Zeolite is one of the widely used solid catalysts in the chemical industry, but its microporous structure also brings some limitations to the practical applications. The hierarchical zeolites have exhibited excellent catalytic performance in different catalytic reactions, especially for those containing large molecules, which is because they combine the excellent catalytic performance of micropores and the excellent mass transfer ability of mesoporous or microporous systems. Therefore, the preparation of hierarchical zeolites has become a current research hot issue. Compared to other preparation methods, the soft template method can better control the mesoporous structure and pore size of the prepared hierarchical zeolites. In this review, the effects of different soft templates on the structure and catalytic performance of hierarchical zeolites are systematically described based on zeolite type. The challenges of preparation of hierarchical zeolites via soft template method at present are put forward, and their development directions are proposed.