Objective To analyze and compare the success rate of establishment and arthritis progression of collagen-induced (CIA) and antigen-induced (AIA) C57BL/6 mouse models of rheumatoid arthritis. Methods Forty-two C57BL/6 mice were divided into CIA and AIA groups. Three rats served as the normal group and 18 rats were used in each model group. After the last modeling, body weight and diameters of the knee joint and ankle of mice were monitored regularly. Results Under the C57BL/6 background, the success rate of establishment of CIA model was 41%, and the arthritis was maintained longer but less severe than that of AIA-induced models. The success rate of AIA modeling was 100%, and the arthritis was more severe but maintained for a shorter time. Conclusions To study RA pathogenesis more comprehensively, it may be more suitable to establish a CIA model in transgenic mice.