The effect of Ta alloying and the multilayer architecture of coatings based on the Ti-Al-N system on their behavior under uniaxial tension and scratch testing is investigated. It is shown that the alloying with tantalum leads to a considerable decrease in the density of transverse cracks in the coatings. At the same time, the creation of multilayer compositions consisting of alternating ceramic and metal layers contributes to an increase in the crack resistance of the protective coatings under scratch testing due to the suppression of grain growth through the entire thickness of the coating, as well as effective energy dissipation at the interfaces between the layers.