The impact of thermoplasmonics in membrane technology is here reviewed. Photothermal effects can be used to improve the efficiency of membrane distillation. As a matter of fact, the presence of plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) in polymeric membranes enhances the transmembrane flux up to 11 times. We debate on the influence of the heat capacity of the solvent, the amount of plasmonic NPs in the membrane, and the intensity of the light source and transmembrane the flow rate on the increase of the permeability. Remarkably, thermoplasmonic effects do not involve any noticeable loss of membrane rejection. Herein, we consider application feasibilities, including application fields, requirements of feed, alternatives of light sources, promising thermoplasmonic NPs, and scaling up issues.