Abstract Silver coordination compounds with a number of different ligands (N-heterocyclic carbenes, phosphines, N-heterocycles and others) possess several properties, ranging from antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic to antineoplastic activity. They also promise to be agents capable of overcoming drug resistance and beating antibiotic-resistant bacteria, fungi and parasites. In spite of the large volume of research undertaken in this area and the synthesis of several new silver complexes, most of them still remain in an academic research context and few have actually been approved for medical treatment of human diseases. In this review we present an overview of this noble metal's active derivatives, properties, mode of action and potential uses with the aim of stimulating further evaluation of their potential clinical applications and therapeutic uses.