The invention discloses an image analysis-based method and special equipment for simultaneously determining the content of maceral and the vitrinite reflectance of coal. According to the equipment provided by the invention, a microscopic digital technology is combined with a computer image processing technology, images under a polarizing microscope are acquired by a microscopic digital camera and are transferred to a computer; the images are invoked and processed by a vitrinite reflectance determinator; an operator determines the vitrinite reflectance through the computer, establishes database links in real time and records determination objects, positions, areas and original determination values of all the determination points to make determination results more traceable and improve the determination precision. Meanwhile, the time for occupying the microscope is reduced in the process of determination, the determination efficiency is greatly improved, and more samples can be determined in the same time. The image analysis-based method provided by the invention is simple in process and easy to operate and has the advantages of the national standard requirements of determining the content of the maceral and the vitrinite reflectance and greatly improving the precision and the efficiency of determining the content of the maceral and the vitrinite reflectance of the coal.