In this paper, the light intensity scintillations of plane wave and spherical wave are analyzed and compared for providing references for engineering design and performance evaluation of the optics system employed in turbulence medium. First, based on the classic weakly fluctuating turbulence theory, the analytical expression of the light intensity scintillation at aperture reception is derived. Then, based on the extended Rytov theory, the light intensity scintillation under nonweak fluctuation conditions is calculated. Finally, the light intensity scintillation of plane and spherical waves is simulated under various turbulence intensities and Fresnel numbers. The results show that when the Rytov variance is less than 4.8, an intersection point is present between the light intensity scintillation curves of the plane and spherical waves. The intensities of the plane and spherical wave scintillations under the Fresnel number corresponding to the intersection point are equal. When the Rytov variance is greater than 4.8, the light intensity scintillation of the plane wave is always less than that of the spherical wave. This research is of great significance for designing optical transceiver antennas and selecting beam wavelengths and waveforms in wireless optical communication systems.