The complexes bis(6,6′-dibromo-2,2′-bipyridine-N,N′)copper(I) perchlorate, [Cu(C₁₀H₆Br₂N₂)₂]ClO₄, and bis­(6,6′-dibromo-2,2′-bipyridine-N,N′)silver(I) tetrafluoroborate, [Ag(C₁₀H₆Br₂N₂)₂]BF₄, both contain four-coordinate pseudo-tetrahedral metal centres, in which the two bidentate chelating ligands are nearly mutually perpendicular: the average dihedral angle between the two MN₂ planes is 87.9° for M = Cu but only 75° for M = Ag, which reflects the lesser inter­ligand steric interactions in the silver(I) complex, arising from the greater metal-ligand bond distances. For both complexes, the crystal packing is dominated by intermolecular BrBr interactions.