Eukaryotic Cell Diagram Labeled – With a Prokaryotic Cell

All 19 parts on the diagram

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Eukaryotic cell 11

Nucleus It holds the cell's DNA inside a double membrane. It directs the making of ribosomes and proteins. A prokaryotic cell has no nucleus.
Cytoplasm The whole region between the plasma membrane and the nuclear envelope. It includes the organelles, the gel-like cytosol and the cytoskeleton.
Plasma membrane A phospholipid bilayer with proteins in it. It separates the inside of the cell from its surroundings. Prokaryotic cells have one too.
Nuclear envelope The boundary of the nucleus. It is two phospholipid bilayers, an outer and an inner membrane.
Nucleolus A dense region inside the nucleus where ribosomes are put together.
Ribosomes They build the cell's proteins. Some float free in the cytoplasm and others sit on the endoplasmic reticulum. Prokaryotic cells have ribosomes too, of a smaller kind.
Rough endoplasmic reticulum Membrane sheets with ribosomes on their surface. Membrane proteins and proteins for export are made here.
Smooth endoplasmic reticulum It makes lipids and carbohydrates and stores calcium ions. It continues on from the rough ER but has few or no ribosomes.
Golgi apparatus A stack of flattened membrane sacs. It sorts, tags, packages and sends out lipids and proteins.
Mitochondrion It makes ATP, the cell's main energy-carrying molecule. Mitochondria have their own DNA and ribosomes.
Vesicle A small membrane-bound sac for storage and transport. Its membrane can fuse with the plasma membrane or with other membranes in the cell.

Prokaryotic cell 8

Nucleoid The central part of the cell where the DNA lies. No membrane surrounds it, so it is not a nucleus.
Cytoplasm The jelly-like cytosol and everything in it. It holds no nucleus and no other membrane-bound organelle.
Plasma membrane The covering that separates the cell's interior from its surroundings. Same as in a eukaryotic cell.
Ribosomes They build proteins, as in every cell. A prokaryotic ribosome is the smaller 70S kind; those in the cytoplasm of a eukaryotic cell are 80S.
Cell wall An extra layer that protects the cell. It helps the cell keep its shape and stops it drying out. Most bacteria build it of peptidoglycan.
Capsule A polysaccharide coat that many bacteria have outside the wall. It lets the cell attach to surfaces.
Flagellum A long whip used for moving about. Some prokaryotes have one or more.
Pili Hair-like structures on the surface. In conjugation a pilus joins two bacteria while one passes genetic material to the other.

How this list was compiled: Every name and detail line was checked on 2026-09-30 against (1) OpenStax Biology 2e, 4.2 Prokaryotic Cells, https://openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/4-2-prokaryotic-cells; (2) OpenStax Biology 2e, 4.3 Eukaryotic Cells and 4.4 The Endomembrane System and Proteins, https://openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/4-3-eukaryotic-cells and https://openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/4-4-the-endomembrane-system-and-proteins; (3) OpenStax Microbiology, 3.4 Unique Characteristics of Eukaryotic Cells, table 3.2 (70S and 80S ribosomes), https://openstax.org/books/microbiology/pages/3-4-unique-characteristics-of-eukaryotic-cells; (4) Wikipedia, Eukaryote and Cell (biology); (5) Wikipedia, Prokaryote. The detail lines are in our own words. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from the site's own animal cell and bacterium drawings (own work). Nothing traced or copied. Licence: own work

How it works

This prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell diagram puts the two kinds of cell on one sheet. The eukaryotic cell, an animal cell, has a nucleus and organelles; the prokaryotic cell, a bacterium, has neither.

Read the full guide

Label the eukaryotic cell first

The page opens on the eukaryotic cell with its names written in. Tap a name to read what that part does, or press Quiz me to be asked each one. The prokaryotic cell is the second view. Both print on one sheet, so the blank copy works as a prokaryotes and eukaryotes worksheet.

What the two cells share

All cells have a plasma membrane, cytoplasm, DNA and ribosomes. In the eukaryotic cell the DNA is inside the nucleus; in the prokaryotic cell it lies in the nucleoid, with no membrane round it. The prokaryotic cell has no membrane-bound organelles at all.

Not to scale: prokaryotic cells are 0.1 to 5 micrometers across, and eukaryotic cells 10 to 100.
For a simple eukaryotic cell diagram, learn the first three names: nucleus, cytoplasm and plasma membrane.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between a prokaryotic and a eukaryotic cell?

A eukaryotic cell keeps its DNA in a nucleus and has membrane-bound organelles such as mitochondria. A prokaryotic cell has no nucleus and no other membrane-bound organelle; its DNA lies in the nucleoid.

What do prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells have in common?

Four things: a plasma membrane, cytoplasm, DNA and ribosomes. On this diagram the plasma membrane, cytoplasm and ribosomes are labeled on both cells.

Which living things have eukaryotic cells?

Animals, plants, fungi and protists are eukaryotes. Bacteria and archaea are prokaryotes.

Do prokaryotic cells have ribosomes?

Yes. Every cell has ribosomes to build its proteins. A prokaryotic ribosome is the smaller 70S kind; the ribosomes in the cytoplasm of a eukaryotic cell are 80S.

Eukaryotic Cell Diagram Labeled, Next to a Prokaryotic Cell