Display omitted •WS2/SnS2 composite thin films were study for photo response.•Composite thin films deposited via low cost CBD Method.•Composite WS2/SnS2 thin films shows detectivity ∼ 1013 in Jones. The composite WS2/SnS2 thin films deposited by CBD have been studied for variations in deposition time and sulfur concentration. XRD results show a polycrystalline hexagonal phase with crystallite size varying from ∼ 3.56 nm to ∼ 16.35 nm in composite thin films. The optical absorption spectra of S-2 show maximum absorption peaks in 380 nm to 800 nm. The band gap was calculated to be ∼ 1.52 eV to ∼ 2.5 eV. We measured the current–voltage characteristics across the junction to determine the transport properties. A photodetector application involving the WS2/SnS2 composite structure shows a maximum specific detectivity of 6.2 x 1013 Jones. The reason for varying the electrical parameters discussed in this work.