Esophageal cancer is globally one of the most common malignant tumors of the digestive tract. Its morbidity and mortality are increasing annually, and it tends to affect more young people. The pathogenesis, metastasis, and drug resistance mechanisms of esophageal cancer are not fully understood. The anti-tumor role and reversal of drug resistance by traditional Chinese medicine have received increasing attention. The mouse model of esophageal cancer is helpful to analyze the pathogenesis of human esophageal cancer and the research strategy of traditional Chinese medicine on tumor prevention. Mouse models of esophageal cancer are mainly divided into three categories, induced models, transplanted models, and genetically engineered models. However, no model can represent all the characteristics of human esophageal cancer. It is particularly important to choose a suitable mouse model of esophageal cancer to solve specific esophageal cancer problems. This article summarizes the domestic and international research literature, reviews the current commonly used mouse esophageal cancer models, summarizes the preparation method of various types of esophageal cancer mouse models, and compares the advantages and disadvantages of each model and the scope of application, to provide a research basis for the prevention and treatment of esophageal cancer by traditional Chinese medicine.