This paper summarized two kinds of transfer matrix methods for calculating dispersion curves of Rayleigh waves. Some dispersion curves of layered models were calculated by the two methods so as to find characteristics of these methods. Calculation shows that the two kinds of results are in accordance with each other. However, the fast scalar transfer matrix method is faster than the transfer matrix methods deduced from Abo-zena, Menke, Bixing Zhang etc., and its stability and precision are better than the deduced methods. Nevertheless, in the aspect of avoiding numerical overflow in high frequencies, the transfer matrix algorithm is better than the fast scalar transfer matrix method.