Turn text, sketches, references, PDFs, and photos into Scientific Figures

SciFig is a free online AI scientific figure illustrator. From any input to a journal-ready scientific figure — in minutes, not days.

• Built for Science Work: Researchers, students at any level, educators, industry R&D teams, and science communicators — anyone turning complex science into a clear figure, without wrestling with Illustrator.
• Any Input Welcome: Type a description, drop a PDF, snap a lab photo, or upload a reference image. SciFig turns all four into the same clean, publication-ready figure.
• Figures Journals Accept: Mechanism diagrams, signaling pathways, experimental workflows, medical illustrations, molecular structures — all print-ready for peer-reviewed journal submissions, whatever your target publication.

BioRender gives templates. Raw AI gives flat pixels. We give science-grade figures you can fully edit.

• End-to-End, All-in-One: BioRender is a fixed template library — when your topic isn't in it, you're stuck. SciFig generates one-of-a-kind figures from your text, PDF, photo, or sketch, then exports to PNG, JPG, or PPTX directly. Need vector layers for journal submission or element-level editing? Open the result in Vector Canvas and run Vectorize to unlock SVG for Illustrator, Inkscape, Figma, or Affinity.
• Editable, Not Locked Pixels: Nano banana and Midjourney bake a mislabeled protein into pixels you can't change — one wrong enzyme is a career-ending reviewer comment. SciFig lets you click any text label or shape in Vector Canvas and edit it directly; Vectorize converts the whole figure to a layered SVG when you need element-by-element control.
• Free Trial, $12 Entry: Try every feature on free credits first — no credit card needed. When you upgrade, paid plans start at just $12/month (annual) or $18/month (monthly) — whichever fits your research cadence.

Yes. SciFig isn't a bio-only tool — 11 disciplines supported natively, with published examples you can browse and verify.

• Far Beyond Biology: Biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, computer science, energy, ecology, bioengineering, astronomy, agriculture, materials — the major disciplines are all in. Mechanisms, workflows, cross-sections, ecosystems, graphical abstracts, journal covers, lab apparatus, microstructures, systems & networks — all nine high-frequency figure types covered.
• No More "Bio-Only" Tools: BioRender locks its asset library to molecules and cells — try drawing a semiconductor band diagram, satellite orbit, or catalytic cycle and you're stuck if it's not in the template. SciFig generates straight from your description, PDF, or sketch — no fixed library required.
• See for Yourself: Open Inspiration, filter by discipline, and every example ships with its original prompt — copy it into SciFig and reproduce it yourself.

That's exactly who we built this for. SciFig is the AI scientific illustrator for the blank-canvas problem.

• Describe It in Plain Language: Use Text-to-Figure. Type "CRISPR cutting DNA with PAM site" and SciFig proposes multiple layouts based on how peer-reviewed journals have visualized similar concepts.
• Let a Paper Brief the AI: Use PDF-to-Figure. Upload the paper you're working from — SciFig's LLM reads it and generates a new figure informed by the concepts inside. Stop staring at a blank canvas.
• Start from Real Life: Use Photo-to-Figure or Sketch-to-Figure. Snap your lab rig or a whiteboard doodle — SciFig turns it into clean vectors. No design experience, no template library needed.

AI gets you 99% there. You handle the final 1% — and that's the whole point.

• Every Element is Editable: Labels, arrows, molecules, organs, legends — each a separate object. Click to fix a mislabeled protein, swap a wrong enzyme, or re-route an arrow — one click, done.
• 99% = 0% in Science: Raster AI tools (Midjourney, nano banana) bake mistakes into pixels you can't edit. SciFig keeps every element editable because you — the expert — are the final authority.

Yes. You own every figure — for journals, for products, for anything legal.

• Full Publication Rights: Paid plans come with full authority to publish in peer-reviewed journals, on preprint servers, and in your thesis. No tier-gating on publication.
• Full Commercial Rights: Use your figures in textbooks, commercial products, courses, consulting decks — no additional licensing fees, no revenue share, no "just for research" fine print.
• Zero Ownership Claim: SciFig claims no ownership, no usage license, no right to feature your work. (Note: Free plans are for non-commercial evaluation only — upgrade before publication or commercial use.)

It's your call — and your target journal's policy. No universal rule yet.

• Check Your Target Journal First: AI-disclosure policies change fast and vary by publisher. Spend 30 seconds on your journal's author guidelines before submission — it's almost always answered there.
• When in Doubt, a Methods Line Covers You: If the policy is ambiguous, a one-line "Figures prepared with SciFig (AI-assisted)" in the methods section is the safe middle ground — no over-explaining, no hiding.

Every format journals, posters, and slides actually need.

• Direct Generation Exports: PNG (recommended for journal submission), JPG (smaller files for sharing or email), and PPTX (a 16:9 PowerPoint slide with the figure embedded — ready to drop into a deck). Every generation tool exports these three.
• Vector Canvas Adds Layered Output: Open any generated figure in Vector Canvas and run Vectorize to unlock SVG (opens in Illustrator, Inkscape, Figma, or Affinity Designer) plus an editable-shape PPTX where every element is a separately selectable PowerPoint object.
• Resolution: PNG/JPG up to 8K — meets standard journal submission guidelines out of the box.

Yes, absolutely. 1K and 2K hit 300 DPI at standard journal column widths.

• Single-Column Figures: 1K resolution hits 300+ DPI at standard single-column width — cleared for submission out of the box.
• Double-Column Figures: 2K resolution hits 300+ DPI at full-page width. No reviewer "please improve figure resolution" comments.
• Posters & Covers: Need bigger? One-click Upscale to 4K/8K for A0 posters and journal cover art — detail stays sharp, no pixelation.

Seconds per draft. Minutes end-to-end.

• Initial Draft: Seconds from prompt to first draft — faster than filling in a BioRender template.
• Multi-Round Refinement: Each iteration lands in seconds. Lock what works, regenerate just the panel that doesn't.
• End-to-End: A few minutes from blank canvas to export-ready figure — including your manual edits and the final format pick.

Yes. Invoice-ready, grant-line-item-ready, zero finance friction.

• Formal Invoices: We issue tax-compliant invoices with your institution's address, tax ID, and itemized usage — drop them straight into your reimbursement system.
• Grant Line Item: SciFig bills cleanly as "scientific visualization software" — the same category your lab probably already covers for GraphPad, Prism, or Illustrator.
• Three Subscription Shapes: Individual top-up credits (pay as you go), monthly subscriptions (for regular figure makers), and team / institution plans with bulk credits and single-invoice billing. Contact us for a lab or department quote.

Yes. Your unpublished research stays yours, full stop.

• Zero AI Training: We NEVER use your private uploads, prompts, or generated figures to train our models — ever.
• Encrypted End-to-End: All files are encrypted in transit and at rest. Nobody else can see your work.