Two nectarine cultivars (‘Flavela’ and ‘Flanoba’) were treated with Aloe vera gel alone, or with the addition of thymol, and then inoculated with Rhizopus stolonifer, Botrytis cinerea and Penicillium digitatum. Both treatments were effective in reducing the decay incidence caused by the 3 fungi species, although the addition of thymol did not generally improve the efficacy of Aloe vera gel on reducing the infection damage. The coatings were clearly effective in reducing the postharvest ripening process of both nectarine cultivars manifested by a delay in ethylene production and respiration rate, weight loss and softening. Interestingly, these coatings showed effectiveness on reducing decay development in inoculated fruits and thus Aloe vera could be considered as natural antifungal compound and might serve as alternative of synthetic fungicides. ► Aloe vera reduces the fungal growth of Rhizopus stlonifer, Botrytis cinerea and Penicillium digitatum. ► Aloe vera plus thymol does not improve the efficacy of Aloe vera gel alone. ► Aloe vera as a treatment maintains fruits quality and reduces ripening by a delay in ethylene and respiration rate. ► Aloe vera could be considered as a natural antifungal product.