| Characteristic | Prokaryote | Plant | Animal |
| Cell membrane | Single or Double | Single | Single |
| Cell wall | Yes, some not | Yes | No |
| Size | 1 micrometer | 10-100 micrometer | 10-100 micrometer |
| Nucleus | Membrane absent | Double membrane | Double membrane |
| DNA | .=0.6x10^6 to 5x10^6 | 8x10^7 to 1x10^11 | 1.5x10^9 to 6x10^9 |
| Chromosomes | Single circular | Multiple linear | Multiple linear |
| Cytoskeleton | Absent | Present | Present |
| Cytoplasmic Organelles | Absent | Present | Present |
| Mitochondria | Absent | Present | Present |
| Chloroplast | Absent | Present | Absent |
| Vacuole | Absent | Present | Absent |
| Peroxisomes | Absent | Present | Present |
| Lysosomes | Absent | Present | Present |
| Golgi | Absent | Present | Present |
| Endoplasmic Reticulum | Absent | Present | Present |
| Ribosomes | 70S | 80S 70S in chloroplast & mitochondria | 80S 70S in mitochondria |
| Multicellular | No | Most yes, some not | Most yes, some not |