Manus: what it does, what it costs, where it struggles
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.
- Made by
- Manus AI
- Kind
- agent
- Free to try
- Free plan with daily credits; 7-day trial on the $40 Pro tier
- Where
- web, desktop app, iOS and Android apps, Slack, email (Mail Manus)
What it does
Manus is a general AI agent. You describe a job and it plans and does it, producing things like slides, websites and web apps, research reports, documents, spreadsheets, images, video and games.
Its September 2026 release (Manus 2.0) added a Cloud Computer for projects that must keep running, automations that start from events (a new email, a calendar event, a Slack message), a desktop workspace called Manus Studio, and remote control of your own computer from your phone, in sessions you approve.
With Mail Manus you get your own @manus.bot address: forward or CC an email to it and the email becomes a task; results come back by email. Only senders you approve can trigger tasks.
Manus also launched Cue, a separate app for personal agents that each get their own email, phone number, wallet and computer; it is in early access.
Main features
- Does whole jobs: research, slides, websites, apps, documents
- Wide Research for big research tasks
- Cloud Computer for always-on projects
- Automations triggered by email, calendar or Slack events
- Mail Manus: its own @manus.bot email address
- Web, desktop and mobile apps; Slack integration
- Remote control of your own computer (sessions you approve)
What it costs
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 300 daily refresh credits (the credit rules page caps these at 1,500 a month and limits them to the lighter Manus model); 1 task at a time, 2 scheduled automations. |
| Pro | from $20/month | From 4,000 credits a month; 20 tasks at once, 20 scheduled automations. 17% off with yearly billing. |
| Pro (higher tier) | from $40/month | From 8,000 credits a month; 7-day free trial. |
| Team | from $20 per seat per month | All Pro features with a shared credit pool. |
Who it's for
- People who want finished work (a deck, a report, a site) from one request
- Small businesses that need research and documents without hiring
- People who like to hand off a job by forwarding an email
Where it struggles
- Everything runs on credits that depend on how complex the task is, so cost is hard to know in advance.
- A task's last step can push your balance below zero, and then you can't start new tasks until credits refresh.
- Unused monthly credits don't roll over, and bought add-on credits stop working if you drop back to the Free plan.
- The Free plan runs one task at a time and only on the lighter model.
- Its main pricing page did not show prices when we checked; the figures here come from its own help center, which says the live pricing page is what counts.
At a glance
| Manus | |
|---|---|
| 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. |
| Price | Free: $0; Pro: from $20/month; Pro (higher tier): from $40/month |
| Free to try | Free plan with daily credits; 7-day trial on the $40 Pro tier |
| Does the task itself | yes it plans and carries out whole jobs on its own cloud computer |
| Its own email address | yes a personal @manus.bot address that turns emails into tasks |
| 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) |
| Its own computer and browser | yes tasks run on cloud virtual machines, and Cloud Computer keeps projects running |
| Remembers you | Not described on the pages we checked; work lives in projects and tasks |
| Where it lives | web, desktop app, iOS and Android apps, Slack, email (Mail Manus) |
How it compares
If you want an assistant that does the work itself rather than helping you do it, see how Manus stacks up: Manus vs Your Own AI Assistant, Manus vs Genspark.
Listed in: The best AI agents for small business owners in 2026, The best AI agents in 2026, for people who aren't engineers, The best ChatGPT alternatives in 2026.
Questions people ask
- Is Manus free?
- Yes, there is a free plan with 300 daily refresh credits, one task at a time. Paid plans start at $20 a month.
- Can I email Manus a task?
- Yes. Mail Manus gives you an @manus.bot address. Forward or CC an email to it from an approved sender and it becomes a task, with results sent back by email.
- What if a task fails?
- Its help center says tasks that fail because of a problem on Manus's side are fully refunded in credits.
Checked 2026-11-08 on Manus AI's own pages: Manus home page, Manus pricing page (prices did not load as text), Manus help: current membership pricing, Manus help: credit rules, Manus docs: plans, Introducing Manus 2.0. Prices change; check the maker's pricing page before you buy.
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