Inorganic and hybrid planar waveguides with different compositions (silica-titania, methacrylate-silica-cerium oxide, zirconia-cerium oxide and silica-zirconia) have been obtained by sol-gel synthesis followed by dip-coating. Soda-lime glass slides and conventional commercial window glass were used as substrates. The thickness and refractive index of the coatings were determined by profilometry and Spectroscopic Ellipsometry. Waveguide efficiency was measured at ca. 70.8% with a He-Ne laser beam, coupled with an optical microscope objective into and out of the waveguiding layer via a double prism configuration. Thicknesses between 150 and 2000 rim along with refractive index values ranging between 1.45 and similar to 1.99 (lambda=633 nm) were obtained depending on the sol composition and the dip-coating conditions. This wide range of values allows designing multilayered guides that can be used in a variety of applications. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.