Significance Cell surface determinants such as glycans, receptors, and adhesion molecules govern cell sociology in a complex manner. By forming cell-like hybrids of chemically programmable (glyco)dendrimersomes with bacterial membrane vesicles, evidence is obtained for the feasibility of combining chemical and biological surface design in one entity. Such tunable cell-like hybrids with custom-made combinations of surface epitopes and active receptors will likely find utility in dissecting the functionality of individual entities in complex networks and ultimately enable novel biomedical applications.