Mitosis and binary fission are both processes of cellular division. Broadly, cellular division can be classified as sexual and asexual. Asexual cellular division happens in somatic cells, in other words non-sex cells. Both mitosis and binary fission are asexual processes of cellular division. That is where the similarities end. There is substantial difference between mitosis and binary fission.
Mitosis
Let us begin with a brief illustration of mitosis. Mitosis, which can be called as a form of cell replication, happens in animals and plants. The process leads to formation of two new cells, referred to as daughters, which would have the same traits or properties as the parent cell, referred to as the mother. The qualitative and quantitative properties of the two daughter cells which are also known as product cells would be formed through four phases. The four phases include the G1 stage which involves transcription of RNA and protein synthesis, the S stage that involves synthesis of DNA in the parent cell, G2 stage which involves an acquisition of cellular energy to increase the cell size including the nucleolus and finally the mitotic phase when chromosomal division takes place. The phases are also known as prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase.
Binary Fission
Binary fission, which is also referred to as prokaryotic fission is a simpler process than mitosis. It happens in cells that don’t have a nucleus. Cells simply get split into two cells through binary fission. The process is faster, simpler and happens in one of the three ways. The three types of binary fission are simple, transverse and longitudinal. As the names imply, simple binary fission involves division of a cell in any random manner across any plane, transverse binary fission is division of a cell at the transverse axis or plane and longitudinal binary fission involves division of a cell along the longitudinal plane or alignment of the cell.
Binary fission has only one phase, unlike the four phases of mitosis. Cells that have a nucleus will always replicate or divide using mitosis. Such cells are called eukaryotes. Binary fission does not have the ability to facilitate spindle formation.
Breaking it Down
In simple words, mitosis is a process of asexual cellular division that happens in multi-cellular organisms like humans where there are multiple chromosomes whereas binary fission happens in single celled organisms such as amoeba. Through binary fission, the cells are split into two identical cells. In mitosis, cells have similar properties but are not identical.
