Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted a lot of attention due to their diverse structures, favorable porous properties, and tunable chemical compositions in the multiple fields. Notably, MOF-based materials (including pristine MOFs, MOF composites, and their derivatives) play the vital role in electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems, due to their ability for regulating chemical composition at the molecular level and their highly porous frameworks for facilitating the mass and charge transfer. Supercapacitors and fuel cells are used as one of energy storage and conversion systems respectively, and it is unstoppable to design and synthesize high-efficiency electrode materials for them. This review starts with the strategies for designing targeted MOF-based materials in electrochemical energy storage and conversion applications followed by the state-of-the-art MOF-based materials discussed as to their potential applications in supercapacitors and electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Finally, the challenges and perspectives of MOF-based materials applied for supercapacitors and electrocatalytic ORR are discussed.