![What is Manus AI? Features, Pricing & Why Meta Paid $2B for It [2026] - Featured Image](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2Fwhat-is-manus-ai.png&w=3840&q=75)
The gist: Manus AI is the world's first autonomous AI agent - not a chatbot. Give it a task like "build me a website" and it handles everything: planning, coding, deploying. Launched March 2025, hit $100M ARR in 8 months. Meta acquired it for $2B in December 2025. Paid plans from $20/month (Standard) with 300 daily refresh credits.
Everyone's been talking about Manus AI since it broke the internet in March 2025. But there's massive confusion about what it actually is. Let me clear it up: Manus is not ChatGPT. It's not Claude. It's something fundamentally different - an AI that doesn't just talk, it does.
The name "Manus" comes from Latin for "hand" - a nod to MIT's motto "Mens et Manus" (mind and hand). And that perfectly captures what makes it different: while chatbots give you the mind, Manus gives you both.
What is Manus AI, Really?
The world's first general-purpose autonomous AI agent.
Manus AI is an autonomous AI agent created by Monica (also known as Butterfly Effect AI), a Chinese startup that relocated to Singapore. It launched on March 6, 2025, and immediately caused a sensation by doing something no AI had done before: completing complex, multi-step tasks from start to finish without human hand-holding.
The Key Difference
Chatbots respond. Manus acts. Tell ChatGPT to build a website and it'll give you instructions. Tell Manus to build a website and you'll get a deployed, working site.
The team behind it is small but formidable:
- Xiao Hong (CEO) - Serial entrepreneur, started building WeChat tools as a student
- Yichao "Peak" Ji (Chief Scientist) - Built Magi search engine that got millions of users in its first month
- Zhang Tao (Co-founder) - Product and organizational leadership
How Manus AI Actually Works
A multi-agent system with three coordinated brains.
Under the hood, Manus runs a sophisticated multi-agent architecture. Three specialized agents work together on every task:
1. Planner Agent - The strategist. Breaks down your request into manageable sub-tasks and creates step-by-step plans.
2. Execution Agent - The doer. Carries out planned tasks using code, tools, and web browsing.
3. Verification Agent - The quality checker. Reviews outputs for accuracy and completeness.
The Sandbox
Each Manus session runs in a dedicated cloud-based virtual machine. Full file system access, terminal control, command execution - it's like giving an AI its own computer. If something breaks catastrophically, it just spins up a fresh one.
What makes this technically impressive:
- CodeAct paradigm - Instead of rigid JSON outputs, Manus generates executable Python code
- Multi-model flexibility - Uses Claude, Qwen, and other models depending on what's needed
- RAG integration - Actively fetches external data rather than relying on training knowledge
Manus vs ChatGPT: Agent vs Chatbot
Understanding the fundamental difference.
This is where most people get confused. Let me break it down clearly:
| Aspect | ChatGPT (Chatbot) | Manus (Agent) |
|---|---|---|
| Core function | Responds to prompts | Executes tasks autonomously |
| Interaction | Needs input at every step | Set goal, get result |
| Environment | Conversation interface only | Full cloud sandbox with terminal |
| Autonomy | Low - you drive | High - it drives |
| Output | Text/instructions | Actual deliverables (code, websites, reports) |
Real example: Ask ChatGPT to analyze S&P 500 data and you'll get a methodology explanation. Ask Manus and you'll get an interactive dashboard with Monte Carlo simulations.
The trade-off: Manus is slower. Tasks that ChatGPT answers instantly can take Manus 4-15 minutes because it's actually doing the work, not just describing how to do it.
Key Features of Manus AI
What can this thing actually do?
Core capabilities:
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- End-to-end task execution without step-by-step prompting
- Web research and data gathering
- Code generation, debugging, and execution
- File management and document creation
- Website building and deployment
- Data analysis with visualizations
- Multi-modal output (text, code, images, video)
Manus 1.6 Max (January 2026)
The latest version dramatically improved one-shot task success. User satisfaction increased 19.2% in blind testing. The platform has processed over 147 trillion tokens and powered 80+ million virtual computers.
Wide Research feature: Deploys multiple Manus instances working collaboratively. Unlike traditional multi-agent systems with predefined roles, every subagent is a fully capable instance.
