Objective To compare the clinical effects of uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), single utility port VATS and 3-portal VATS lobectomy for patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer. Methods Patients were divided into uniportal VATS lobectomy group(n=38), single utility port VATS lobectomy group(n=42) and 3-portal VATS lobectomy group (n=45). The surgical results and complication rates were observed. Results All patients completed the operation successfully, no one was changed to open operation. Operation time in uniportal VATS lobectomy group were longer than single utility port VATS lobectomy group and 3-portal VATS lobectomy group(P＜0. 05). There were no significant differences in intraoperative blood loss, number of lymph node dissection, the amount and time of postoperative extubation, and the incidence of postoperative complications(P＞0. 05). Post-operative pain score were higher in 3-portal VATS lobectomy group than in uniportal VATS lobectomy group and single utility port VATS lobectomy group (P＜0. 05). Conclusion Uniportal VATS lobectomy and single utility port VATS lobectomy can replace the 3-portal VATS lobectomy in treatment of early NSCLC, because of the faster postoperative recovery and curative effect. Uniportal VATS lobectomy requires special equipment and more operation skills, as there is no breakthrough in the equipment, single utility port VATS lobectomy may still be used as the first choice for treatment of early NSCLC.