Cyclopentadithiophene (CPDT) derivatives, as a class of fluorene-like molecular building blocks that have a wide range of applications in the design of organic optoelectronic materials due to their easily molecular tailoring, electron-rich, low band gap, high electrical conductivity and good charge transport properties in the field of plastic electronics. At the same time, cyclopentadithiophene is easy to carry out structural modification, which can introduce various functional groups conveniently and quickly, and can expand a variety of derivatives. Cyclopentadithiophene can be divided into six structural isomers based on the position of the S atom on thiophene. Among these structural isomers, there are many reports on 4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-b']dithiophene derivatives. In this article, we review mainly the synthesis and properties of 4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-b']dithiophene derivatives and applications in organic solar cells (OSCs), organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). The research progress in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and other fields is also comprehensively summarized. The perspectives of the gridochemistry of CPDT-based organic semiconductors will be made finally.