Co and Ni magnetic nanowires with different diameter and deposition time were fabricated into the alumina template using ac electrodeposition. For Ni nanowires with 30 nm diameter the coercivity initially increased then dropped with deposition time, while it only increased with deposition time for all the other diameters. In general, the results showed that the coercivity reduced with diameter. The maximum coercivity was obtained for the Co nanowire made with 30 nm diameter and 30 s deposition time and further electrodeposition time causes a reduction of the coercivity. The effect of crystal and shape anisotropy on the magnetic properties were investigated and the results revealed that the crystal anisotropy has a dominant role on the coercive field of Co nanowires, while there is a competitive effect between both the anisotropies for the Ni nanowires changing the coercivity.