Vascular calcification is an active cell- and gene-regulated process, involving imbalance between promoters and inhibitors of vascular calcification. It commonly occurs in patients with advanced atherosclerosis and is highly related with diabetes, chronic kidney diseases and aging. Osteogenic differentiation of vascular cells is the key contributor to vascular calcification, but the cell sources of vascular calcification remain unclear. It has been thought that the origins of cells regulating vascular calcification may include vascular smooth muscle cell, endothelial cell, pericyte, macrophage and progenitor cell. This review focuses on the regulatory role of cells in vascular calcification.