Plant vs Animal Cell Explorer
Click any organelle on a labelled plant or animal cell to learn its job, its nickname and which cells have it — then compare both cells in the exact table CBSE asks you to write.
A plant cell has a cell wall, chloroplasts, plastids and one large central vacuole, which an animal cell does not. An animal cell has a centrosome with centrioles, is rounded and can change shape, and stores food as glycogen, while a plant cell is fixed and box-like and stores starch. Both have a cell membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus, mitochondria and ribosomes.
Organelles
Label the diagram
Pick a name, then click that part on the diagram. You score a point for every label you place right first time.
Plant cell vs animal cell
The difference table asked in CBSE Class 8 and Class 9 exams. Tap a row to see that part on the diagram.
| Feature | Plant cell | Animal cell |
|---|
Prokaryotic vs eukaryotic cell
Class 9 — the other big comparison in the chapter “The Fundamental Unit of Life”.
| Feature | Prokaryotic | Eukaryotic |
|---|
The cell theory
Given by Schleiden and Schwann (1838–39) and completed by Virchow (1855).
- All living organisms — plants and animals — are made of cells.
- The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of life.
- All cells arise from pre-existing cells (Omnis cellula e cellula).
How the cell was discovered
- 1665 · Robert Hooke cut a thin slice of cork, saw tiny empty boxes through his own microscope and named them cells (little rooms).
- 1674 · Anton van Leeuwenhoek was the first to see living cells — bacteria and Spirogyra in pond water.
- 1831 · Robert Brown discovered the nucleus.
- 1839 · J. E. Purkinje named the living matter inside the cell protoplasm.
- 1855 · Rudolf Virchow showed that every cell comes from an older cell.
Cell structure quiz
12 multiple-choice questions, shuffled every time, with an explanation for every answer.
Review
The cell — the smallest unit of life
Every plant and animal, from a blade of grass to a blue whale, is built from cells. Explore both kinds side by side and the differences stop being a list to memorise.
Pick a cell
Plant, animal, or both side by side with every organelle drawn in place.
Click an organelle
Read its job in simple words, its nickname, a key fact and the class that studies it.
Filter and compare
Show only the plant-specific, animal-specific or common parts, then open the difference table.
Test yourself
Label the diagram against the clock, then take the 12-question quiz with review.
Only in plant cells
Cell wall (made of cellulose), plastids including green chloroplasts, and one large central vacuole.
That is why a plant cell has a fixed box-like shape, stays stiff when watered, and can make its own food.
Only in animal cells
Centrosome with centrioles (they build the spindle for cell division) and usually cilia or flagella.
With no wall to hold it, an animal cell is rounded and can change its shape — that is how an Amoeba moves and feeds.
Present in both
Cell membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus (with nucleolus and nuclear membrane), mitochondria, ribosomes, rough and smooth ER, Golgi apparatus, lysosomes and vacuoles.
Cell membrane + cytoplasm + nucleus = the three basic parts of every cell
Nicknames worth remembering
- Mitochondria — powerhouse of the cell
- Lysosomes — suicide bags
- Golgi apparatus — post office of the cell
- Ribosomes — protein factories
- Chloroplast — kitchen of the cell
- Nucleus — control room / brain of the cell
Why plants wilt
Water in the big vacuole presses out on the wall and keeps the cell turgid. Lose that water and the cell goes flaccid, so the leaf droops. Put the plant in water and the vacuole fills again.
In salty water the cell loses water and the whole protoplasm shrinks away from the wall — called plasmolysis.
Prokaryote or eukaryote?
A prokaryotic cell (bacteria, cyanobacteria) has no nuclear membrane and no membrane-bound organelles — its DNA lies free in a region called the nucleoid.
A eukaryotic cell (plant, animal, fungus, Amoeba) has a true nucleus and organelles like mitochondria and plastids.
Plant vs Animal Cell Explorer — your questions
What is the difference between a plant cell and an animal cell?
A plant cell has a rigid cellulose cell wall, plastids including chloroplasts, and one large central vacuole that can fill 90% of the cell; it is fixed and box-like, makes its own food by photosynthesis and stores starch. An animal cell has no wall, no plastids, many small vacuoles or none, and a centrosome; it is rounded, takes in ready-made food and stores glycogen.
Which organelles are found only in plant cells?
The cell wall, made of cellulose; plastids, including the green chloroplasts that carry out photosynthesis; and one large central vacuole. These are why a plant cell keeps a fixed shape, stays stiff when watered and can make its own food. Chloroplast is nicknamed the kitchen of the cell.
Which parts are found only in animal cells?
The centrosome with its centrioles, which builds the spindle during cell division, and usually cilia or flagella. With no cell wall to hold it in shape, an animal cell is rounded and flexible and can change its outline — which is exactly how an Amoeba moves and engulfs its food.
What is the difference between a prokaryotic and a eukaryotic cell?
A prokaryotic cell such as a bacterium is small, 1 to 10 µm, has no nuclear membrane — its DNA lies free in a region called the nucleoid — has a single chromosome, no membrane-bound organelles, 70S ribosomes, and divides by binary fission. A eukaryotic cell has a true nucleus, more than one chromosome, organelles such as mitochondria, 80S ribosomes, and divides by mitosis or meiosis.
Why is the mitochondrion called the powerhouse of the cell?
Mitochondria release the energy stored in food during cellular respiration and package it as ATP, which powers every activity in the cell. Other useful nicknames are lysosomes as suicide bags, the Golgi apparatus as the post office, ribosomes as protein factories, chloroplast as the kitchen and the nucleus as the control room.
Who discovered the cell?
Robert Hooke in 1665 cut a thin slice of cork, saw tiny empty boxes under his microscope and named them cells. Anton van Leeuwenhoek first saw living cells in 1674, Robert Brown discovered the nucleus in 1831, J. E. Purkinje named the living matter protoplasm in 1839, and Rudolf Virchow showed in 1855 that every cell comes from an older cell.
Why do plants wilt when they are not watered?
Water in the large central vacuole presses outwards on the cell wall and keeps the cell turgid, which holds the leaf firm. When water is lost the cell goes flaccid and the leaf droops. In very salty water the cell loses so much water that the protoplasm shrinks away from the wall, a condition called plasmolysis.