OTF Exclusive JioFiber vs. Airtel Fiber internet speed test and overall experience comparsion in high-speed plans

[Bapun]

Hi everyone,

As some of you know, I have both Airtel Xstream Fiber and JioFiber connections currently so I thought to make a speed test, latency and downloading comparsion thread for our readers.

Notes:
1. Both connections are optical fiber internet connections (wireline fiber)
2. Both connections speed tests are done on the same device, connected using wifi to 5 GHz band and device was placed nearby the router for accuracy reasons
3. The tests were performed on the stock wifi ONTs provided by the respective ISPs. I didn't used my own routers because that enhances the performance to an extent which would be unfair for a comparsion
4. The speed, latency and download results are slightly better for both ISPs when connected using ethernet on a computer system but due to the JioFiber ONT distance, it can not be connected via ethernet hence used wifi connectivity for both ISPs

Let's dive into the detailed comparison now.

Plan details​

Airtel Xstream Fiber is having a 200 Mbps speed plan
JioFiber is having a 300 Mbps speed plan

​

Speed comparison​

JioFiber mostly giving little extra speeds compared to the plan speed. Airtel Fiber is giving exactly as per the plan speed or sometimes a little less. Overall, both provides are providing the promised speeds, so no complaints on either of them.

Latency comparsion​

This is where Airtel Fiber wins and most importantly the whole internet experience in Airtel Fiber is better compared to JioFiber maybe because of this.

Ookla Speed test app shows green indicator marks for Airtel Fiber's speed test internet experience and Orange/yellow indicator marks for JioFiber's speed test internet experience. (Screenshots shared below)

Loaded latency​

The loaded latency for download speed on JioFiber connection remains in 3 digits mostly (as per Ookla Speedtest app) which is considered as bad for optical fiber connections.
For upload speeds, the loaded latency by both the providers are fine.

Unloaded latency​

JioFiber is currently providing better unloaded latency compared to Airtel Fiber in my connection. However, I have seen good unloaded latency on Airtel Fiber connections on other user connections.

Downloading comparison​

Airtel Fiber speed goes up initially (as per the plan) and then goes little downwards and then it remains constant throughout the downloading process.

JioFiber speed remains constant across the whole download.

Gaming comparison​

I don't do gaming but based on the speed test results, I am confident that Airtel Fiber would perform better in comparsion to JioFiber during gaming.

Ookla Speed test results​

Airtel Xstream Fiber​

JioFiber​

Netflix Fast.com results​

Airtel Xstream Fiber​

JioFiber​

Conclusion​

Since I have high-tier plans for both the ISPs, having slightly less or the same speed as per the plan speed doesn't make much difference. But having a good browsing experience, especially while watching video content is my requirement.

With Airtel Fiber the overall browsing experience is superior compared to JioFiber for now. However, considering JioFiber has overall better infrastructure compared to Airtel Fiber, I am hopeful that they would optimize their network in the coming times. This is a must to do work for Jio to remain relevant in the wireline ISP sector.

I hope this comparison helps the users reading our forums in deciding which ISP is be good for their needs.

 

[Zuke]

Can you also test Upload speed on GDrive, and different servers (not related to ISP) on both Airtel and Jio?

In my case, I get 150-170Mbps upload speed on 300Mbps plan to every server, except Jio Raipur/Bhopal. If I remember correctly, you were also having this issue with your JioFiber.

I wonder how it is with Airtel.

 

[Rushil]

Nice review and comparison, @Bapun Bro. I had a similar experience when I did a comparison earlier. A lot of people said there’s no difference and that Airtel and Jio offer similar browsing experiences, but that’s not true at all. I was honestly shocked when I used Airtel for the first time and realized what a good internet experience actually feels like.

Even though my first few months with Airtel were horrible due to frequent downtimes, I still wasn’t ready to leave because of the superior browsing experience. What’s the point of having high-speed internet if you can’t even do the basics properly? Same goes for Jio 5G. I get 500+ Mbps speeds, but browsing, attending live meetings, and overall usability are just too poor.