Electroless nickel-phosphorus (ENP) initial deposition rates from a glycine bath were studied by means of the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) method. SEM and EDX methods were also used to study the morphology and elemental analysis of deposits. The effect of pH, temperature and the type of activation process on the initial deposition rate, surface morphology and surface elemental analysis of deposits were evaluated. Increasing the pH and the temperature cause an increase in deposition rate and a decrease in P content of deposits. The phosphorus content of obtained deposits in pre-plate method was greater than in sensitizer-activator process under the same conditions of the alloy deposition. The surface morphology depends on P content of deposits. By decreasing the P content of deposits, the grain size increases. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.