2026 Review

Manus

General-purpose AI agent that plans and executes whole tasks in its own cloud virtual computer.

AutomationFreemiumAPIPopular45% positiveAgent

Facts checked Aug 9, 2026

About Manus

Manus is a general-purpose AI agent from Butterfly Effect that takes a goal — research, spreadsheets, code, slide decks, web tasks — and executes it end to end inside its own cloud virtual computer. A free plan refreshes 300 credits daily; Pro starts at $20/month for 4,000 credits (17% off billed annually) with higher-credit tiers up to $200/month, and Team plans start at $20/seat/month with a two-seat minimum. Credit burn varies with task complexity, so real costs depend heavily on what you run.

At a glance

Founded: 2022
Headquarters: Singapore, SG
Platforms: Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android

Integrates with

GmailGoogle DriveNotionSlackGitHubStripe

Main competitors

ChatGPT LindyGenspark

Best for

Research reportsData analysis & spreadsheetsSlide decksWebsite buildingWeb automation

Pros

Genuinely hands-off — completes multi-step tasks without babysitting
Usable free plan with 300 credits refreshed daily
Cloud execution means work continues while you're offline
Tiers from $20 to $200/month scale with workload

Cons

Credit burn is unpredictable — complex tasks can eat a month's allowance fast
Credits are consumed even when a task goes off-track
External reviews are dominated by billing and support complaints (G2 2.2, Trustpilot ~2.7)
Ownership is unsettled — Chinese regulators blocked Meta's ~$2B acquisition in April 2026 and the deal is still being unwound

Our verdict

Best for: People who want to delegate whole tasks — research decks, data work, small apps — rather than build workflows step by step.

Skip if: You need predictable per-task costs or dependable support; credit burn and service complaints are well documented.

Our review

Manus is the closest thing to handing work to a junior employee that this directory covers. You give it a goal, it opens its own cloud computer, and it browses, writes code, builds spreadsheets or slide decks, and comes back with finished files — while you're free to close the laptop. The 300 free daily credits are enough to feel the magic, and the 20-concurrent-task ceiling on Pro turns it into a genuine parallel workforce for research-heavy jobs.

The economics and reliability are the problem. Credits burn at rates that are hard to predict, failed or wandering tasks still consume them, and the review record is genuinely poor: a 2.2 on G2 and a Trustpilot page full of billing and support complaints. That divergence — impressive product, shaky operation — is the defining trade-off. Workflow tools like Zapier or n8n are boring by comparison but utterly predictable in cost and behavior.

There's also a corporate-stability question no other tool in this category carries. Meta agreed to buy Butterfly Effect for around $2B in December 2025; Chinese regulators blocked the deal on national-security grounds in April 2026, and Meta started unwinding it in June, severing data access while an investor consortium led by Tencent works out a buyback. None of this has degraded the product — Manus has kept shipping connectors through the whole saga — but if you are building a business process on top of an agent, factor in that its owner is genuinely undetermined right now.

Verdict: worth the free plan for anyone curious about agents, and worth $20/month for people who regularly need open-ended tasks done end to end. Keep repeatable business-critical processes on deterministic automation tools, and watch your credit meter.

What reviewers elsewhere say

45% positive — Early adopters praise the hands-off autonomy and finished deliverables; G2 and Trustpilot reviews are dominated by credit-burn, billing, and support complaints.

G2 2.2 out of 5 (5 reviews)Trustpilot 2.7 out of 5 (176 reviews)

Sentiment estimated from reviews on G2, Trustpilot, Reddit, as of Aug 2026. Third-party scores are point-in-time snapshots. We don't host user reviews.

Key features

Autonomous agent that plans, browses, codes, and delivers finished output without step-by-step prompting
Cloud virtual computer — tasks keep running after you close your laptop
Up to 20 concurrent tasks on Pro plans
Builds and deploys websites, slide decks, and spreadsheets from a single prompt
Desktop and mobile apps that hand tasks off to the cloud
Developer API for building on the Manus agent

Manus as an agent

AgentRuns unattendedUnpredictable cost

Job: Computer & browser
Runs on: Vendor cloud
Your own model key: Not supported

What you give it access to

Your logged-in browser session

What to watch for

A single overnight run can consume a month of credits with nothing to show
Runs unattended, so a misread goal is discovered only at the end
Ownership has been contested through 2026 — see the review before depending on it

How it bills

Credits. One task here means one stated goal → a finished deliverable produced in its own cloud sandbox. Every step spends credits; a simple lookup costs tens while one long autonomous run can consume thousands, and credits do not roll over.

Agent capabilities checked August 2026. Not hands-on tested — these are the vendor's documented capabilities, read carefully. Limits and permissions change between checks, so confirm approval settings and any spending cap before you connect an account. Compare every AI agent.

How to use Manus

Sign up free at manus.im — you get 300 credits refreshed daily.
Describe the outcome you want in plain language: a report, spreadsheet, site, or analysis.
Let Manus plan the task — it browses, codes, and works in its cloud computer while you do other things.
Interrupt with corrections at any point; the agent adjusts course mid-task.
Download the deliverables, and upgrade to Pro if daily credits can't cover your workload.

Pricing

Deal: Annual billing saves 17% on Pro and Team plans

Free$0

300 credits refreshed daily, 1 concurrent task, Manus 1.6 Lite in Agent Mode.

ProFrom $20/mo

4,000 credits/month at $20; higher tiers at $40/mo (8,000 credits, 7-day free trial) up to $200/mo (40,000 credits). 20 concurrent tasks; 17% off billed annually.

TeamFrom $20/seat/mo

Two-seat minimum. 8,000+ credits per seat plus pooled credits, SSO, access controls, and team analytics; 17% off billed annually.

Pricing verified August 2026 · prices as listed by the vendor; check the official site for current offers.

Try Manus

Frequently asked questions

What is Manus?

Manus is a general-purpose autonomous AI agent that executes whole tasks — research, data work, coding, slide decks — inside its own cloud virtual computer, rather than just chatting about them.

How much does Manus cost?

There's a free plan with 300 credits refreshed daily. Pro starts at $20/month for 4,000 credits, with higher-credit tiers at $40 and $200/month; annual billing saves 17%. Team plans start at $20/seat/month with a two-seat minimum.

Who owns Manus?

Manus is built by Butterfly Effect, and its ownership is currently in flux. Meta agreed to buy the company for a reported ~$2B in December 2025; China's National Development and Reform Commission ordered the deal blocked in April 2026, and Meta began unwinding it in June 2026. A buyback led by original backers including Tencent, HSG, and ZhenFund has been framed but not confirmed as closed. The product has kept running normally for users throughout.

Does Manus have an API?

Yes — Butterfly Effect offers a developer API for building on the Manus agent, alongside product documentation and a help center.

How is Manus different from Zapier or Make?

Zapier and Make automate predefined workflows you build; Manus is an agent that figures out the steps itself. Use Manus for one-off open-ended tasks, and a workflow tool for repeatable triggered processes.