Quick summary: Manus AI uses credit-based pricing. Standard plan is $20/mo (4,000 credits), Customizable is $40/mo (8,000 credits), Extended is $200/mo (40,000 credits). All plans include 300 daily refresh credits and 20 concurrent tasks. The catch: complex tasks can burn 500-900 credits each, and there's NO way to see cost before you start. Credits don't roll over. Annual billing saves 17%.
Manus AI isn't cheap, and its pricing is confusing. Unlike ChatGPT or Claude with their simple monthly fees, Manus uses a credit system that can drain your wallet faster than you'd expect. This guide breaks down exactly what you'll pay.
Fair warning: Manus pricing has been called "too volatile, expensive, and risky" by some reviewers. Let's see if that's true for your use case.
Manus AI Pricing Plans
What each tier costs and includes.
| Plan | Price | Credits/Month | Concurrent Tasks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $20/mo | 4,000 + 300 daily refresh | 20 |
| Customizable | $40/mo | 8,000 + 300 daily refresh | 20 |
| Extended | $200/mo | 40,000 + 300 daily refresh | 20 |
| Team | Custom | Scalable pool | Custom |
Standard Plan ($20/month):
- 300 refresh credits every day
- 4,000 credits per month
- In-depth research for everyday tasks
- Professional websites for standard output
- Task scaling with Wide Research
- Early access to beta features
- 20 concurrent tasks, 20 scheduled tasks
Customizable Plan ($40/month):
- 300 refresh credits every day
- 8,000 credits per month (can customize)
- Wide Research scaled to your chosen plan
- Early access to beta features
- 20 concurrent tasks, 20 scheduled tasks
Extended Plan ($200/month):
- 300 refresh credits every day
- 40,000 credits per month
- In-depth research for large-scale tasks
- Wide Research for sustained heavy use
- 20 concurrent tasks, 20 scheduled tasks
Annual Discount
All paid plans offer a 17% discount when billed annually. This brings Standard to ~$16.60/month, Customizable to ~$33.20/month, and Extended to ~$166/month.
How Manus AI Credits Work
The credit system explained.
Credits are consumed by three things:
- LLM tokens - For task planning, decision making, and output generation
- Virtual machines - Cloud environments for file operations, browser automation, code execution
- Third-party APIs - External services like financial data or professional databases
| Credit Type | How Obtained | Expiration |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly credits | Subscription | End of billing cycle (no rollover) |
| Daily credits | Free refresh | Midnight daily (no rollover) |
| Event credits | Promotions | When event ends |
| Add-on credits | Purchased | Never expire* |
| Starter credits | Signup bonus | Never expire |
*Add-on credits require an active paid subscription to use.
Credit consumption order: Event → Daily → Monthly → Add-on → Free
Critical Warning
No upfront cost estimates. Manus cannot tell you how many credits a task will cost before you start. Users describe this as "gambling every time I submit a prompt."
Real Credit Consumption Examples
What tasks actually cost.
| Task | Duration | Credits Used |
|---|---|---|
| Simple web search query | ~1 min | 10-20 |
| Market trends research | ~50 sec | ~59 |
| Data visualization chart | ~15 min | ~200 |
| 3-day trip planning | ~4.5 min | ~152 |
| Wedding invitation webpage | ~25 min | ~360 |
| Complex web app with features | ~80 min | ~900+ |
Cost per task calculation:
On the Standard plan ($20/month with 4,000 credits), a complex task using 900 credits costs you about $4.50 in credit value. That means your monthly subscription might cover 4-5 serious tasks.
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What Happens When Credits Run Out
If your credits deplete mid-task, Manus stops completely - not pauses, stops. You'll be left with an incomplete website, half-finished report, or broken code. The credits consumed are gone with nothing to show for them.
Manus AI vs Competitors
How does pricing compare?
| Service | Monthly Cost | Pricing Model | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manus Standard | $20 | Credit-based (4,000) | Everyday tasks |
| Manus Extended | $200 | Credit-based (40,000) | Heavy automation |
| ChatGPT Plus | $20 | Unlimited | General AI assistance |
| Claude Pro | $20 | Unlimited | Quality content/coding |
| Lindy AI Pro | $49.99 | Credit-based | Business workflows |
Manus Standard vs ChatGPT Plus (both $20/mo):
- ChatGPT offers unlimited interactions for a flat fee
- Manus Standard gives 4,000 credits with usage limits
- ChatGPT responds instantly; Manus takes 4-80 minutes
- Manus delivers complete outputs; ChatGPT gives instructions
The honest comparison: If you need an AI to answer questions or help you write, ChatGPT or Claude are far better value. Manus only makes sense if you need autonomous agents that complete entire workflows without human intervention.
1. No credit rollover
Unused monthly credits vanish at the end of your billing cycle. If you pay $20 for 4,000 credits but only use 1,000, you lose the other 3,000.
2. No upfront estimates
You can't see how many credits a task will use before starting. A seemingly simple request might consume 900+ credits.
3. Tasks stop mid-execution
When credits run out, work stops immediately. No pause, no save state - just an incomplete output and wasted credits.
4. Agent loops can drain credits fast
If the agent gets stuck in a loop or makes unnecessary API calls, credits keep draining with no automatic cutoff.
Tips to Save Money on Manus AI
Get more from your credits.
1. Use Chat Mode for simple queries
Chat Mode is free - no credits consumed. Only use Agent Mode when you need autonomous execution.
2. Be extremely specific in prompts
Vague prompts lead to unnecessary iterations. Clear, detailed instructions reduce credit consumption.
3. Save starter credits for big projects
Your 1,000 free starter credits never expire. Save them for ambitious projects rather than testing.
4. Use daily credits for iteration
Build in iterations using 300 free daily credits. Improve work across multiple days instead of burning monthly credits.
5. Go annual for 17% savings
If you're committed, annual billing saves about 17% over monthly payments.
Who Should Pay for Manus AI?
Honest recommendations by use case.
Manus is worth it for:
- Agencies with solid margins - Time savings can justify the cost if you're billing clients
- Research-heavy workflows - If you spend hours on competitive analysis and reports
- Rapid prototyping - Getting MVPs built quickly for validation
- Users who value completed outputs over instructions
Stick with ChatGPT/Claude if you:
- Need general AI assistance for various tasks
- Want predictable monthly costs
- Prefer instant responses over waiting 15+ minutes
- Need to work within a tight budget
The Verdict
Is Manus AI pricing fair?
Manus AI's pricing is controversial for good reason. The credit system introduces unpredictability that most users find frustrating. You're gambling on every task without knowing the cost upfront.
The math problem: At $20/month for 4,000 credits, with complex tasks consuming 500-900 credits each, you're looking at maybe 4-8 real tasks per month. That's potentially $2.50-5 per task - still expensive compared to ChatGPT's unlimited model at the same price.
When it makes sense: If those 4-8 tasks would each take you several hours to complete manually, Manus can still be worth it. Getting a deployed website in 25 minutes instead of a weekend might justify $10 in credits.
The bottom line: Use the 300 daily refresh credits to test small tasks before committing. Understand how quickly credits drain for your use case. And if predictable costs matter to you, ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro remain the safer choices at the same $20/month price point.
New to Manus? Read our beginner's guide to using Manus AI or learn what Manus AI is and how it works.
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