As a new type of light-weight porous metal materials, the porous metal fiber materials have the advantages of structural materials and functional materials. They have good thermal conductivity, high-temperature resistance, high porosity, large specific surface area and controllable pore structure, and have attracted more and more attentions and have been widely applied in daily life and production practice. In this article, the traditional and new preparation methods of metal fiber porous materials are reviewed, the development status of the two methods at home and abroad is reviewed. The advantages and disadvantages of the two methods are also analyzed and discussed. The current research status of metal fiber porous materials in the fields of filtration separation, sound absorption and noise reduction, biomedicine, high-efficiency heat transfer and damping is introduced. Finally, the existing problems and prospects for future development trends are summarized.