The relative wear resistance of studied tungsten carbide and self-fluxing nickel alloy based thermal sprayed coatings at different wear conditions (particle erosion, abrasive impact and surface fatigue wear) were compared and the wear mechanisms were studied. At abrasion and low-angle particle erosion, microcutting is dominating and the main criterion for coatings selection is hardness. At high-angle particle erosion and abrasive wear as well as at oblique impact low-cyclic fatigue and direct fracture mechanisms are prevailing and the criteria for coatings selection are surface fatigue resistance and fracture toughness.The fatigue behavior of powder coatings was estimated and attempts to correlate particle erosion and abrasive impact wear resistance of powder coatings with experimental wear results and coatings parameters (hardness, fracture toughness, surface fatigue strength) were made. The wear maps of wear resistance at particle erosion and impact wear versus hardness and fracture toughness are proposed and areas for coating applications are defined.