To verify which phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5is) strategy is better for erectile dysfunction (ED) following nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy (NSRP). This systematic literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, Web of Science and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials database to identify eligible studies from the startup of these databases to 1 November, 2019. The ED recovery rate was the main outcome. Traditional pair-wise meta-analysis and multivariate random-effects network meta-analysis (NMA) were performed to explore direct and indirect comparisons, respectively. The surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) probabilities was used to evaluate the efficacy of treatments. A total of 14 randomized controlled trials with four kinds of PDE5is were included. Further pooled evidence suggested that PDE5is followed by NSRP had a benefit for penile rehabilitation compared to placebo using traditional pair-wise meta-analyses. Our NMA showed that Avanafil 200 mg on demand might be most likely to be the best treatment option according to the first rank of SUCRA both in NMA (SUCRA 83.5) and sensitivity analysis (SUCRA 90.2). Avanafil 200 mg on demand has the highest probability of being the best intervention among PDE5is in treating ED following NSRP. However, more randomized controlled trials are needed to validate this in consideration of the published data regarding Avanafil is relatively small scale. Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.