Immobilization of plant cells is still a young technology but this review illustrates the potential it has for improving the production of phytochemicals. The similarity between the immobilized state and whole tissue is emphasized and the way in which this can be used to advantage is discussed. The delicate nature of plant cells limits the methods which can be used for their immobilization but once bound, the cells can be used for both biotransformations and perhaps more importantly biosynthesis. The slow metabolism and peculiar nutrient demands of plant cells restrict the reactor configurations which can be considered for long term operation, However preliminary estimates of production costs suggest that immobilized cells would be more economic than cultured cells for the production of extracellular secondary metabolites.