With the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy, a number of drugs have been developed. The best choice concerning which antiretroviral analogs to start is always under discussion, especially in the choice between non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors-based therapies and ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitors. Both are proven to control viral replication and lead to immunological gain. The choice between a non-nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor and a protease inhibitor as a third antiretroviral drug in the therapy should consider factors related to the individual, as well as the inclusion of the best therapy in the patient's daily activities and potential adherence. The protease inhibitor-based therapies showed similar efficacy among the various inhibitors with characteristics concerning the adverse events from each medicine. For the treatment of protease-resistant patients, darunavir and tipranavir showed good efficacy with higher genetic barrier to resistance.