The competitive adsorption of heavy metals in soils has been a hot research field. Many studies have been done on the adsorptive equilibrium models, adsorptive kinetics as well as the factors influencing the adsorptive reactions. Competitive Langmuir equation and extended Freundlich equation are used commonly in the batch experiments. In the kinetics study the “supersaturation point” is brought forward to describe the competitive adsorption process. The preferential retention or affinity of heavy metals can be explained by the differences in the first hydrolysis parameter, ionic radii, electronegativity and some environmental factors: pH, ionic strength, organic matter content etc. In the future more studies should emphasize on the mechanistic approaches and integrated factors that influence the adsorption.