Abstract Using dc on-axis magnetron sputtering and pulsed laser deposition, we have grown thin films of La 0.67 Sr 0.33 MnO 3 (LSMO) on (001) MgO substrates exhibiting a sizeable increase of the metal–insulator transition temperature. In spite of large lattice misfit (8%) between the LSMO film and the substrate structural analyses reveal an epitaxial growth of the films with different crystal structures depending on the used deposition technique s . This work provides structural and electrical characterizations of the LSMO films suitable for further practical applications operating at room temperature.