Leaving Xfinity or Spectrum? Here's What the Alternatives Actually Cost
Cable companies lost 185,000 broadband customers last quarter as fiber and 5G home internet rivals undercut them by hundreds of dollars a year — here's the real math.
The bill, not the buzz
Comcast and Charter’s Spectrum lost a combined 185,000 broadband customers in the first quarter of 2026, according to Cord Cutters News, while Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T kept adding subscribers through fiber and 5G home internet. That’s not an industry footnote — it’s people switching because the math works out cheaper. Here’s what the leading alternatives actually charge, monthly and annualized, so you can compare against your current cable bill.
What each option costs per year
Verizon 5G Home Internet starts at $35/month with Auto Pay and an eligible Verizon mobile plan — $420 a year — with a three-year price lock and a router included at no extra charge. Step up to 5G Home Ultimate and you pay $60/month ($720/year) for faster speeds, unlimited premium data and Whole-Home Wi-Fi, backed by a five-year price lock. New Ultimate customers can also get NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube (worth up to $480) or $400 off select Samsung gear.
Verizon Fios, where fiber is available, starts at $20/month for 300 Mbps — just $240 a year — with a three-year price lock. Faster tiers come with longer guarantees: four years on 500 Mbps, five years at the top speed. Fios has no data caps and a router is included.
Frontier Fiber is running an aggressive promo: the first month of 1 Gig service is free, then $64.99/month — about $780 a year — with a five-year price guarantee, free installation and Whole-Home Wi-Fi bundled in. Qualifying 1-Gig-and-up customers can also grab NFL Sunday Ticket or the $400 Samsung credit.
Straight Talk Home Internet, which rides Verizon’s network through a simpler gateway setup, runs $45/month — $540 a year — with no separate provider relationship to manage.
Who actually saves money
If your Xfinity or Spectrum bill has crept past $70 or $80 a month for internet alone — common after promotional rates expire — every option above beats it before you even count perks. The biggest winners are people who don’t need a wired connection: Verizon’s base 5G Home plan at $420/year is roughly half what many cable-only broadband bills run, and it locks that price for three years, something cable providers rarely offer in writing. Heavy streamers and remote workers get the better long-term deal from Fios or Frontier fiber, since those price locks stretch to four and five years and speeds don’t degrade the way wireless can under network congestion.
Nobody clearly pays more here — the catch is eligibility. Verizon’s cheapest 5G Home tier requires an existing Verizon mobile plan, and Fios and Frontier fiber both depend on availability at your address.
What to do about it
Before switching, pull your current internet-only price off your last bill (not the bundled rate) and compare it against the annualized figures above. Check address eligibility for Fios or Frontier fiber first, since that’s usually the cheapest wired option when available. If fiber isn’t offered where you live, price out Verizon’s 5G Home plans against your Verizon mobile bill — the $35 rate only applies with an eligible wireless line. Whatever you pick, get the price-lock term in writing and set a calendar reminder for when it expires, since that’s the point cable and fiber providers alike start raising rates.