- Manus is an autonomous AI agent that executes tasks rather than just answering questions, handling browsing, coding, data analysis, and file management independently.
- Meta acquired Manus in December 2025 for $2 billion after the startup reached $100 million in annualized revenue within eight months of launch.
- Pricing is credit-based with a free tier (300 daily credits), Pro plan (8,000 credits/month), and Team plan ($39/seat/month with 3,900 credits per seat).
- A desktop app launched in March 2026 adds local file and application access, expanding Manus beyond browser-based tasks.
What Is Manus?
Manus is an autonomous AI agent developed by a Singapore-based team and acquired by Meta in December 2025 for approximately $2 billion. It launched in March 2025 and quickly went viral as one of the first AI agents capable of executing multi-step tasks without human intervention.
The core difference between Manus and a standard chatbot is execution. Where ChatGPT produces text suggestions, Manus autonomously navigates websites, writes and runs code, manages files, and completes data analysis workflows. It is powered by Anthropic’s Claude as its primary LLM and has access to 29 integrated tools.
Key Features
Autonomous task execution. Manus handles multi-step workflows end to end. Ask it to research competitors and it will browse their sites, extract pricing data, compile it into a spreadsheet, and deliver the file. It does not stop to ask for confirmation at each step.
Desktop app with local access. In March 2026, Manus launched a desktop application with a “My Computer” feature that lets the agent interact directly with local files, tools, and applications on a user’s device.
29 integrated tools. The agent accesses tools for web navigation, code execution, media creation, and data analysis within a single session. This eliminates the need to switch between separate AI services.
Concurrent and scheduled tasks. Pro users can run up to 20 tasks simultaneously and schedule up to 20 recurring tasks, making it viable for automated workflows.
Pricing
Manus uses a credit-based system where credits are consumed based on task complexity. The Free plan includes 1,000 initial credits with 300 daily refresh credits and supports 1 concurrent task. The Pro plan provides 8,000 credits per month with 20 concurrent tasks and 20 scheduled tasks. The Team plan costs $39 per seat per month (five-seat minimum) with 3,900 credits per seat in a shared pool. Annual billing saves 17%.
Credit consumption varies significantly by task. Simple web searches may use 10-20 credits, while complex multi-step research and coding tasks can consume several hundred credits in a single run.
How It Compares
vs. ChatGPT: ChatGPT excels at conversational Q&A and content generation but requires manual execution of each step. Manus automates the full workflow. ChatGPT has deeper general knowledge; Manus has stronger task completion capabilities.
vs. Devin (Cognition): Devin focuses specifically on software engineering tasks. Manus is a general-purpose agent that handles coding alongside browsing, data analysis, and file management. Devin is more specialized; Manus is broader.
vs. AutoGPT: AutoGPT is open source and free but requires technical setup and is less reliable for complex tasks. Manus is a polished commercial product with higher task completion rates but costs money beyond the free tier.
What to Know Before Signing Up
Manus works best for users who regularly perform multi-step digital tasks that involve research, data processing, or content creation. The free tier is sufficient for testing but runs out quickly with complex tasks. Credit consumption is not always predictable, which can make budgeting difficult on the Pro plan.
The Meta acquisition means Manus will likely integrate more deeply with Meta’s ecosystem over time. Users concerned about data privacy within Meta’s infrastructure should review the updated terms of service. The agent occasionally produces errors on tasks requiring highly specific domain knowledge, so human review of outputs remains necessary.
