Objective To compare the efficacy and safety of aspirin and rivaroxaban in the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods Eight databases were searched, including Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, SinoMed, Wanfang, Chongqing VIP, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. The search period was from the establishment of databases to June 2023. All randomized controlled trials of aspirin and rivaroxaban for the prevention of VTE after TKA were collected, and meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.3 software. Results A total of 7 articles were included, with a publication period from 2014 to 2022, including a total of 714 patients, including 356 in the aspirin group and 358 in the rivaroxaban group. The meta-analysis results showed that the incidence of deep venous thrombosis in the lower limbs of the aspirin group was higher than that of the rivasarb group [relative risk (RR)=1.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.09, 2.16), P=0.01], and the incidence of bleeding complications was lower than that of the rivaroxaban group [RR=0.66, 95%CI (0.52, 0.82), P=0.0003]. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of wound complications between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion The efficacy of rivaroxaban in preventing VTE after TKA is better than that of aspirin, but there is an increased risk of bleeding complications.