This paper presents experimental results on fretting testing of various surface coatings, with particular reference to ion-plated films. A special test setup is described, and some peculiar testing conditions are discussed. The results indicate that ion-plated films are superior to vacuum-deposited, gas-deposited, and sputtered-surface coatings. The effectiveness in alleviating fretting of four ion-plated soft metallic films—namely, lead, indium, tin, and silver—is evaluated. Lead showed the best fretting resistance at small slip amplitudes, while tin showed a good resistance at high slip amplitudes. Ion-plated titanium carbide films were also examined. The wear-resistant hard carbides showed outstanding fretting resistance.