Objective To explore the impact of early blood pressure reduction on the prognosis of acute ischemic stroke. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Wanfang, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Chongqing VIP, with the search period from databases establishment to December 31, 2024. Randomized controlled studies on early blood pressure reduction within 7 days after the onset of acute ischemic stroke were included, and meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.4 software. Results Finally, 15 randomized controlled studies were included. The meta-analysis results showed that there was no statistically significant difference in the primary outcome (90 days disability or death) and the secondary outcomes (90 days all-cause death) between the early blood pressure reduction group and the control group (P>0.05). Compared with the control group, the early blood pressure reduction group had a higher National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score at 2 weeks [standardized mean difference=0.25, 95% confidence interval (0.07, 0.44), P=0.008]. Conclusion Early blood pressure reduction cannot reduce the risk of 90 days disability or death and 90 days all-cause death in patients with acute ischemic stroke, and may be detrimental to 2 weeks neurological function recovery.