Background: nab-Paclitaxel plus gemcitabine (nab-P+G) and FOLFIRINOX (FFX) are among the most common first-line (1L) therapies for metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas (mPC), yet there is no head-to-head trial comparing their efficacy and real-world data is limited. As new second-line (2L) therapies become available, it is important to understand the real-world effectiveness associated with different treatment sequences. Methods: This retrospective cohort study compared the efficacy and safety of 1L nab-P+G vs. FFX, overall and under specific treatment sequences. Medical records were reviewed by 215 physicians across the US who provided information for mPC patients who initiated 1L with nab-P+G or FFX between 04/01/2015-12/31/2015. The outcomes of interest were overall survival (OS) and tolerability. OS was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier curves, and compared between cohorts using Cox proportional hazards model adjusting for baseline characteristics. Results: Medical records were reviewed for 654 patients receiving nab-P+G (n = 337) or FFX (n = 317) as 1L therapy for mPC. Patients in the nab-P+G cohort were older, less likely to have ECOG ≤ 1 and had more comorbidities than patients in the FFX cohort. There was no statistically significant difference in OS (adjusted HR = 0.99, p = 0.96), with median OS (mOS) being 12.1 and 13.8 months for nab-P+G and FFX, respectively. Among the subgroup of patients with ECOG ≤ 1, mOS was 14.1 and 13.7 months, respectively (adjusted HR = 1.00, p = 0.99). Among patients with 1L nab-P+G and FFX, 36.1% and 41.3% received 2L therapy and experienced mOS of 16.3 and 16.6 months, respectively (HR = 1.04, p = 0.76). Among commonly observed adverse events (AEs) (≥ 5% of patients in both cohorts), the rates of diarrhea, fatigue, mucositis, nausea and vomiting were higher in the FFX than nab-P+G cohort (all p < 0.05). Conclusions: In a nationwide sample of mPC patients, real-world survival outcomes were similar between patients receiving 1L nab-P+G or FFX. both overall and among patients who went on to receive active 2L treatments. In addition, nab-P+G was associated with significantly lower rates of common AEs compared with FFX.