BACKGROUND Recently alternative therapies such as the use of diode laser therapy have been introduced for recurrent herpes labial infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of diode laser for treatment of recurrent herpes labialis. METHODS This was single-blind randomized clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of diode laser for the treatment of recurrent herpes labial. In total, 60 patients whit recurrent herpes simplex labialis were selected and randomly divided in to three groups. 20 patients received treatment whit diode laser (at a wavelength of 870 nm, energy density 4.5 j/cm2), 20 patients were treated with acyclovir cream 5%, 20 patients received treatment with laser-off (placebo). The end point was lesions crusting. Data analyzed by Tukey HSD Test and One-way ANOVA (at a significance level of 0.05) in SPSS-20 software. RESULTS The mean length of recovery time (day) in the laser, off laser, and acyclovir groups was 2.20±0.41, 4.30±1.03, and 3.4±1.142, respectively. There is a significant difference between three groups in this regard (P<0.0001). The mean duration of pain (day) was 1.35±0.74, 2.65±1.27, and 2.30±0.92 for laser, off laser, and acyclovir groups, respectively (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Treatment with diode laser reduced the length of recovery time and pain severity faster than treatment with acyclovir cream. Key words:Recurrent herpes labial, Acyclovir, Low level laser therapy.