In this paper we present the comparison of numerical methods applied for solving the inverse heat conduction problem in which two algorithms of swarm intelligence are used: Artificial Bee Colony algorithm (ABC) and Ant Colony Optimization algorithm (ACO). Both algorithms belong to the group of algorithms inspired by the behavior of swarms of insects and they are applied for minimizing the proper functional representing the crucial part of the method used for solving the inverse heat conduction problems. Methods applying the respective algorithms are compared with regard to their velocity and precision of the received results.