Aim Cervical cancer, the fourth most common cancer in women, is preventable. Colposcopy and colposcopic scoring systems are helpful tools to guide the treatment of precancerous lesions. This study was done to compare the association between Reid colposcopic index (RCI) and Swede score. Methods This prospective study enrolled 159 subjects aged 18 years or over with abnormal pap smears or high‐risk HPV (types 16 and/or 18). All women underwent colposcopies, and the findings were classified by RCI and Swede score. Biopsies were done in all cases. The performance of both scores was evaluated. Results A total of 43 (27.0%) high‐grade lesions were detected. AUC of ROC of both tests showed excellent performance with 0.906 for RCI and 0.902 for Swede score. The correlation coefficient was 0.986. At a cutoff of 5, RCI had a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for detected CIN2+ lesions of 83.7%, 89.7%, 75.0%, and 93.7%, respectively. At a cutoff of 7 for RCI score, the corresponding figures were 46.5%, 99.1%, 95.2%, and 83.3%. At a cutoff of 5, Swede score had a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 88.4%, 87.1%, 71.7%, and 95.3%. At a cutoff of 9 for Swede score, those values were 14.0%, 99.1%, 85.7%, and 75.7%. Conclusion There was a good association between RCI and Swede score. Both scoring systems had the good performance. Swede score is effective for practical use and applied in Thailand.