Exploring nickel phosphides electrocatalysts with both massive active sites and superior intrinsic activity for efficient and robust hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is highly desirable, yet challenging. Here we constructed a novel Ni₁₂P₅-Ni₂P polymorphs catalyst (Ni-P/Ni/NF) through a successive hydrothermal treatment and annealing process on deliberately coarsened nickel foam (Ni/NF) support. Our experimental and theoretical studies demonstrate the application of Ni/NF is key to rendering a unique hierarchical porous architecture with Ni₁₂P₅-Ni₂P heterostructures, which not only increases the number of active sites but also enhances the intrinsic activity of the catalyst. Such a unique structure endows Ni-P/Ni/NF with low overpotentials of 129, 83, and 112 mV (at current density of 10 mA cm⁻²) for HER in alkaline, acidic and neutral media, respectively, which surpasses many of reported state-of-the-art nonprecious HER catalysts. This work presents a valuable route for designing and fabricating inexpensive and high-performance catalysts for electrocatalysis and beyond.