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BioRender Alternative for Interactive 3D Teaching Models

BioRender makes publication-quality 2D figures from an icon library. Scholarly builds interactive, labelled 3D models from your own notes, PDFs, or slides that you and your students can rotate in the browser, then export for lecture slides. For journal figures and posters, BioRender is still the right pick.

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Scholarly vs BioRender: Feature Comparison

An honest look at how the two platforms compare.

What it makes

Scholarly
Interactive, labelled 3D teaching models you rotate in the browser
BioRender
2D scientific figures, graphs, and posters

Where a visual starts

Scholarly
Your notes, PDFs, slides, websites, or recordings, or a description in chat
BioRender
Icon library, templates, and AI figure tools

Protein structures

Scholarly
Illustrative teaching models, not PDB structures
BioRender
3D models from the Protein Data Bank

Exports

Scholarly
4K PNG, transparent PNG, 8-second turntable video, .glb (paid plans)
BioRender
High-res exports and PowerPoint export (paid plans)

Free plan

Scholarly
Free to start; a full build uses 1 AI Creation Credit
BioRender
Up to 3 figures; no commercial use or publication

Quiz and flashcards from the same source

Scholarly
BioRender

Starting paid price (USD)

Scholarly
See plans below
BioRender
Academic Individual $35/mo billed yearly, or $39 monthly

Best for

Scholarly
Teaching and studying structure in 3D
BioRender
Journal figures, grants, posters, and slides

BioRender or Scholarly: Which Should You Pick?

Pick by where the visual is going: a publication or a lesson.

A figure for a journal paper or grant

Better pick
BioRender
Why
Its paid academic plans include publishing rights, and its icons are built for figures.

A conference poster

Better pick
BioRender
Why
It has a scientific poster builder and templates.

A graph from Prism, CSV, or Excel data

Better pick
BioRender
Why
BioRender Graphing imports those files directly.

A cell or organelle students can turn and explore

Better pick
Scholarly
Why
Models are interactive 3D in the browser, with labels that stay readable as they rotate.

A model labelled in the words of your own notes

Better pick
Scholarly
Why
Scholarly builds from the notes, PDFs, or slides you add.

A 3D visual for lecture slides

Better pick
Scholarly
Why
Export a transparent PNG, a turntable video, or a .glb that opens in PowerPoint and Keynote.

BioRender facts checked November 2026 against: BioRender pricing, BioRender home page

Comparing tools for a whole team?

Scholarly Teams puts your team, class, lab, or company on one Premium or Laureate plan - the chosen access for every member, all built from your shared material.

Where BioRender Still Shines

BioRender is a great tool with real strengths worth acknowledging.

Built for publication

Per its pricing page, BioRender's paid academic plans include academic publishing rights and its industry plans include commercial usage rights. That is the job Scholarly is not built for.

Icons and templates

BioRender has an expert-vetted icon library and, per its home page, thousands of customizable templates, so a figure can match the visual style journals expect.

Graphing, posters, and PDB proteins

It also graphs Prism, CSV, and Excel data, builds scientific posters, and places 3D models from the Protein Data Bank into figures.

Where Scholarly Fits Better

A model you can turn, not a flat figure

Orbit, zoom, switch between front, side, and top views, or start a turntable. Students see how the parts sit in space instead of reading one fixed angle.

Built from your own material

Add notes, PDFs, slides, websites, or recordings (1 to 20 sources, depending on plan), or start empty and describe the model in chat.

Labels in your words

Labels come from your source, with leader lines that stay readable as the model rotates, so the model matches the lecture.

Sliders and switches when they teach

When a value changes the outcome, the model gets live controls, so students can change it and watch what happens.

Exports for your slides

On a paid plan, export a 4K PNG, a transparent PNG, an 8-second 1080p turntable video, or a .glb file for PowerPoint and Keynote.

More study tools from the same source

The same notes can also become a quiz, flashcards, slides, or a narrated video lecture.

How Scholarly Works

Step 1: Add your source or describe it

Pick notes, a PDF, slides, a website, or a recording from your library, or start empty and describe the model in chat.

Step 2: Scholarly builds the model

You confirm the AI Creation Credit first. In a few minutes the AI builds an interactive 3D model with labels taken from your material.

