In this study, the homotopy analysis method (HAM) is used to investigate non-linear vibration behaviour of Euler-Bernoulli beams subjected to axial loads. Analytical expressions for geometrically non-linear vibration of beams are provided. The effect of vibration amplitude on the non-linear frequency and buckling load is discussed. Comparison between HAM results and those available in literature demonstrates the accuracy of this method. This study shows that a first-order approximation of the HAM leads to highly accurate solutions which are valid for a wide range of vibration amplitudes. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.