Graphene has excellent barrier, shielding and chemical stability, the application of graphene in anti-corrosion and anti-fouling coatings has been deeply studied. Studies have shown that adding a certain amount of graphene to traditional coatings can significantly reduce the permeability to corrosive media such as water, oxygen, etc., and can enhance the bioadhesion of coatings and inhibit microbial corrosion. However, some disadvantages also appear in applications of graphene. For example, the strong van der Waals force between graphene lamellae leads to poor agglomeration and dispersion of graphene in coatings; the high chemical stability and hydrophobicity of graphene lead to poor adhesion between graphene and film-forming materials; and the superconductivity of graphene leads to the acceleration of metal corrosion when graphene film fails. In order to diminish the disadvantages of graphene during application, many methods have been explored, in which modified graphene (GO, RGO, FG) and synthetic graphene composite particles (graphene modified nanoparticles: GO-Al2O3 particles, GO-TiO2 particles, GO-SiO2 particles, etc.; resin-supported graphene composite filler: graphene/polyaniline composite filler, etc.) are main methods. Finally, the development of graphene and its derivatives in anticorrosive and antifouling coatings is prospected.