Developing inexpensive and efficient electrocatalysts without using precious metals for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is essential for the realization of economical clean energy production. Here we demonstrate a facile approach to access interconnected three-dimensional (3-D) porous tungsten-based (WS2 and WC) thin-films without using any templates. Benefiting from the 3-D open frameworks of these highly porous thin-films, there are enormous amounts of exposed active sites and efficient mass transport in favor of the HER. Both electrodes exhibit excellent catalytic activity towards HER with onset overpotentials of ~ 100 mV for WS2 and ~ 120 mV for WC, and similar Tafel slopes of ~ 67 mV decade-1. The long-term operation of these thin-film electrodes is confirmed by their electrochemical stability test. With the low loading mass (~ 80 and ~ 160 μg cm-2 for WS2 and WC, respectively), these porous thin-films are among the best tungsten-based HER electrocatalysts.