According to recent years cloud top-height inversion algorithms using satellite visible and infrared remote sensing data, domestic and foreign algorithm research progress and problems are summarized. Through the analysis of large number of related literatures, the inversion algorithms of the infrared window methods and CO₂ absorption technique are mainly introduced. On the basis of these algorithms, the current business algorithms in countries and regions are expressed. Then the advantages and disadvantages of these methods in application are reviewed, and the cloud top-height inversion solution for regions in China is present. In the future, the method of cloud top-height lookup tables based on infrared split-window is prospective. In application and research, lookup tables based on brightness temperature difference and 11 μm channel brightness temperature are constructed using split-window data of stationary satellite and cloud profile radar data of polar orbit satellite, and cloud top-height can be acquired by checking lookup tables by split-window brightness temperature difference and 11 μm channel brightness temperature in application.