Objective To compare between low-temperature plasma radiofrequency surgery and high-frequency electrosurgical resection in the treatment of early tongue cancer. Methods Forty-eight patients with early tongue cancer treated from January 2010 to January 2015 were selected as study subjects and divided into a control group （n=24） and an observation group （n=24） by a double-blind method. The control group was treated by high-frequency electrosurgical resection, and the observation group was treated by low-temperature plasma radiofrequency surgery. The intraoperative blood loss amount, the degree of pain at different time points after operation ［Visual Analogue Scale （VAS）］, the rate of wound bleeding 6 months after operation, and the recurrence rate 5 months after operation were compared between the two groups. Results The intraoperative blood loss amount of the observation group was significantly less than that of the control group （P<0.05）; the VAS scores of the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group 1, 3, and 5 d after surgery （P<0.05）; the differences in postoperative wound bleeding rate and recurrence rate between the two groups were not significant （P>0.05）. Conclusion Low-temperature plasma radiofrequency surgery for early tongue cancer patients can reduce intraoperative blood loss amount and relieve postoperative pain.