Two novel 2‐(1,2,4‐triazol‐1‐yl)‐4‐pyridyl acid complexes with Cu(ClO4)2 ⋅ 6H2O and Co(NO3)2 ⋅ 6H2O were synthesised and their biological activities were systematically studied in vitro. The interaction between the complex and DNA was determined by UV spectroscopy, yielding binding constants of 6.63×103 and 6.09×103, respectively. The DNA binding abilities of the complexes were also investigated using fluorescence spectroscopy, showing quenching values of 0.13 and 0.08, respectively. Agarose gel electrophoresis showed that both the copper and cobalt complexes could effectively cleave DNA. In addition, flow cytometry, cell morphology detection, and MTT assays showed that the synthesised complex induced apoptosis The experimental results show that the copper complexes have promising medicinal value as potential anticancer drugs.