ABSTRACT The public network for health care of pregnant women with HIV, in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul/Brazil, includes primary and specialized care services. Objective: Evaluating whether the type of service interferes in the quality score of the health care in the experience of the pregnant women with HIV. Methods: Cross-sectional study, with data collection from April-November/2014, with 78 participants. The Primary Care Assessment Tool-Brazil instrument was applied and the Pearson's Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used. Results: The quality of care received was evaluated as unsatisfactory both in primary care (6.50) and in specialized care (6.35). Conclusion: The type of service interferes with the quality of care, which can affect women's choice of service. It is necessary to improve the quality of both types of services and to search for the management of shared care to attend both the usual care of gestation and the specificity of infection.