COVID-19 started in December 2019 in Wuhan and spread worldwide. The cause of COVID-19 is the newly discovered coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Until now, this pandemic is affecting almost every country in the world and over 100 million cases were confirmed. It is expected that vaccination could be a beneficial way to control and protect against COVID-19. This review aimed to compare 4 platforms of COVID-19 vaccines and used recently developed vaccines candidates as examples to illustrate. Safety, efficacy, scaling, cost, and adaptation to the mutated virus were included. Theoretical and clinical vaccine research results were used and we attempted to conclude the advantage and disadvantage of each candidate platform. Countries should choose an appropriate vaccine for their people and satisfy the demand for vaccines.