Background/aim: The optimal empiric antibiotic regimen for patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical cure rate, mortality, and length of stay among patients hospitalized with communityacquired pneumonia in nonintensive care unit (ICU) wards and treated with a ß-lactam, ß-lactam and macrolide combination, or a fluoroquinolone. Materials and methods: This prospective cohort study was performed using standardized web-based database sheets from January 2009 to September 2013 in nine tertiary care hospitals in Turkey. Results: Six hundred and twenty-one consecutive patients were enrolled. A pathogen was identified in 78 (12.6%) patients. The most frequently isolated bacteria were S. pneumoniae (21.8%) and P. aeruginosa (19.2%). The clinical cure rate and length of stay were not different among patients treated with ß-lactam, ß-lactam and macrolide combination, and fluoroquinolone. Forty-seven patients (9.2%) died during the hospitalization period. There was no difference in survival among the three treatment groups. Conclusion: In patients admitted to non-ICU hospital wards for CAP, there was no difference in clinical outcomes between ß-lactam, ß-lactam and macrolide combination, and fluoroquinolone regimens.