| Criteria | Animal Cell | Plant Cell | Remarks |
| Cell Type | Eukaryotic | Eukaryotic | Both are eukaryotic, sharing many structural and functional features, but with key differences. |
| Cell Shape | Generally round, irregular, or flexible due to lack of a rigid wall. | Usually rectangular or more regular due to a rigid cell wall. | The cell wall in plants maintains shape and provides structural support. |
| Cell Wall | Absent | Present (composed of cellulose) | A major distinguishing feature; absent in animals, present in plants. |
| Plasma Membrane | Present; outermost boundary | Present; lies just inside the cell wall | Both have selectively permeable plasma membranes controlling material exchange. |
| Nucleus | Present; well-defined, membrane-bound | Present; well-defined, membrane-bound | A hallmark of eukaryotic cells; involved in genetic regulation and replication. |
| Cytoplasm | Present | Present | Site of metabolic activity and home to organelles in both cell types. |
| Vacuoles | Small, numerous (if present); mainly for storage and transport | Large central vacuole; involved in storage, turgor, and waste degradation | The central vacuole in plants helps maintain cell rigidity and volume. |
| Mitochondria | Present | Present | Site of ATP production; essential for cellular respiration in both cells. |
| Chloroplasts | Absent | Present (site of photosynthesis) | Unique to plants and some protists; contain chlorophyll for capturing light energy. |
| Centrioles | Present (in centrosome; important for mitosis) | Generally absent (except in lower plant forms like algae) | Animal cells use centrioles for spindle formation; plant cells form spindles differently. |
| Lysosomes | Present and active; contain hydrolytic enzymes | Rare and often functionally replaced by vacuole | Plant cells use vacuoles and other compartments for degradation processes. |
| Peroxisomes | Present; involved in fatty acid metabolism and detoxification | Present; also involved in photorespiration | Both have peroxisomes but with some variation in function depending on metabolic demands. |
| Cytoskeleton | Present; includes microtubules, microfilaments, intermediate filaments | Present; similar components | Maintains cell shape, enables intracellular transport, and supports mitosis. |
| Plasmodesmata | Absent | Present; enable communication between adjacent cells | Unique to plant cells; connect cytoplasm of neighboring cells for signaling and material exchange. |
| Desmosomes/Tight Junctions | Present; enable cell-to-cell adhesion and signaling | Absent | Animal cells use protein-based junctions; plant cells rely on plasmodesmata and wall integrity. |
| Energy Storage | Glycogen (short-term energy storage) | Starch (long-term energy storage) | Reflects differences in metabolism and evolutionary adaptation. |
| Photosynthesis | Does not occur | Occurs in chloroplasts | A defining metabolic process of plant cells; absent in animal cells. |
| Growth | Irregular and cell expands in all directions | Mostly through water absorption in central vacuole | Plant cells expand primarily by enlarging the vacuole under turgor pressure. |
| Cilia/Flagella | Often present (for motility in specialized cells, e.g., sperm) | Rare or absent | Present in some lower plant gametes; absent in most differentiated plant cells. |
| Extracellular Matrix (ECM) | Rich in glycoproteins and involved in signaling and adhesion | Limited ECM; surrounded by rigid cell wall | Animal cells rely on ECM for tissue organization and communication. |
| Cell Division (Cytokinesis) | Cleavage furrow forms via actin-myosin contractile ring | Cell plate forms leading to new cell wall | Reflects structural differences during cytokinesis. |
| Reproduction | Asexual (mitosis) and sexual (meiosis and fertilization) | Asexual (mitosis) and sexual (alternation of generations) | Both reproduce sexually and asexually but may differ in life cycle complexity. |
