Aerogels have many unique properties, such as low bulk density, high porosity, high specific surface area, low refractive index and low dielectric constant, etc. Therefore, aerogels have many promising applications in many fields such as aerospace, industry, environmental protection, building energy saving, energy storage and conversion, etc. In this paper, the representative studies and research progress of aerogel fabrication, development and applications with respect to silicabased aerogels and organic aerogels are provided. Silicabased aerogels include hightemperature aerogels, hydrophobic aerogels and costeffective aerogels, while organic aerogels can be classified as polymerbased organic aerogel and biomassbased organic aerogels. The research advances on aerogelbased thermal insulations and adsorbents are summarized. The prospects of aerogel application development are also reviewed in this paper.