•State of the art of sensing materials for fruit freshness detection is reviewed.•Selection and modification of sensing materials of QCM sensors are presented.•Detection mechanisms of VOCs in fruit by QCM sensors are discussed.•Applications of QCM sensors for fruit freshness detection are reviewed. In this review article, the state of the art of gas sensors based on quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) for fruit freshness detection is overviewed from the aspects of development history, working principle, selection and modification of sensitive materials, and volatile organic compounds detection of fruits. According to the characteristics of respiratory intensity at the stage of fruit ripening, fruits can be divided into respiration climacteric fruits and non-climacteric fruits. In recent years, research has mainly focused on respiration climacteric fruits, such as bananas and mangoes, etc., while related studies on non-climacteric fruits have been rarely reported, except for citrus fruits. The preparation methods and structure design of sensitive materials based on physical/chemical adsorption mechanisms are further discussed according to the odor components that affect the freshness of fruits, namely alkenes, esters, aldehydes and alcohols.