FigCanvas is an AI tool that makes scientific illustrations, plots, and flowcharts from prompts or data. Free plan; Pro from $12.50/month billed yearly.
Researched and fact-checked by Bartu Cavusoglu · Updated October 26, 2026
FigCanvas is a web app that helps researchers make scientific illustrations, data plots, and flowcharts from a text prompt or an uploaded dataset. It is built for papers, theses, posters, and talks, and aimed at people who need good figures without design or coding work.
The product gathers three figure types in one workspace and lets users edit and arrange them on a single canvas. The site reports more than 5,500 researchers and over 18,000 figures generated between January and October 2026, with users from more than 200 universities counted by academic email domain.
Users start with a plain-language prompt, pasted methods text, or a dataset. FigCanvas picks the figure type that fits the input and returns a working first draft, which the site says takes under two minutes.
Each figure type uses a different method. Data plots come from AI-written Python code run in a sandbox on the uploaded numbers, so the same data and code give the same figure. Flowcharts are generated as a diagram definition with separate editable boxes, arrows, and labels. Illustrations are produced by an image model.
After generation, users refine labels, prompts, and layout, then export PNG on any plan, or SVG and PDF on Pro.
The data plotting tool accepts CSV, TSV, TXT, XLSX, and XLS files or pasted values and covers bar charts, scatter plots, heatmaps, violin plots, PCA, and volcano plots. Pro users can download the underlying code. The flowchart tool handles PRISMA, CONSORT, study designs, and analysis pipelines.
Illustrations can be turned into editable SVG with the Vectorize command, which costs 20 credits and opens an in-browser editor for text, colors, and elements. An infinite canvas with smart guides supports multi-panel layouts of up to six panels and beyond.
Defaults for color palettes, typography, and chart conventions such as error bars and axis labels follow styles common in published journal figures.
FigCanvas is an AI web app for researchers that generates scientific illustrations, data plots, and flowcharts from a text prompt or uploaded dataset. Figures can be edited and arranged on one canvas.
The Free plan is $0. Pro is $19.90 per month or $149.90 per year, equal to $12.50 per month. Credit Packs and a Custom institutional plan are also offered.
Yes. Free users get 30 credits on the first day, 18 per day for the first 3 days, then 10 per day, with watermarked PNG export and up to 3 projects. No credit card is required.
Yes. Free exports can be published in papers, theses, and posters with the credit line "Created with FigCanvas (figcanvas.com)", but not commercially. Paid exports need no attribution. Each journal sets its own policy on AI-generated images.
Free users export watermarked PNG. Pro users export watermark-free PNG, editable SVG, and 300 DPI PDF at no per-export cost. Credit Pack users get the same formats for 5 credits per export.
No. Users describe the figure in plain language or upload data, and the AI writes the plotting code. Pro users can download that code.
Yes. Data visualizations and flowcharts are editable on the canvas. Illustrations can be vectorized into editable SVG on paid plans for 20 credits.
It is positioned as an alternative with an AI-assisted workflow, and the site has a comparison page. It does not offer a large curated icon library, which is where BioRender is strongest according to the site.