OBJECTIVE: Intraoperative and postoperative data collected from patients with low rectal cancer who had undergone robotic and laparoscopic intersphincteric resection (ISR) procedures were retrospectively analyzed to evaluate factors linked to anastomotic leakage and postoperative recovery of urinary function, bowel control, and long-term prognosis. METHOD: This single-center study enrolled patients with low rectal cancer who had undergone robotic ISR (n = 150) or laparoscopic ISR (n = 150) from January 2016 to July 2019. RESULT: The respective mean tumor distances from the anal margin in the robotic and laparoscopic ISR groups were 3.94 ± 0.48 cm and 5.66 ± 0.47 cm, while the mean times to postoperative catheter removal in these respective groups were 4.9 ± 1.4 days and 5.3 ± 1.6 days (P = 0.007). Binary logistic regression analyses indicated that a higher BMI (≥ 25 kg/m CONCLUSION: These results highlight the promise of robotic ISR as an approach to managing cases of low and ultra-low rectal tumors, providing a safe and feasible alternative to conventional laparoscopic ISR treatment.