Scientific illustration libraries help researchers create accurate biological figures, diagrams, and presentation visuals without advanced design skills. Below are some of the best free scientific illustration resources used worldwide.
NIH BioArt (BioArt Source)
NIH BioArt is a free biomedical illustration library developed by professional medical illustrators at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). It provides scientifically accurate visuals of cells, organs, laboratory equipment, and biological processes. These illustrations are widely used in research posters, classroom teaching, and scientific presentations. All images are freely downloadable for academic and educational purposes.
Best For: Biomedical illustrations and teaching visuals
Format: PNG, high-resolution images
License: Free for educational use
Website: BioArt
BioIcons
BioIcons is an open-source scientific icon library designed for researchers, educators, and students. It contains thousands of editable icons representing cells, molecules, laboratory instruments, and experimental workflows. The graphics are available in vector and PNG formats, making them ideal for creating custom scientific diagrams using PowerPoint or Inkscape.
Best For: Scientific diagrams and workflow illustrations
Format: SVG, PNG
License: Open-source reuse allowed
Website: BioIcons
SMART – Servier Medical Art
SMART (Servier Medical Art) is one of the most popular free medical illustration libraries available online. It offers professionally designed visuals covering anatomy, diseases, cellular biology, and laboratory science. Distributed under a Creative Commons license, SMART illustrations are frequently used in lectures, publications, and research posters and serve as a strong alternative to BioRender.
Best For: Medical and anatomical illustrations
Format: SVG, PNG
License: Creative Commons Attribution
Website: Smart Servier
SciDraw
SciDraw is a community-driven platform providing editable scientific drawings for academic use. The database includes biological structures, organs, animals, and laboratory equipment in vector format. Researchers can easily customize these graphics to design figures for presentations, posters, and scientific papers.
Best For: Editable scientific figures
Format: Vector graphics
License: Open academic use
Website: SciDraw