Sulfate uptake, the first step of sulfate assimilation in all organisms, is a highly endoergic, ATP requiring process. It is under tight control at the transcriptional level and is additionally modulated by posttranslational modifications, which are not yet fully characterized. Sulfate anion is taken up into the cell by specific transporters, named sulfate permeases, located in the cell membrane. Bacterial sulfate permeases differ significantly from the eukaryotic transporters in their evolutionary origins, structure and subunit composition. This review focuses on the diversity and regulation of sulfate permeases in various groups of organisms.