The work aims to compare the structure, plastic toughness, bonding ability and tribological property of TiAlCN and TiAlN coatings. The coatings were deposited by multi-arc ion plating. The micromorphology, element composition and crystal phases of the coatings were studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The composition, hardness, plastic toughness, bonding ability and tribological property of the coatings were studied by nanoindentation, nanoscratch, scratch test and friction wear experiments. The results show that both surfaces are uniform and compact, with obvious columnar crystal structure. The hardness of TiAlN coating (29.4±2.2) GPa was higher than that of TiAlCN coating (22.5±1.1) GPa. The H/E, H3/E2, plastic toughness and bonding ability of the TiAlCN coating were better than TiAlN coating. The friction coefficients of TiAlN and TiAlCN coatings were 0.80 and 0.38 in atmospheric environment, respectively, and the friction coefficient of TiAlCN coating was much lower than TiAlN. The wear rate of TiAlN and TiAlCN was 1.4×10?5 mm3/(N.m) and 9.1×10?6 mm3/(N.m), respectively. The TiAlCN coating had a lower wear rate. The incorporation of carbon can significantly improve the plastic toughness and tribological property of TiAlCN coating. This was mainly due to the excellent deformation resistance of TiAlCN coating, and the lubricating effect of amorphous carbon.