Aligned PANI nanosheet arrays on GO sheets and CNTs are directly synthesized by a simplified template-free polymerization method. Such a 3D hierarchical hybrid material exhibits short ion diffusion lengths, well electrochemical utilization of PANI, as well as the well-interconnected PANI/GO units by CNT-bridge inside the electrode materials. The electrochemical studies prove that PANI–GO–CNT hybrid material possess a synergistic effect of PANI nanosheets and GO–CNT, which shows higher electrochemical capacitance, rate performance and cycling stability than each individual component. This easy method offers a new pathway for constructing a hierarchical PANI based hybrid material for energy storage.