In order to effectively guide the selection of scaffold in designing the cantilever scaffold, comprehensive analyses of three typical scaffold supporting systems (including fully cantilever, bottom-supporting cantilever and pull-up cantilever) are carried out. The calculation formulas of the internal force for the three scaffold supporting systems are proposed based on the theoretical analysis, which are effectively verified by the finite element method (FEM). In addition, the force mechanism and benefits of the three scaffold supporting systems are compared and analyzed combined with actual engineering. The results indicate that there is high calculating accuracy for the proposed internal force and deflection calculation formulas about the scaffold supporting systems. According to the distribution uniformity of the internal force and controlling of the deformation of the main girder, the bottom-supporting cantilever system is undoubtedly the best choice. While the pull-up cantilever supporting system is the best choice when considering the aspects of cost, construction period and social benefits, which ought to be popularized in engineering practice.