Titanium (Ti) and its alloy implants with porous structure manufactured by selective laser melting (SLM) can match elastic modulus of human bone to reduce the stress‐shielding effect and satisfy the personalized requirement in orthopedic surgery. Compared with conventional casting and forging Ti and its alloy implants, SLM implants possess unique microstructural features and excellent comprehensive mechanical properties. However, the un‐melted powder particles inevitably adhere to the surfaces of SLM implants, which may result in excessive surface roughness and potential health risks. Moreover, there are significant issues encountered, such as bioactivity, toxicity, antibacterial activity, corrosion and wear resistance. Consequently, surface modification methods are essential to remove the un‐melted powder particles and improve biological and mechanical properties of SLM implants. Herein, the research efforts focus exclusively on chemical (acid treatment, alkali treatment, sol‐gel, chemical vapor deposition and atomic layer deposition) and electrochemical methods (anodization and microarc oxidation) for SLM Ti and its alloy implants, especially for porous structures. Particularly, the characteristics of these methods are summarized, and their commonly used pre‐ and post‐treatment methods are introduced. In addition, the development trends and challenges in surface modification of SLM Ti and its alloy implants are discussed.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.