We study analytically and numerically the interaction potentials between a pair of quark and antiquark on D3, M2, and M5 branes. These potentials are obtained using Maldacena’s method involving Wilson loops and present confining and nonconfining behaviours in different situations that we explore in this work. In particular, at the near horizon geometry, the potentials are nonconfining in agreement with conformal field theory expectations. On the other side, far from horizon, the dual field theories are no longer conformal and the potentials present confinement. This is in agreement with the behaviour of strings in flat space where the string mimics the expected flux tube of QCD. A study of the transition between the confining/nonconfining regimes in the three different scenarios (D3, M2, and M5) is also performed.