Early cholecystectomy has become the standard treatment for acute cholecystitis. However, gallbladder drainage is often performed before surgery. In the present study, we compared the clinical outcomes between patients who underwent endoscopic naso-gallbladder drainage (ENGBD) and those who underwent percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage (PTGBD). PTGBD was superior to ENGBD in terms of success rate and procedure time. However, there was no significant difference in the rate of complications, improvement effect on inflammation, the length of hospitalization, the duration from drainage to operation, and operation time. Although PTGBD has become the first choice for cases requiring gallbladder drainage, ENGBD should be considered the most appropriate therapy in cases with a contraindication for PTGBD due to antithrombotic treatment, those associated with choledocholithiasis, and those suspected of gallbladder cancer. The importance of ENGBD is expected to increase in the future.