Purpose This paper aims to study the various developments taking place in the field of gas sensors made from polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposites, which leads to the development of high-performance electrical and gas sensing materials operating at room temperature. Design/methodology/approach PANI/ferrite nanocomposites exhibit good electrical properties with lower dielectric losses. There are numerous reports on PANI and ferrite nanomaterial-based gas sensors which have good sensing response, feasible to operate at room temperature, requires less power and cost-effective. Findings This paper provides an overview of electrical and gas sensing properties of PANI/ferrite nanocomposites having improved selectivity, long-term stability and other sensing performance of sensors at room temperature. Originality/value The main purpose of this review paper is to focus on PANI/ferrite nanocomposite-based gas sensors operating at room temperature.