This review summarizes advances in the decarboxylative alkylation of carboxylic acids and their derivatives under transition metal-free conditions in recent years. Unlike most transition metal-catalyzed decarboxylative coupling reactions which tend to undergo catalytic cycles, the mechanisms of reactions under metal-free conditions are usually diverse and even ambiguous in some cases. This article offers an overview of reaction types and their corresponding mechanisms, highlights some of the advantages and limitations, and focuses on introducing UV and visible light-induced, organocatalyst and peroxide promoted radical processes for decarboxylative alkylation and the formation of C-C bonds.