Porous materials have attracted considerable attention in materials science, chemistry and multidisciplinary areas of research due to their diverse structures, tailorable functionalities, large surface areas, remarkable optical transparency, confinement and shape selectivity effects. The precise architecture of porous photocatalytic materials has been extensively reported by the hybridization of semiconducting nanoparticles (NPs), light-responsive metal complexes and plasmonic metal NPs with silica-based micro-, meso- and macro-porous nanostructures. This review targets to cover state-of-the-art accomplishments in the surface engineering chemistry of zeolites, mesoporous silica, and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as excellent host materials for solar to chemical energy conversion and environmental remediation. The specific advantages and disadvantages of representative porous materials in photocatalysis have also been elaborated and summarized. Finally, key advances and prospects are presented to overcome the current challenges in photocatalysis and to inspire further studies in this rapidly evolving research field.