This work presents a comparison between two adaptive filters applied to harmonic and reactive power detection in power electronics conditioners. The objective is to demonstrate their ability of tracking the signal variations without the use of synchronization techniques, with fast dynamic response and low computational burden. The algorithms are simulated and implemented in DSP TMS320F2812 for power electronics appliances. Important aspects concerning the computational efficiency, convergence speed, steady-state error are analyzed, in order to present the advantages of adaptive filters over the synchronous reference frame and algorithms dependents on PLL techniques.