Objective To compare the value of two‐dimensional shear wave elastography (2D‐SWE) and real‐time tissue elastography (RTE) in the assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease. Methods One hundred and ten patients with chronic liver disease scheduled for liver biopsy were studied. Both 2D‐SWE and RTE were performed on these patients in a same day. The correlation coefficient of liver fibrosis level, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of S≥2, and S=4 of 2D‐SWE and RTE were compared according to pathologic results. Results The correlation coefficient of liver fibrosis level for 2D‐SWE ( r =0 7.76, 95% CI 0 6.83 -0 8.45, P =0.000) was higher than that of RTE ( r =0 5.61, 95% CI 0 4.07-0 6.84, P =0.000)( Z =2 9.3, P =0.003). The area under ROC curve for S≥2 and S=4 of 2D‐SWE were 0 8.66 and 0 9.57 respectively, RTE were 0 7.50 and 0 8.43 respectively, which indicated that 2D‐SWE was better than RTE. Conclusions The diagnostic performance of 2D‐SWE was better than RTE for the assessment of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis.