We compared the effect of nitrogen plasma immersion ion implantation and dielectric barrier discharge surface treatment on the wettability of two engineering polymers: PTFE and PA6. We found that NPIII is capable to make the surface either hydrophilic or superhydrophobic depending on the operating parameters (fluence and voltage). DBD plasma treatment effectively decreased the water contact angle of both types of polymer. However, while the lowest value of water contact angle was reached within a few seconds for PA6, it took more than 5 minutes for PTFE.