This study has been carried out to optimise the silver (Ag) content of the coating synthesised on commercially pure titanium (Cp–Ti, Grade 4) for biomedical applications by micro-arc oxidation (MAO) process. The MAO process has been conducted in electrolytes containing silver acetate (AgC₂H₃O₂) at different concentrations between 0 and 0·002 mol L⁻¹. When compared to the base electrolyte, coatings synthesised in ≥0·001 mol L⁻¹ AgC₂H₃O₂ added electrolytes exhibited an antibacterial efficiency of 99·98% against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Detailed examination revealed that the presence of 0·001 mol L⁻¹ AgC₂H₃O₂ in the electrolyte resulted in incorporation of 1·14 wt-% Ag into fabricated coating consisting mainly of outer hydroxyapatite (HA) and inner titanium oxide (TiO₂) layers. In comparison to the Ag-free coating, 1·14 wt-% Ag in the coating lowered the proliferation of SAOS-2 cells, which still tended to grow at a relatively low rate with increasing culturing time.