Real-World Use Cases
What people are actually building with Manus.
Documented examples:
- Apartment hunting - Completed in minutes what would take hours of manual searching
- API integration - Garmin watch API integrated in 15 minutes, no coding required from user
- Property valuation - Generated detailed reports from just GPS and exterior photos
- 3D game development - Built a playable Three.js endless runner from a single prompt
- Municipal data - Compressed 240 hours of manual work into 10 minutes
Business applications:
- Financial analysis - S&P 500 analysis with Monte Carlo simulations
- Market research - Supplier sourcing, competitor analysis, trend identification
- HR/Recruiting - Resume screening, interview scheduling, candidate research
- Legal - Contract review, key clause extraction, issue flagging
Performance benchmarks:
- GAIA Level 1: 86.5% (vs OpenAI Deep Research 74.3%)
- GAIA Level 2: 70.1% (vs 69.1%)
- GAIA Level 3: 57.7% (vs 47.6%)
Manus AI Pricing
Credit-based system with plans from $20/month.
Manus uses a credit-based pricing model. Credits are consumed based on task complexity - LLM tokens, virtual machine usage, and third-party APIs all factor in.
| Plan | Price | Credits/Month | Concurrent Tasks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $20/mo | 4,000 + 300 daily | 20 |
| Customizable | $40/mo | 8,000 + 300 daily | 20 |
| Extended | $200/mo | 40,000 + 300 daily | 20 |
| Team | Custom | Scalable pool | Custom |
Credit Usage Examples
- NBA scoring chart: ~200 credits (15 min)
- Wedding invitation webpage: ~360 credits (25 min)
- Complex web app with location features: ~900 credits (80 min)
Important caveats:
- No credit rollover - unused monthly credits don't carry over
- No upfront cost estimation - you can't see how many credits a task will cost before execution
- 17% discount on annual billing across all paid tiers
For a complete breakdown of costs, hidden fees, and money-saving tips, see our detailed Manus AI pricing guide.
The $2 Billion Meta Acquisition
Why Zuckerberg wanted Manus so badly.
On December 29, 2025, Meta announced it was acquiring Manus for approximately $2 billion—a sign that AI valuations remain strong despite bubble concerns. This represented a 4x valuation increase from their $500 million valuation just 8 months earlier.
The deal structure:
- All Chinese investors completely bought out
- Manus discontinuing all operations in China
- Company continues operating from Singapore
- Expected to close Q1 2026
Regulatory Hurdle
China's Ministry of Commerce announced an investigation into whether Manus should have obtained an export license before relocating to Singapore. The investigation could take 90 days and potentially block the deal.
Why Meta wants it: Autonomous agents represent the next frontier beyond chatbots. Meta's existing AI assistant is conversational - Manus would give them an agent that can actually execute tasks across their platforms.
Limitations and Concerns
What Manus can't do (yet).
Technical limitations:
- Some system crashes on highly complex tasks
- Code often requires refinement for production use
- Better for prototyping than production-ready output
- Process visibility is limited - hard to verify what it's doing internally
Practical concerns:
- Credit unpredictability - no cost estimates before execution
- Can incorporate web misinformation into analysis
- Privacy and data security when handling sensitive documents
- Still requires human oversight for high-stakes decisions
Access limitations:
- Product unavailable in China since July 2025
- Over 2 million on waitlist at peak
- Invite system for new users
The Bottom Line
Is Manus AI worth it?
Manus represents a genuine paradigm shift. We've gone from AI that tells you how to do things to AI that does things for you. That's not marketing hype - that's a fundamental change in what's possible.
Manus is worth trying if you:
- Have repetitive multi-step tasks you want automated
- Need rapid prototyping without coding skills
- Want data analysis with actual visualizations, not just methodology
- Value completed deliverables over instructions
Stick with chatbots if you:
- Need instant responses (Manus takes 4-15 minutes)
- Want full visibility into the AI's reasoning
- Need production-ready code without refinement
- Prefer predictable per-query pricing
The $100M ARR in 8 months and $2B Meta acquisition tell you everything about where the industry thinks this is going. Whether Manus specifically wins or not, autonomous agents are the future. This is just the beginning.
Ready to try it? Check out our step-by-step beginner's guide to using Manus AI.
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