Background: To compare the treatment of the proximal humerus fracture using a Polarus nail or Philos plate, we aimed to analyze the functional recovery and the factors affecting the selection between the two types of surgery. Methods: The study included 107 patients with proximal humerus fracture who underwent surgery at our institution. Of these patients, 67 underwent surgery with Polarus nails (G1) and 40 with Philos plates (G2). In G1, the cases of two-and three-part fractures were 60 and 7 cases, in G2, the cases of two-, three-, and four-part fractures were 28, 10, and 2 cases, respectively. The average age was 61 years old, and the average follow-up period was 32.5 months. We compared radiological results, the functional recovery retrospectively. Results: The radiological union time was 6.8 weeks and 8.7 weeks on average in G1 and G2 (p < 0.05). At the one-year follow-up period, these were visual analogue scale (VAS) 1.355, forward flexion (FF) 130.968, external rotation (ER) 50.161, internal rotation (IR) L2 in G1, and VAS 0.781, FF 135.806 ER 51.25, IR L1 in G2, respectively, showing no significant differences between the two groups (p > 0.05). Similar observations were made at the final follow-up. In terms of functional recovery, no significant differences were seen at the one-year or at the final follow-up period (p > 0.05). Conclusions: For the surgical treatment of proximal humeral fracture, the selection of the type of surgery is affected by the fracture pattern. However, both methods give satisfactory outcomes and do not show significant differences in the functional outcome after the surgery. (Clin Shoulder Elb 2014;17(3):120-126)