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Introduction The rising number of gastrointestinal (GI) tumors makes it essential to develop more effective treatment methods. Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has become a popular intervention due to its ability to resect the tumor completely and prevent local recurrence. This study evaluates the safety and efficacy of ESD with rubber bands and clips (ESD-RBC) in the treatment of various GI tumors.Methods We systematically searched Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, Medline/PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases from inception until April 20, 2024. Eligible studies included clinical trials and observational studies focusing on ESD-RBC alone or compared to conventional ESD (C-ESD) in patients with gastrointestinal tumors. The risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) tool for observational studies and ROB-2 tool for randomized clinical trials (RCTs). Statistical analyses were performed using RevMan for the pairwise comparison and R software for the single-arm meta-analysis.Results Our meta-analysis included 10 studies and 1508 patients. ESD-RBC was superior to C-ESD in achieving R0 resection and en bloc resection (OR: 1.99 with 95% CI [1.17 to 3.36], P = 0.01, I2 = 0%) and (OR: 5.98 with 95% CI [2.30 to 15.55]; P = 0.0002,I2 = 0%), respectively. ESD-RBC enhanced the resection speed compared to C-ESD (MD: 8.48 mm2/min with 95% CI[3.12 to 13.83]; P < 0.00001, I2 = 89%) and shortened the procedure duration (MD: − 11.94 min with 95% CI [− 21.98 to− 1.91]; P < 0.00001, I2 = 7%). There was no statistically significant difference between both groups in terms of bleeding and delayed bleeding (OR: 1.08 with 95% CI [0.37 to 3.14]; P = 0.89, I2 = 0%) and (OR: 0.69 with 95% CI [0.20 to 2.33];P = 0.55, I2 = 0%), respectively. The proportion of R0 resection using ESD-RBC was 90%, with 95% CI [65% to 98%] and I2 = 78%. The en bloc resection rate was 96%, with 95% CI [95% to 97%], and I2 = 0%. In addition, the raw mean (MRAW) of resection speed was 24.25 mm2/min, with 95% CI [13.48 to 35.02], and I2 = 99.4%. After evaluating the included studies using NOS, six were found to be of ‘good quality,’ and three were found to be of ‘fair quality.’ The included RCT was of high quality.Conclusion ESD-RBC has shown superiority over the C-ESD by increasing resection speed, achieving higher rates of en bloc resection and R0 resection, and reducing the procedure duration. Both approaches yielded comparable outcomes in terms of bleeding and delayed bleeding. Larger multi-center studies with long-term data on lesion recurrence are needed to allow detailed comparisons of the various techniques. RCTs are needed to provide conclusive evidence on the best ESD techniques.