tool

Manus

Name: Manus
Author: Manus AI (Butterfly Effect)

// Manus AI (Butterfly Effect)

Automation & AgentsAI Basics

// Description

Manus is the best-known autonomous AI agent: it plans multi-step tasks, browses, writes code and delivers finished results. Free plan with 300 daily credits, Pro from $20/month. In 2026 the Meta acquisition collapsed on Beijing's veto.

// Use Cases

Research with a finished report
Building web apps without code
Data analysis from one prompt
Automated routine tasks (Scheduled Tasks)

// Pricing

Free: 300 daily credits (Manus 1.6 Lite) / Pro from $20/month with 4,000 credits, $40 with 8,000 / Team from $20/seat (2-seat minimum) / monthly credits expire, daily credits reset every 24h

// AI Pirates Assessment

Manus is the best show-and-tell for the question 'what is an AI agent?': prompt in, finished deliverable out, with visible intermediate steps. For productive company workflows we still mostly build agents ourselves, because then logic and data belong to us.

// Deep Dive

What is Manus?

Manus launched in March 2025 as the 'first general AI agent' and overnight became the name for a whole category: AI that does not answer but works. Manus plans multi-step tasks on its own, browses the live web, writes and executes code, analyzes data and delivers a finished result: report, spreadsheet, website, deck. The user watches the agent work through its steps.

2026 status: models and features

The current model family Manus 1.6 comes in three tiers (Lite, Standard, Max). 2026 added a web app builder, Scheduled Tasks 2.0 for recurring jobs and connectors for Gmail, Google Calendar, Notion, Slack, WhatsApp and Telegram. The research toy has grown into an automation platform.

The company story made headlines too: Meta moved to acquire Manus, and China's antitrust regulator blocked the deal in April 2026. Manus remains independent.

Pricing

The free plan includes 300 credits per day (on the Lite model), refreshing daily without accumulating. Pro starts at $20/month with 4,000 monthly credits; the $40 tier brings 8,000. Teams pay from $20 per seat with a two-seat minimum. Budget note: monthly credits expire at period end, and complex agent runs can burn three-digit credit amounts.

How it compares

Manus now competes with the agent modes of ChatGPT and Gemini as well as with self-built stacks on LangChain or n8n. The difference: Manus ships autonomy pre-packaged, self-building gives control over logic, data and cost. The fundamentals are in our AI agent entry.

Want agents in production instead of demos? Our AI consulting builds the business case, our delivery team builds the agent.

// FAQ

What is Manus AI?

Manus is an autonomous AI agent: it plans multi-step tasks by itself, browses the web, writes and executes code and delivers finished results like reports, spreadsheets or web apps from a single prompt.

Is Manus free?

There is a free plan with 300 daily refreshing credits on the Manus 1.6 Lite model. For serious use: Pro from $20/month with 4,000 monthly credits.

How much does Manus cost?

Pro from $20/month (4,000 credits) or $40 (8,000 credits), Team from $20 per seat with a two-seat minimum. Note: monthly credits expire, and complex runs can burn three-digit credit amounts.

Did Meta buy Manus?

No. Meta moved to acquire it, but China's antitrust regulator blocked the deal in April 2026. Manus continues to operate independently.

Manus or building your own agent?

Manus delivers autonomy instantly and impressively, but as a black box with credit costs. For permanent company workflows, self-building (LangChain, n8n, your own models) often wins: full control over logic, data and cost.

Visit: Manus

// Related Entries

Need help with Manus?

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