Hydrogen is one of the sustainable clean energy sources because it produces water only as a by-product without emitting toxic gases such as carbon dioxide and nitric oxides dring combustion. Thermo-catalytic decomposition (TCD) of methane is a technology that decomposes methane at high temperatures and converts it into hydrogen and solid carbon over catalysts. Theoretically, the strong point of TCD process is that hydrogen can be produced without emitting carbon dioxide, so it is known as the most environmentally friendly process among the existing hydrogen production technologies. Recent researches have focused on the development of metal and carbon-based catalysts in order to increase the conversion of methane and on the high value added product of solid carbon for enhancing the price of hydrogen produced during TCD of mathane. In this review the research trends of metal-based heterogeneous catalysts, their activity, deactivation and regeneration techniques in the field of TCD of methane were surveyed.