Acidification is crucial to oil and gas development, which effectively improves reservoir development by reacting acid with some minerals in the rock. There are a large number of minerals that react with acid in carbonate and shale reservoirs. Acidification has a good effect in these two reservoirs, so it is necessary to conduct multi-scale research on the acidification process. This work briefly introduces the evolution characteristics and factors affecting acidification on reservoir pore structure and physical properties, and also analyzes their similarities and differences. Meanwhile, the application status of the acidification method is also discussed. Finally, the challenges and opportunities faced by shale acidification are discussed, aiming to provide new insights into the development of acidizing technology.