Objective: To evaluate the safety of a tubeless minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mPCNL) by comparing the clinical outcomes between common mPCNL and tubeless PCNL for renal stones. Methods: From June 2013 to June 2014, a total of 172 patients with renal stones who underwent mPCNL (group 1, 132 cases) or tubeless mPCNL (group 2, 40 cases) were retrospectively evaluated by group. The decision to perform a tubeless mPCNL was made at the end of the procedures depending on the surgeon's preference and according to the following inclusion criteria: 1)no serious bleeding or perforation in the collecting system during the procedure; 2)patients with no more than one access; and 3)no residual stone burden needing a second-stage nephroscopy. Staghorn stones and anatomic anomalies were not considered as exclusion criteria for tubeless mPCNL. Patient and stone characteristics, intraoperative and postoperative parameters were compared between the two groups. Results: There were no significant differences in the patient demographics between groups. Mean stone burden was (522.2±340.1) mm2 in group 1 vs. (499.3±325.6) mm2 in group 2 (P=0.405). Length of hospital stay (7.72±3.58 vs. 5.10± 2.88 days, P<0.001), postoperative pain scores using a visual analog scale (day 0: P<0.001; day 1: P=0.002) for group 1 vs. group 2 showed significant differences. The analgesic demand rate was not significant difference between groups. Conclusion: Treating renal stones with tubeless mPCNL has advantages over common mPCNL, including less pain and shorter hospital stay.