The honest take
The general-purpose AI agent that plans, browses, and delivers multi-step tasks on its own.
Best for: Delegating open-ended research, reports, and multi-step web tasks you'd rather not do yourself
Where it falls short: Credits burn fast on complex tasks; Meta's $2B acquisition was ordered unwound by Chinese regulators, clouding its ownership
What you actually get
- Autonomous agent
- Browser automation
- Deep research
- Slides & docs
Pricing history
Mar 2025
Manus launches from Chinese startup Butterfly Effect, goes viral on invite-only access
Dec 2025
Meta acquires Butterfly Effect/Manus for roughly $2B
Apr–Jun 2026
Chinese regulators order the Meta deal unwound over national-security concerns
Aug 2026
"Standard" and "Customizable" plans both renamed "Pro" (4,000 / 8,000-credit tiers)
Sep 2026
Manus 2.0 platform relaunch; Free tier moves from Manus 1.6 Lite to Manus 2.0 Lite
Should you pay for it?
The free tier of Manus is good enough for casual use. Pay $20/mo only when you start hitting daily caps or need access to the better models.