Introduction. Day hospitals are becoming an increasingly common method of treatment for people with mental disorders in many Croatian psychiatric hospitals, but research examining their effectiveness is still rare. Aim. The aim of this study was to compare treatment satisfaction and quality of life between patients enrolled in a day hospital program and patients hospitalized on a psychiatric ward. Methods. The study design was cross-sectional with two outcome measures: treatment satisfaction and quality of life. The study sample consisted of 120 adult patients of the Clinic for Psychiatry of the University Hospital Centre Rijeka. The first group consisted of 60 patients included in the day hospital psychosocial program, while the second group consisted of 60 patients hospitalized on the inpatient ward. Results. Day hospital patients reported a significantly higher level of overall treatment satisfaction compared to hospitalized patients (mean rank: 55 vs. 17, p=0.000) and were significantly more satisfied in four out of seven different treatment domains: the explanations about treatment (mean rank: 68 vs. 53, p=0.013), carefulness and precision of medical examination (mean rank: 72 vs. 49, p=0.000), choices about treatment (mean rank: 67 vs. 57, p=0.027) and feeling of respect (mean rank: 68 vs. 53, p=0.010). Day hospital patients also reported a significant psychopaly higher level of overall subjective quality of life (mean: 4.26 vs. 3.71, p=0.005), being more satisfied with life in general (mean rank: 68 vs. 53, p=0,018), financial situation (mean rank: 67 vs. 54, p=0.046), accommodation (mean rank: 67 vs. 54, p=0.041), personal safety (mean rank: 68 vs. 53, p=0.014), people they live with or living alone (mean rank: 71 vs. 50, p=0.001), relationship with their family (mean rank: 49 vs. 53, p=0.000) and their mental health (mean rank: 69 vs. 52, p=0.008). Conclusion. Patients treated in the day hospital differed in the observed variables from those hospitalized on the ward, reporting higher levels of treatment satisfaction and higher subjective quality of life. Future studies should focus on different segments of day hospital programs and a broader set of outcomes.