Step 3: Refine, then use it

Ask chat for free small edits, turn and zoom the model in your browser, and on a paid plan export a PNG, a turntable MP4, or a .glb file.

Scholarly vs BioRender: A Closer Look

BioRender is the standard tool for scientific figures. Per its pricing page in November 2026, the free plan covers up to 3 figures and does not allow commercial use or publication, and Academic Individual is $35 a month billed yearly ($39 monthly). Paid plans add unlimited figures, high-res exports, slide decks, and publishing rights.

Scholarly does a different job. You add your notes, a PDF, or slides, confirm the build, and its AI writes an interactive 3D model as three.js code: geometry, materials, lighting, labels with leader lines, and animation. You refine it by asking chat, and small edits are free. 3D models are in Beta.

Scholarly models are illustrative teaching models, not PDB structures and not checked for publication accuracy. Use BioRender for figures that go into a paper, grant, or poster. Use Scholarly when you want students to explore a structure in 3D during a lecture or while they study.

Keep exploring

Related Pages

3D models in Scholarly

How 3D models work, what they cost, and what they can't do yet.

AI 3D cell model generator

Animal, plant, and bacterial cell cutaways with labelled organelles.

AI 3D protein model generator

Alpha helices, beta sheets, and active sites explained in 3D.

AI 3D biology model generator

Neurons, leaves, and viruses as labelled teaching models.

3D models for teachers

Turn lesson notes into models students can rotate in class.

BioDigital alternative

A fixed anatomy library vs 3D models built from your own material.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best BioRender alternative for 3D teaching models?

If you want an interactive 3D model rather than a flat figure, Scholarly builds one from your notes, PDFs, or slides, labelled in their words, which you and your students can rotate in the browser. For publication figures, posters, and graphs, BioRender is still the better fit.

Can I use a Scholarly model as a journal figure?

We don't recommend it. Scholarly models are illustrative teaching models built by AI, not PDB structures, and they are not checked for publication accuracy. For journal figures, grants, and posters, use BioRender or a similar figure tool.

Does Scholarly have an icon library like BioRender?

No. There are no icons to drag. Scholarly's AI writes each model as three.js code from your source or your description, and you change it by asking chat. There is no manual sculpting or dragging of parts.

How accurate are the models?

Labels come from the material you add, but the AI can still get something wrong, so check the labels before a model goes in front of students. Models explain structure; they are not measured, CAD-accurate, or validated structures.

Can I put a model in my lecture slides?

Yes, on a paid plan. Export a 4K PNG, a PNG with a transparent background, an 8-second 1080p turntable video, or a .glb file that opens in PowerPoint, Keynote, and Blender. There is no STL or OBJ export.

How much does Scholarly cost?

Scholarly is free to start. A full model build uses 1 AI Creation Credit, and you confirm it first; a build on the best model uses 2 credits on paid plans. Small edits in chat are free, and exports need a paid plan.

Build Your Next Lecture Visual in 3D

Add your notes or a PDF, confirm the build, and get a labelled 3D model you can turn, refine in chat, and export for slides.

Sample lecture

What one video lecture gets

Free makes a lecture of about 2 minutes in 720p with the Scholarly logo, to watch in Scholarly. Premium and Laureate make lectures up to 45 minutes in 1080p that you can download as an MP4, with the logo off if you choose.

Pricing shown in USD by default. Local currency may be available in app or at checkout.

Compare plans

Image creation · Beta

Shared across Image Studio and chat. Separate from AI Creation Credits. Free images are lifetime and do not reset. Paid allowances reset weekly without rollover. Limits may change during beta.

Free
2 lifetime
Premium
40/week
Laureate
80/week

AI chat

Premium and Laureate include unlimited AI chat on Auto. Chat starts on Best, and premium models such as GPT 6.1 Sol, Claude Sonnet 5.5, and Claude Opus 5.5 draw on a weekly premium usage allowance; when it runs out, chat keeps going on Auto until it resets. Chat never spends AI Creation Credits.

Free
3 total
Premium
Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

Premium chat models (Best)

Chat answers on Best, the strongest model, by default. Premium models draw on a weekly allowance that resets every Monday at 00:00 UTC; long threads, large files, background tasks, and Claude Opus 5.5 use it faster. When it runs out, chat keeps going on Auto until the reset.

