In this paper, we study and compare performance and robustness of linear and nonlinear Lanchester dampers. The linear Lanchester damper consists of a small mass attached to a primary system through a linear dashpot, whereas the nonlinear Lanchester damper is linked to the primary mass through dry friction forces. In each case, we propose a semi-analytical method for computing the frequency response, for different values of the design parameters, in order to evaluate the performance and robustness of the two kinds of damper. Overall, it is shown that linear Lanchester dampers perform better than nonlinear damper both in terms of attenuation and robustness. Moreover, the nonlinear frequency response curves, that include the intrinsic non-smooth nature of the friction force, may serve as reference curve for further numerical studies.