Background: Motivation in the health professions has the power to impact on how health services are delivered. Motivated health professionals are essential for providing high-quality care and improving performance of health facilities. Objective: This study aimed to assess the motivation status and contributing factors among health professionals working in public & private hospitals in Bahir Dar city, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods: Facility based comparative cross-sectional study was employed among 458 participants from November3 to December 4/2021.Study participants were selected through simple random sampling technique after allocating proportional sample size to each hospital based on their health professional staff size. Motivation status was measured using mean of 14 items Likert scale questions. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 23. Descriptive statistics were computed to describe study variables and presented using tables and graphs. Bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factors associated with work motivation and control confounding effect, respectively. The strength of association was described using odds ratio with 95% CI and P< 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The overall work motivation status of health professionals was 56.3% with response rate of 97%. There was significant difference between private (62.3%) and public hospitals (50.4%) motivation status. Health professionals in private hospitals were 1.52 times more likely motivated than in public hospitals and had good interpersonal relation were 1.61 times increased the motivation status than their counterparts . Health professionals who were satisfied 1.49 times motivated than who were not satisfied and working in favorable work environment were 1.56times more likely motivated than their counterparts(AOR=1.56, 95%CI=1.06, 2.30). Conclusion and recommendation: Health professionals’ motivation status was higher in private than public hospitals and overall work motivation status was moderate. Variables such as job satisfaction, working environment, interpersonal relationship and hospital ownership clearly were found to be independent predictors of level of motivation. Responsible bodies should take an intervention targeting on the associated factors to improve work motivation of health professionals so as to improve the healthcare services of the hospitals. Key words: motivation, public and private hospitals, health professionals and Bahir Dar City.