| Votes | By | Price | Discipline | Year Launched |
| Bioicons (Simon Dürr) | OPENS SOURCE | Interdisciplinary |
Bioicons is a free, community-driven resource offering open-source biological and medical illustrations, designed to help scientists, educators, and communicators create high-quality visuals without licensing barriers. Launched to support FAIR and open science principles, the platform aggregates thousands of vector icons and illustrations contributed by professionals, it easily integrates with Inkscape, draw.io and other free image rendering applications. Bioicons along with draw.io or Inkscape can replace paid options from Biorender and other expensive platform.
Key Features
- Large, searchable library of biology-focused icons (cells, organs, molecules, lab equipment, ecology, pathogens, etc.)
- 100% free and open-source under permissive licenses (typically CC0 or CC-BY)
- Download in vector formats such as SVG, AI, and PNG—ideal for presentations, posters, infographics, or scientific publishing
- Collections and categories for easier browsing (e.g., genetics, microbiology, cells, ecology)
- Contributor-friendly: anyone can submit illustrations
- Supports citation and attribution to encourage ethical reuse
Use Cases
- Scientific presentations (PowerPoint, Keynote, Google Slides)
- Graphical abstracts for journals
- Figures for research papers
- Educational materials
- Outreach, posters, and communication graphics
Why It Matters
Bioicons fills a critical gap for researchers who need professional visuals but do not have graphic-design resources or budgets for stock art. It strengthens the visual communication layer of science and aligns with the broader movement toward open scientific tools.