Prokaryotic Cells vs. Eukaryotic Cells: What's the Difference?

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Read the comparison below, or explore it visually. Create a visual lesson comparing prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells using available credits or plan allowance.

A prokaryotic cell has no nucleus or membrane-bound organelles, while a eukaryotic cell stores its DNA inside a nucleus and divides its work among organelles such as mitochondria. Bacteria and archaea are prokaryotes; animals, plants, fungi and protists are eukaryotes. The extra internal membranes let eukaryotic cells grow far larger and specialise into tissues.

At a glance

	Prokaryotic Cells	Eukaryotic Cells
Nucleus	None; DNA lies in a nucleoid region of the cytoplasm	True nucleus wrapped in a double membrane
Organelles	No membrane-bound organelles	Mitochondria, ER, Golgi; chloroplasts in plants
Typical size	About 1-5 micrometres	About 10-100 micrometres
DNA and ribosomes	Usually one circular chromosome; smaller 70S ribosomes	Several linear chromosomes; larger 80S ribosomes
Examples	Bacteria such as E. coli; archaea	Human, plant, fungal and amoeba cells

Which should you use?

Prokaryotic Cells

Use the term prokaryotic for single-celled bacteria and archaea, for example the Lactobacillus bacteria that turn milk into curd.

Eukaryotic Cells

Use the term eukaryotic for any cell with a nucleus, from the yeast that leavens bread dough to the neurons in your brain.

Frequently asked questions

Are viruses prokaryotic or eukaryotic?

Neither. Viruses are not cells at all: they have no cytoplasm, ribosomes or metabolism of their own, and can only copy themselves by hijacking a host cell, which may be a bacterium, a plant cell or an animal cell.

Which came first, prokaryotes or eukaryotes?

Prokaryotes came first; fossil and chemical evidence shows bacteria-like life billions of years before eukaryotes. The widely accepted endosymbiotic theory says mitochondria and chloroplasts began as free-living bacteria engulfed by an ancestral cell, which is why they still carry their own circular DNA.

Do prokaryotic cells have a cell wall?

Most do. Bacteria usually have a rigid wall containing peptidoglycan, and archaea have walls of other materials. Among eukaryotes, plant cells have cellulose walls and fungi have chitin walls, but animal cells have no cell wall at all.