An analysis of multi-satellite-derived products of four major phytoplankton functional types (PFTs – diatoms, haptophytes, prokaryotes and dinoflagellates) was carried out to investigate the PFT time series in the Atlantic Ocean between 2002 and 2021. The investigation includes the 2-decade trends, climatology, phenology and anomaly of PFTs for the whole Atlantic Ocean and its different biogeochemical provinces in the surface layer that optical satellite signals can reach. The PFT time series over the whole Atlantic region showed mostly no clear trend over the last 2 decades, except for a small decline in prokaryotes and an abrupt increase in diatoms during 2018–2019, which is mainly observed in the northern Longhurst provinces. The phenology of diatoms, haptophytes and dinoflagellates is very similar: at higher latitudes bloom maxima are reached in spring (April in the Northern Hemisphere and October in the Southern Hemisphere), in the oligotrophic regions in winter time and in the tropical regions during May to September. In general, prokaryotes show opposite annual cycles to the other three PFTs and present more spatial complexity. The PFT anomaly (in percent) of 2021 compared to the 20-year mean reveals mostly a slight decrease in diatoms and a prominent increase in haptophytes in most areas of the high latitudes. Both diatoms and prokaryotes show a mild decrease along coastlines and an increase in the gyres, while prokaryotes show a clear decrease at mid-latitudes to low latitudes and an increase on the western African coast (Canary Current Coastal Province, CNRY and Guinea Current Coastal Province, GUIN) and southwestern corner of North Atlantic Tropical Gyral Province (NATR). Dinoflagellates, as a minor contributor to the total biomass, are relatively stable in the whole Atlantic region. This study illustrated the past and current PFT state in the Atlantic Ocean and acted as the first step to promote long-term consistent PFT observations that enable time series analyses of PFT trends and interannual variability to reveal potential climate-induced changes in phytoplankton composition on multiple temporal and spatial scales.