A series of Zn 2? and W 6? doped tin oxide (SnO 2 ) thin films with various dopant concentrations were prepared by spray pyrolysis deposition, and were characterized by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, contact angle, absorbance, current density-voltage (J-V) and photocurrent measurements. The results showed that W 6? doping can prevent the growth of nanosized SnO 2 crystallites. When Zn 2? ions were used, the crystallite sizes were proved to be similar with the undoped sample due to the similar ionic radius between Zn 2? and Sn 4? . Regardless of the dopant ions' type or concentration, the surface energy has a predominant dispersive component. By using Zn 2? dopant ions it is possible to decrease the band gap value (3.35 eV) and to increase the electrical conductivity. Photocatalytic experiments with methylene blue demonstrated that with zinc doped SnO 2 films photodegradation efficiencies close to 30% can be reached.