BioRender changed how researchers make figures, and for many jobs it’s the right tool. But it isn’t the right tool for every figure. Here’s an honest comparison to help you decide, from someone who draws figures for a living.
When BioRender is enough
- Simple schematics: an experimental timeline, a workflow, a mouse-to-assay diagram
- Lab-meeting slides and internal reports
- Figures built mostly from standard icons (cells, tubes, organs) in a standard layout
- You have time to learn the tool and arrange the figure yourself
When an illustrator is worth it
- Central illustrations and graphical abstracts that have to summarise a whole paper in one image
- Novel mechanisms where no ready-made icon exists, or where the exact structure matters
- Journal covers and anything that needs to stand out rather than look like a template
- Dense review figures with many pathways, where layout and hierarchy decide whether anyone can read it
- Grant figures, where reviewers have minutes, not hours
- You’d rather spend the hours on the science
Side by side
| BioRender | Scientific illustrator | |
|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | You | The illustrator, from your sketch or manuscript |
| Publishing in a journal | Requires a paid plan; the figure must be exported on a paid subscription and credited “Created with BioRender.com” | Usage rights included; no tool credit needed |
| Originality | Shared icon library, so figures can look alike | Drawn for your paper, in a consistent custom style |
| Scientific checking | Up to you | A science-trained illustrator questions what doesn’t fit the data |
| Files you get | Exports from the platform | High-res files plus the editable Illustrator source |
| Best for | Quick, simple, standard schematics | Figures that carry the paper |
A middle path
Many labs do both: BioRender for routine schematics, and an illustrator for the one or two figures that carry the paper, such as the graphical abstract or the central illustration. If you already have a BioRender draft, it makes a perfectly good starting sketch for an illustrator.
Have a BioRender draft already?
Send it for a free figure check. I’ll tell you honestly whether it’s ready to submit or whether a custom version would be worth it, with three concrete fixes either way. See pricing and past work.
Source for BioRender licensing: BioRender Help Center, “Licensing and usage of figures made in BioRender” (checked October 2026; plans and terms can change).