Free
Not included
Premium
Weekly usage
Laureate
4× weekly usage

AI Creation Credits

AI Creation Credits cover videos, slides, documents, and other AI creations. Most models use 1 credit, a few use 2, and Frontier models use 2, 3, or 4. Image Studio and chat images have a separate weekly allowance.

Free
1 total
Premium
15/week
Laureate
80/week

Podcast length

Free episodes are about 2 minutes. Paid plans can set a target length up to 60 minutes.

Free
About 2 minutes
Premium
Up to 60 minutes
Laureate
Up to 60 minutes

Video lecture length

Free lectures with a length control are about 2 minutes. Paid plans can set a target up to 45 minutes. Short uses its own short video format.

Free
About 2 minutes
Premium
Up to 45 minutes
Laureate
Up to 45 minutes

Video lecture resolution

Free
720p
Premium
1080p
Laureate
1080p

Download lectures as MP4

Free
-
Premium
Included
Laureate
Included

Scholarly logo on lectures

Free
Always on
Premium
Your choice
Laureate
Your choice

File uploads

Free
1 total (8MB)
Premium
Unlimited (300MB)
Laureate
Unlimited (1 GB each)

PDF to flashcards

Free
32 pages
Premium
1000 pages
Laureate
3000 pages

Sources per creation

Free
Up to 1
Premium
Up to 10
Laureate
Up to 20

Practice questions

Free
5 total
Premium
Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

Practice exams

Free
1 total
Premium
Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

Voice mode

Free
5 min total
Premium
2 hr/day
Laureate
12 hr/day

Autocomplete

Free
500 words total
Premium
Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

Export to Anki

Free
-
Premium
Included
Laureate
Included

Support

Free
Standard
Premium
Priority
Laureate
Priority

What customers say

Scholarly has enhanced the quality of notes and questions I administer to my tutees. Insightful, to the point.

TD Georgas

TD Georgas

Tutor

I have very good experience with Scholarly it summarize me scientific text in hovel academic level with citation. I use this for any therapeutic area . It is great and useful tool.

Diana

Diana

Scholarly user

Scholarly has been a valuable tool for my studies. The AI-generated flashcards and intuitive features make organizing and retaining information much easier.

Briana

Briana

Scholarly user

This app is great for studying for big test. Drop your PDF's in the system and it'll do the trick. You can organize it specifically for your needs.

Kelvin

Kelvin

Scholarly user

Your questions, answered

Is Scholarly free to use?

Yes! The free plan includes core study tools with lifetime allowances: 3 AI Chat messages, 500 autocomplete words, 5 quiz questions, 5 voice minutes, 1 practice exam, one free AI Creation Credit total, and 1 file upload. These allowances do not reset. Image Studio and chat also share 2 lifetime images during beta; this separate Free allowance does not reset and may change. Upgrade to Premium for 15 AI Creation Credits per week and unlimited uploads.

What uses my free AI Creation Credits?

AI Creation Credits are shared across flashcards, podcasts, videos, slides, AI Documents, Deep Research, and the Transcribe tool. The selected model determines the credit cost. Recording a meeting does not use an AI Creation Credit. Transcript and notes are included, up to 10 hours on paid plans.

Can I cancel anytime?

Absolutely. There are no contracts or commitments. You can cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings, and you'll keep access until the end of your billing period.

What payment methods do you accept?

We accept all major credit and debit cards through Stripe. Pricing is displayed in USD by default, but local currency is available in the app.

Can I use Scholarly with a class or school?

Yes. For a school or organization-wide rollout, contact us at hello@scholarly.so and we'll help you find the right setup.

What happens when I hit a free plan limit?

You'll see a prompt to upgrade. Your existing work is never lost - limits only apply to new actions. Most Free allowances are lifetime limits. The separate beta image allowance includes 2 lifetime images on Free with no reset, 40 per week on Premium, and 80 per week on Laureate. Limits may change during beta. Premium includes 15 AI Creation Credits per week, podcasts up to 60 minutes, video lectures up to 45 minutes, unlimited uploads, chat, autocomplete, quizzes, and exams, plus more daily voice time.