Laparoscopic surgery has become common in the treatment of gastric cancer because of improvements of both surgical techniques and devices. The aim of this study was to compare totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (TLDG) with laparoscopically assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) implemented by experienced laparoscopic surgeons. Studies and relevant literature regarding LADG versus TLDG were searched for in the PubMed and Embase databases. Operative time, volume of bleeding, number of retrieved lymph nodes, time to first flatus, duration of postoperative hospitalization, and postoperative complications in LADG and TLDG were pooled and compared by meta-analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) and weighted mean differences (WMDs) were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to evaluate the effect of TLDG. Six recent studies of 1644 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with LADG, TLDG had advantages of less bleeding (WMD -17.79, 95% CI -32.57 to -3.02, P=.02), shorter time to first flatus (WMD -0.14, 95% CI -0.23 to -0.06, P=.001), and shorter postoperative hospitalization (WMD -0.32, 95% CI -0.53 to -0.12, P=.002). Operative time, mean number of lymph nodes retrieved, and postoperative complication rate were not statistically different (P>.05). Compared with LADG, TLDG significantly reduced bleeding, time to first flatus, and postoperative hospital stay and can be considered a useful technique for patients with gastric cancer.