Get to know the tool
About Manus
Manus is an autonomous AI agent that carries out whole tasks for you — researching a topic, building a website, producing a slide deck or analysing data — instead of just chatting back and forth. It is built for founders, marketers, researchers and busy professionals who want finished deliverables rather than drafts to assemble themselves. You can start free with the Manus 2.0 Lite model, and paid Pro plans start at $20/month, according to Manus’s official site.
What is Manus?
Manus is a general-purpose AI agent. You describe the outcome you want in plain language, and Manus plans the steps, browses the web, uses its built-in tools and works in its own cloud environment, handing back a finished result: a research report, a working website, a presentation. The current generation is Manus 2.0, with a lighter Lite model and a more capable Max mode for demanding work.
There are two ways to work with it. Chat Mode handles quick questions, while Agent Mode is the full autonomous experience: Manus runs tasks in parallel, keeps working while you do something else, and can repeat jobs on a schedule. The unit of work is the completed task, not the reply.
Key Features
- Autonomous task execution: Describe the goal and Manus plans and completes multi-step work itself in Agent Mode — Pro plans run up to 20 concurrent tasks.
- Web research with Wide Research: Manus browses the live web for in-depth research, and Wide Research parallelises big topics across many threads at once.
- Website and app building: Build full-stack websites, native iOS and Android apps and games, and turn Figma designs into working code.
- Slides, video and design: Generate polished slide decks, create and edit video, design graphics, and produce images and music.
- Browser operator and cloud computer: Lend Manus a browser tab to act inside web tools for you, and keep agents running around the clock on its cloud computer.
- Automations and scheduled tasks: Recurring work — a weekly report, a daily digest — runs automatically on a schedule; Pro plans include 20 scheduled tasks.
- Connected apps: Slack integration, MCP connectors, Zapier access to thousands of apps, and direct links to Gmail, Notion, GitHub and HubSpot.
- Mail Manus and Agent Skills: Forward an email to turn it into action, and package know-how into reusable skills for future tasks.
How to Use Manus
- Create a free account at manus.im — every account receives 300 refresh credits each day you log in.
- Describe your task in plain language, or pick a suggested action such as creating slides or a website.
- Choose Agent Mode for a full task (or Chat Mode for a quick question) and let Manus build its plan.
- Follow its progress, answer any clarifying questions, and let it work in the background.
- Review the finished deliverable and ask for revisions where you need them.
- If the job repeats, save it as a scheduled task or automation, and watch your credit balance.
How much does Manus cost?
According to Manus’s official pricing page and help centre, Manus runs on credits: each task consumes credits based on its complexity and how long it runs, and credits are used only while a task runs. There is a free plan at $0, Pro plans from $20/month, and a Team plan from $20 per seat/month; annual billing saves 17%. Unused plan credits are cleared each cycle and do not roll over.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Manus 2.0 Lite in Agent Mode plus Chat Mode; 300 refresh credits daily |
| Pro (Standard) | $20/mo | 4,000 credits/month plus 300 daily refresh credits; in-depth research, websites and slides; 20 concurrent and 20 scheduled tasks |
| Pro (Customizable) | $40/mo | 8,000 credits/month, scalable up to 110,000; 7-day free trial; Wide Research scaled to your plan |
| Pro (Extended) | $200/mo | 40,000 credits/month; websites with data analytics; batch slide production; heavy-use Wide Research |
| Team | From $20/seat/mo | Per-seat plan for organisations; annual billing saves 17% |
Last verified: October 2026
Pros
- It finishes whole jobs — research, building, formatting — rather than returning text you must still turn into work
- An unusually broad toolkit in one subscription: research, websites, apps, slides, video and design
- The free plan plus 300 daily refresh credits make it genuinely easy to test before paying
- Scheduled tasks and automations turn one-off successes into hands-free recurring output
- Everything runs in the cloud, so long tasks keep going after you close the tab
Cons
- Credit use is hard to predict: consumption depends on a task’s complexity and duration, so deep research can burn through a monthly allowance fast
- Unused plan credits do not roll over — anything left is cleared each cycle
- The free plan is limited to the Lite model in Agent Mode; full Manus 2.0 and Max need a paid plan
- The jump from $40 to $200/month is steep if you outgrow the middle tier
- Outputs still need a careful human check before you send them to clients or publish them
Who should use Manus?
Manus suits solo founders and small teams who need research turned into decks, landing pages built without hiring a developer, and recurring reports on autopilot. Consultants, marketers and analysts with repeatable research-to-deliverable workflows will get the most from it. If your needs are narrower — structured decision-making rather than general task work — our Jev review covers a more specialised option, and you can compare more agents in the AI Agents & Automation category.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Manus free to use?
Yes. Manus has a free plan at $0 with the Manus 2.0 Lite model in Agent Mode and full Chat Mode access. Manus’s help centre says every account also receives 300 refresh credits each day it logs in, making the free plan a practical way to test real tasks.
How much does Manus Pro cost?
Manus Pro starts at $20/month with 4,000 credits. A customizable tier costs $40/month with 8,000 credits, scalable up to 110,000, with a 7-day free trial, while the extended tier is $200/month with 40,000 credits. Team starts at $20 per seat/month, and annual billing saves 17%.
How do Manus credits work?
Credits are consumed while a task runs; the amount depends on its complexity and duration, per Manus’s help centre. Storing or deploying finished work costs nothing, tasks that fail due to a Manus technical problem are refunded, and unused plan credits are cleared each cycle instead of rolling over.
What can Manus actually do?
Manus can research topics across the web, build full-stack websites and mobile apps, create slide decks, videos and designs, analyse data, operate a browser tab for you, and repeat jobs automatically as scheduled tasks. Pro plans run up to 20 tasks simultaneously, so several jobs progress in parallel.
Final Verdict
Manus is one of the most complete general-purpose AI agents you can hire by the month: it researches, builds, designs and delivers, and the free plan with daily credits makes it easy to judge on your own work before paying. The credit system needs a little management — watch consumption on big research jobs — but for founders and small teams drowning in repeatable knowledge work, Manus earns its place.
A good fit starts with the details. Check the official website for current features, pricing and availability before choosing a tool.

