Objective To assess and compare the health‐related quality of life of women undergoing robotic gynecologic surgery, laparoscopic gynecologic surgery or laparotomy for benign and cancerous conditions. Methods Cross‐sectional study design was used. The present study was carried out with 240 women, who underwent gynecologic surgery (robotic 48, laparoscopic 96, and laparotomy 96) in a tertiary care hospital. Instruments included a participant description questionnaire and Medical Outcomes Study Short Form‐36. The data were collected 4 weeks after surgery, at the first postoperative visit of women to the clinic. Pearson χ2 test, one‐way analysis of variance, and regression analysis were used to assess the data. Results Over half of the women in each group had surgery because of gynecologic cancer. All the subscale scores of Medical Outcomes Study Short Form‐36 were significantly higher in the robotic group than the other surgical groups (P < 0.05). Women in the robotic group had better quality of life in terms of both the physical component and the mental component after surgery. Conclusions Knowledge of health‐related quality of life in the recovery period after surgery is important for healthcare providers to provide adequate preventive measures, information, and follow up.