BiFeO3(BFO) and Bi0.90Ba0.10Fe1-xSnxO3(x = 0, 0.01 and x = 0.03) compounds were synthesized by conventional solid-state route. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns demonstrated that the compounds crystalized in rhombohedral structure with R3c (IUCr No. 161) space group. The XRD patterns and Fourier transformation infrared spectra evidenced that the crystal structure was distorted due to the substitutions. The magnetic properties of the compounds were greatly influenced by the substitution of Ba and Sn elements at their respective sites. The appearance of weak ferromagnetism with significant remnant magnetization and improved coercive field compared to that of BFO could be ascribed to suppression of spiral modulated spin structure. Higher breakdown voltages were observed in the substituted compounds from the polarization measurements. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.