The preferred Finnish anti-tank weapon was the anti-tank gun. They started the war with inadequate numbers, and light anti-tank guns; 37mm was the common "heavy" gun, with 25mm and 20mm weapons also in use (45mm anti-guns were captured during the war and used by the Finns).

Anti-tank guns were initially used largely to destroy tanks that broke through the front lines. This meant that the guns could be placed further back from the forward positions of the line, and were less likely to be over-run or destroyed (important, when you don't have enough of them). Later in the war, when the Soviets realised that tanks running around without any supporting infantry behind the Finnish front-line positions were (a) ineffective and (b) vulnerable, these opportunities dried up, and anti-tank guns moved closer to the forward positions (and became more vulnerable).

Conventional artillery was used as emergency anti-tank guns at times, and did knock out tanks in this role. However, most Soviet tanks knocked out by Finnish artillery were victims of chance hits during artillery barrages, rather than fire aimed at individual tanks.

Infantry were equipped with anti-tank rifles, but these were too few (100 0.55" Boys anti-tank rifles were supplied by Britain during the war). Production of a Finnish 20mm anti-tank rifle began during the war (and prototypes were tested in battle).

Due to insufficient numbers of anti-tank guns and anti-tank rifles. More was needed. Mines were effective (Finland bought 60,000 anti-tank mines from Britain during the war), but more portable weapons were needed. Molotov cocktails were used in large numbers. Satchel charges (basically heavy-weight anti-tank grenades) were used too. The pre-war version has a fairly puny 0.8kg charge of TNT; wartime versions included 2, 3, and 4kg versions.

Finland also used tanks. These included a small force of Vickers 6-Ton tanks, and captured tanks were used as well. The small number of tanks were mostly used as tank destroyers (self-propelled anti-tank guns); the Finns attempted one "large"-scale use, at the Battle of Honkaniemi (February 1940), but of the 13 tanks committed, 5 were lost through mechanical failure before reaching the battle, and a further 2 before the battle. The remaining 6 were lost in the battle.

Finland worked to improve its anti-tank capability, but was still inadequately equipped at the start of the Continuation War. Worse, the lighter weapons were not effective against the newer heavier Soviet armour. Near the very end of the Continuation War, Finnish anti-tank performance was improved by the shipment of large numbers of Panzerfausts and Panzershrecks from Germany, Finnish StuG III units, and German tank-destroyer units (at Tali-Ihantala, about 600 Soviet tanks are estimated to have been lost, with many falling victim to Panzerfausts).