Besides usual coupling agents such as, for instance, silane, thiol, or carboxylic acids, phosphonated-based low molecular weight molecules and polymers appear of great interest for the modification of metal oxides. In such contexts, this Review is focused on the use of phosphonated derivatives for the surface treatment of metal oxides as such compounds are known to establish strong and stable links with inorganic phases. Functionalization of metal oxides leads to the obtaining of hybrid materials that can find applications in numerous fields. As a result, an interesting prospect will be to enhance the development of new hybrid materials in the future, especially bio-based ones.