<p>Electrochemical water splitting serves as a promising approach to realize large-scale renewable energy conversion and storage for green hydrogen production. HER electrocatalysts with earth-abundant composition, low cost, high activity and superior stability determine the performance of large-scale water electrolysis. Self-supported catalysts are one of the most promising electrodes for practical hydrogen production, due to their merits of rapid charge/mass transfer, high active site density, well-regulated catalyst–substrate interface, strong adhesion and excellent HER performance. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in diverse substrates (metal foils/foams, carbonaceous materials, 3D-printed supports) for self-supported electrodes, including morphology/structure engineering, doping, interfacial regulation and crystallographic modulation, and presents conclusions and insights on scalable synthesis of high-performance self-supported electrocatalysts.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>