Objective To compare the clinical effect of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) and intermittent hemodialysis (IHD) in the treatment of severe acute renal failure (ARF). Methods A hundred patients with severe ARF treated between May 2011 and December 2014 were chosen to be the study subjects. According to the order of admission, they were divided into control group and observation group with 50 patients in each. Patients of the control group underwent IHD, while those in the observation group underwent CRRT. Serum creatinine (Scr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), endogenous creatinine clearance rate (Ccr), treatment effective rate and survival rate were compared between the two groups before and after the treatment. Results Scr, BUN and Ccr were all improved after treatment in both the two groups. However, Scr, BUN and Ccr in the observation group [(225.1±162.7) μmol/L, (14.2±9.3) mmol/L, (23.4±10.5) mL/min] were significantly better than those in the control group [(588.4±183.6) μmol/L, (29.1±10.4) mmol/L, (15.9±8.2) mL/min]. The treatment effective rate and patients’ survival rate in the observation group were respectively 60% and 70%, both significantly higher than those in the control group (40% and 52%) All the differences were significant (P<0.05). Conclusion CRRT is superior in the treatment of severe ARF with a higher survival rate of the patients, which is worthy of clinical promotion.