going over your data, Xfinity Mobile looks downright generous. However, it bears repeating that none of the unlimited plans from either of these carriers comes with unlimited high-speed data.

Mobile coverage and reception

Google Fi uses T-Mobile for most of its coverage, with US Mobile filling in a few gaps. For the most part, you can expect the same level of coverage as a T-Mobile plan. Support for 5G, including mid-band speeds, is included, so you can expect strong performance wherever T-Mobile has a strong signal.

Google Fiber also has partnered with some public Wi-Fi providers to improve coverage in some dense areas. If your phone supports network switching, your phone will automatically connect to the best network available.

Xfinity Mobile has a bit more going on with its nationwide coverage provided by Verizon with supplemental coverage provided by the company’s own Xfinity WiFi hotspots. So long as you’re at home or near a home with Xfinity home internet service, your phone should automatically connect to Xfinity WiFi hotspots, improving performance and saving data.

Many businesses also have their own Xfinity WiFi hotspots. Xfinity has plans to offer 5G coverage of its own in the future, but for now, you’ll either be on Verizon or Xfinity WiFi.

Phone compatibility

While most unlocked phones will work on Google Fi since it uses T-Mobile’s network, you might want to pick something that’s been approved for the network. Phones that work on Google Fi are either labeled as Compatible with Fi or Designed for Fi.

For the former, you get basic Fi features like VPN, call encryption, and international data, but it lacks network switching, so it will only really use T-Mobile. Similarly, iPhones are only compatible with Fi and will need to be manually configured periodically. Google Fi provides instructions for this, but it’s still an extra step that makes it hard to recommend Fi for iPhone users.

If you’re bringing your phone to Google Fi, you can check Fi’s compatible tool to see how well it will work. Keep in mind that your phone needs to be unlocked to bring it with you. If you were paying another carrier for it, you’ll need to pay it off before taking it to another carrier.

Xfinity Mobile, with its Verizon network, should support a wide range of phones, but using its compatibility tool, some models aren’t as compatible as one might expect. It’s worth double-checking even if you think your phone should work fine.

If you’re ready for a new phone, both of these carriers sell new phones with a solid selection of new models available. As you might expect, Google Fi sticks with Androids, but you can grab a fairly modern model from Google, Samsung, or Motorola. Both of these carriers support many of the best Android phones, like the Galaxy S24 or Pixel 9.

Google Fi allows you to pay over 24 months and may even offer some trade-in discounts depending on the phone. Xfinity Mobile sells a very similar range of phones with the addition of iPhone models, and also offers 24-month payment plans.

Plans

Whether you’re looking for a pay-as-you-go plan for a light user or want an unlimited plan with plenty of high-speed data, you can find a plan with either Google Fi or Xfinity Mobile. Both carriers offer multi-line discounts, so it’s worth bringing the family along if you want the best prices. It’s also worth keeping in mind that taxes and fees are extra on both of these carriers, so you’ll be paying a bit more on your bill than the plan cost shows.

Google Fi’s plans

Google Fi’s Flexible Plan is its cheapest, but if you use a lot of data, that cost can spiral out of control. This plan costs $20 per month for unlimited talk and text with data coming in at $10 per gigabyte. A feature called Bill Protection makes data free after 6GB with data being slowed at 15GB of usage.

For lighter users, this plan is a solid option, but if you need more than a gig or two, the value isn’t great. At least this plan gets most of Fi’s international features, including international roaming.

Moving up, Simply Unlimited drops many of the international features to offer a cheap domestic plan with up to 35GB of high-speed data. This plan also gets 5GB of hotspot data, plus usage in Mexico and Canada. Smartwatch connectivity is also included. Simply Unlimited comes in at $50 per month for a single line, but if you bring four lines, that comes down to just $25 per line.

Unlimited Plus is Google Fi’s top plan, starting with 50GB of high-speed data, Fi’s suite of international features, and shared hotspot data. You can also get a data-only SIM for your other devices. A 100GB Google One plan is included, as well as six months of YouTube Premium. If you’re looking for all of Fi’s best features, they’re included with Unlimited Plus. This plan comes in at $65 for a single line, but comes down to $40 per line with four lines.

Xfinity Mobile’s plans

Xfinity Mobile also has three plans, starting with its By the Gig option. This plan starts at $20 for 1GB of data and unlimited talk and text. This plan looks a lot like Fi’s Flexible Plan, except data is twice as expensive, and Fi’s data is already expensive compared to something like MobileX. If you’re a very light user who uses less than 1GB of data in a month, this plan could make sense. Otherwise, a number of other carriers offer cheaper light plans.

One of Xfinity Mobile’s best values, however, is its standard Unlimited Plan. This plan costs $40 for the first line, but additional lines are just $20 per month, making it a solid value for families. This plan gets 30GB of high-speed data per line, which should be plenty for most users.

If you use up all of your data, your plan is slowed to 1.5Mbps until the end of the month. Hotspot data is unlimited at 3G speeds, so you can check your messages or even browse the web on another device, but streaming will suffer. Also included with this plan is unlimited talk, text, and slow data in Mexico and Canada.

Unlimited Plus takes the high-speed data up to 50GB and comes with 15GB of high-speed hotspot data followed by unlimited 3G speed hotspot data. Video streaming is faster than the base unlimited plan with an upgrade from 480p to 720p. Like the other plans, unlimited talk, text, and data is included in Mexico and Canada plus 5GB of high-speed data. This plan comes in at $50 for the first line and $30 per line after that.

Which should you get?

For most people, Google Fi’s plans make more sense than Xfinity Mobile’s. While the two carriers are fairly similar when it comes to their base unlimited plan pricing, with four lines coming in at $100 before taxes and fees.

With that in mind, Google Fi comes out ahead thanks to it coming with a bit more data, and the fact that you don’t need to be an Xfinity customer to use it. That means if another home internet option or a better wireless option presents itself, you can move to it without too much friction.

While both carriers also offer a pay-as-you-go plan, Fi’s plan comes out ahead with cheaper data than Xfinity Mobile and better international features. While Fi’s T-Mobile coverage would have been a concern a few years ago, the network today is among the best and even delivers the fastest 5G speeds on average.

Google Fi

Google Fi’s plans make a lot of sense for international travelers and domestic users alike with competitive plans for families and excellent support for Android phones, including free Android smartwatch connectivity.

While Google Fi comes out on top when it comes to the base plan prices, Xfinity Mobile customers often get offers for bundles that can bring the price down quite a bit. If you can get a good deal, you’ve still got strong Verizon LTE and 5G coverage with access to Xfinity’s wealth of hotspot coverage. With low prices for additional lines, Xfinity Mobile could still be a good deal for the right family.

Xfinity Mobile

For Xfinity customers, Xfinity Mobile could look like a great deal, but it still falls short of standalone carriers in some areas. Still, with the right bundle, it could be a good value with strong Verizon-based coverage and multi-line discounts.