The brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, and the white-backed planthopper, Sogatella furcifera, are phloem feeders. Experiments were conducted to compare plant response of japonica and indica rice cultivars to N. lugens and S. furcifera feeding, and quantify the amount of feeding by these hopper species on various rice cultivars. Plant height, tiller number, leaf area and organ dry weights, and leaf photosynthetic rates and organ nitrogen contents were measured to determine plant response to hopper feeding. Hopper dry weights and honeydew weights were measured to quantify the amount of feeding by the hoppers and determine the effects of cultivar on hoppers. Reduction in plant height caused by S. furcifera feeding was greater than that of N. lugens. The effects of N. lugens feeding on roots were greater than those of S. furcifera. These results suggest a difference in the mechanism of damage caused by S. furcifera and N. lugens even though both hoppers are phloem feeders. Regardless of rice type, the reaction of different cultivars to S. furcifera and N. lugens feeding varied. Hinohikari was most susceptible to S. furcifera and N. lugens feeding, whereas Daili Zaoxian and Nipponbare were more susceptible to N. lugens and S. furcifera feeding, respectively. S. furcifera were smaller and excreted less honeydew than N. lugens, but their effects on tillers, leaf area and plant weight were similar to those of N. lugens suggesting that S. furcifera feeding effects at vegetative stage was greater than those of N. lugens. The demand for nitrogen was probably greater for S. furcifera than N. lugens, because the former contains greater nitrogen and thrives on the upper portion of the rice plant; however, this needs further investigation.