Background <p>Healthcare systems worldwide operate through diverse models of service delivery, with public and private sectors playing distinct yet often complementary roles in ensuring access to care. This study aimed to identify differences in public perceptions of public and private health services in Poland, as well as to identify factors associated with the perception of health services provided within public or private health care systems.</p> Methods <p>This nationwide cross-sectional survey was carried out in August, 2025 on a sample of 1,162 adults in Poland. Data were collected with Computer Assisted Web Interviews (CAWI) approach.</p> Results <p>Most of the respondents indicated waiting times for appointments and treatment (82.9%), courtesy and kindness of staff (60.1%), as well as appointment booking and cancellation process (58.5%) as better performing within the private sector of health services. Competence and knowledge of medical personnel were rated equally well (50.5%) in both types of health services. In none of the 8 analyzed characteristics of health services, public services were rated better than private ones. In multivariable logistic regression, perception of public and private health services varied mostly (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05) by gender, age, occupational status, household financial situation and the history of use of health services in the last 12 months.</p> Conclusions <p>Our findings support the need to strengthen the public system by adopting selected organizational solutions commonly attributed to private services, including improved appointment scheduling, better communication, and more patient-centered administrative processes.</p> Clinical trial number <p>Not applicable.</p>