Manus vs Your Own AI Assistant: which one gets your job done?
Both do real work on their own cloud computer instead of just answering. Manus is built to make things from one request; our assistant is built to be reached by text and email and to keep a job going until it's done.
Side by side
| Manus | Your Own AI Assistant | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An AI agent that takes a whole job, such as research, slides or a website, and does it on its own computer in the cloud. | A personal AI assistant with its own email address and its own computer: you text or email it a job, it does the work and writes back. |
| Price | Free: $0; Pro: from $20/month; Pro (higher tier): from $40/month | Free trial (no card); then from $99 a month |
| Free to try | Free plan with daily credits; 7-day trial on the $40 Pro tier | Free trial, no card: up to $250 of use or 14 days |
| Does the task itself | yes it plans and carries out whole jobs on its own cloud computer | Yes on its own computer and browser, end to end |
| Its own email address | yes a personal @manus.bot address that turns emails into tasks | Yes its own address people can write to |
| You can text it | no no SMS, iMessage or WhatsApp on the pages we checked (its separate Cue app gives agents a phone number, in early access) | Yes you text it like a person |
| Its own computer and browser | yes tasks run on cloud virtual machines, and Cloud Computer keeps projects running | Yes its own cloud computer with a browser |
| Remembers you | Not described on the pages we checked; work lives in projects and tasks | Keeps notes about you and your jobs between conversations |
| Where it lives | web, desktop app, iOS and Android apps, Slack, email (Mail Manus) | Text (iMessage, SMS) and email; no app to install |
Getting real tasks done
Manus plans a whole job and does it on cloud computers: slides, websites, web apps, research reports, spreadsheets, images and video. Its September 2026 release, Manus 2.0, added a Cloud Computer for projects that must keep running, and automations that start when a new email, calendar event or Slack message arrives.
Our assistant also has its own cloud computer with a web browser. The difference is the shape of the job. Manus is at its best when the result is a file you can open. Ours is at its best when the result is something done: a form filled in, an account opened, a support page dealt with, a reply chased.
Email, texting and phone calls
With Mail Manus you get your own @manus.bot address. Forward or CC an email to it and the email becomes a task; the result comes back by email. Only senders you approve can start tasks. We found no texting (SMS, iMessage or WhatsApp) on Manus's own pages; its separate Cue app, which gives agents a phone number, is in early access.
Our assistant has its own email address that anyone can write to, so the plumber can reply to it directly and it carries on from there. You text it like a person (iMessage or SMS), and it can phone a business for you.
What it costs
Manus has a free plan with 300 daily refresh credits, capped at 1,500 a month and limited to its lighter model, one task at a time. Pro starts at $20 a month (from 4,000 credits) and a higher tier at $40 a month comes with a 7-day free trial. Credits depend on how complex a task is, the last step of a task can push your balance below zero, and unused credits don't roll over.
Our assistant has a free trial with no card: up to $250 of use or 14 days, whichever comes first. After that, plans run from $99 to $999 a month in $100 steps, each step with 10,000 credits of work. That is more than Manus, because it runs its own computer for you and keeps long jobs going.
Who each suits
Pick Manus if you make things: the pitch deck for Monday, a competitor report, a landing page. It's also good if you already like working in an app on the web, desktop or phone.
Pick our assistant if you'd rather hand off errands by text and get on with your day: get the refund from the airline, book the boiler service, remind the client about the invoice on Friday and tell me what they say.
Pick Manus if
- You want a finished deck, report or website from one request
- You want a free plan, or paid plans from $20 a month
- You like working in an app on the web, desktop or phone
- You want automations that start from a new email or calendar event
Pick Your Own AI Assistant if
- You'd rather text a job than open an app
- The job takes days: chasing replies, checking back, reminding
- Other people need to write back to your assistant directly
- The job needs a phone call to a business
Questions people ask
- Can I text Manus?
- Not on the pages we checked. You use its web, desktop or phone apps, Slack, or Mail Manus (its own @manus.bot email address). Its separate Cue app gives agents a phone number, but it is in early access.
- Is Manus cheaper than Your Own AI Assistant?
- Yes. Manus has a free plan and paid plans from $20 a month. Our assistant has a free trial (no card, up to $250 of use or 14 days) and then plans from $99 a month.
- Do both have their own computer?
- Yes. Manus runs tasks on cloud virtual machines and has a Cloud Computer for always-on projects. Our assistant runs on its own cloud computer with a web browser, which it uses to work in ordinary websites.
Updated 2026-11-08. Product facts from each maker's own pages: see Manus and Your Own AI Assistant for sources.
Want an assistant that does the job, not just the draft?
Our pick gets its own email address and its own computer. You text it the job; it does the work and texts you back.
Start free Free to try, no card. Ready in about a minute.