Purpose: The paper seeks to provide a comparative analysis of the functionality of five web-based OPACs available in Indian academic libraries. Design/methodology/approach: Same-topic searches were carried out by three researchers on the web-based OPACs of Libsys, VTLS's iPortal, NewGenLib, Troodon, and Alice for Windows, implemented in five academic libraries in India. Their functionality was compared using criteria selected from the literature on OPAC searching. Findings: The web-based OPACs investigated offered a range of facilities for searching by author, title, control number and by keywords. Federated searching across several e-collections was limited. Originality/value: This paper should be a useful source of information to librarians who are planning to introduce web-based OPACs and also for software vendors who wish to improve the functionality of their products.