In order to meet the growing need for energy, much effort has been devoted to develop the powerful electrodes for electrical energy storage devices. Herein, we offer a facile and effective strategy to synthesize a versatile binder-free electrode for both supercapacitors and lithium-ion batteries, which are regarded as two major electrical energy storage devices. Using a one-step hydrothermal strategy followed by calcination treatment, the porous ZnCo2O4 nanoribbon arrays are successfully synthesized on nickel foam. With the favorable composition and three dimensional porous nanostructure, this advanced electrode demonstrates excellent cycling stability and rate capability. Moreover, a high specific capacitance of 1957.7 F g−1 (3 mA cm−2) is obtained for supercapacitors and a large reversible capacity of 1422 mA h g−1 is retained after 80 cycles at 200 mA g−1 for lithium-ion batteries. Our results suggest that the versatile ZnCo2O4 nanoribbon arrays/nickel foam electrode possesses great electrochemical performance and shows promising potential for large-scale application.