The researches of therapeutic cloning and somatic cell reprogramming, two strategies used to generate patient-specific autologous stem cells, have recently made great progress. Therapeutic cloning refers to derivation of embryonic stem cells from blastocyst produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer, whereas somatic cell reprogramming refers to establishment of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from differentiated somatic cells by ectopic expression of specific transcription factors. The two strategies differ in their methodological approaches, technical obstacles and ethical debates, but confront similar problems including the differentiation of stem cells and the feasibility of cell-replacement therapy. This review discusses the research advance of these two biotechnologies and summarizes their difference and similarity.