Developing an electrocatalyst with low-cost, highly electrocatalytic activity and long-term stability has attracted much attention in the field of hydrogen generation from water splitting. In this report, three dimensional amorphous film of ternary Ni-Co-P alloy is synthesized via electroless deposition, using Ni foam (NF) as substrate, and exhibits superior catalytic performance in alkaline media for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The Ni-Co-P/NF needs a small overpotential of 107 mV and 125 mV to achieve current densities of 10 and 20 mA cm(-2), respectively. The Tafel slope is as small as 62 mV dec(-1) and the exchange current density (j(0)) is 0.195 mA cm(-2) in 1.0 M KOH (pH 14). Furthermore, the Ni-Co-P/NF can maintain long-term stability and continuous hydrogen production at least 25 h. (C) 2018 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.