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Source-backed analysis17

Review basis

Research-based review: the AppDuo Editorial Team compiled it from official pages, documentation, app stores, press and user feedback, without hands-on testing. Every claim links to a source with the date it was checked.

17 reference sources

Information updated Nov 11, 2026

How we review
Manus logo

Manus Review

AI agent for multi-step tasks, priced in credits that are hard to predict

Editorial Team6.2/10Write the first review

By Official AppDuo editorial team · Updated

  • Web
  • iOS
  • Android
  • macOS
  • Windows
Freemium · $20.00/mo
Visit Manus
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Decide at a glance

Our verdict

Manus suits people who want to hand whole jobs such as research, slides or websites to a cloud agent. The catch is credit use that is hard to predict, and many Trustpilot complaints about billing and support.

Best for: Users who want one general agent for research, slides and websites

Skip it if: Anyone who needs a fixed, predictable monthly cost

Pros

  • One app covers research, slides, websites, images, video and scheduled tasks
  • Free plan with daily refresh credits for trying it out
  • Strong store ratings: 4.7/5 on the App Store (about 40K ratings) and 4.6/5 on Google Play (528K reviews)

Cons

  • Monthly credits do not roll over and can run out quickly on large tasks
  • Trustpilot shows 1.2/5, with most reviews citing billing, refunds and support (unverified)
All pros and cons · Who is it for?

Pros

  • App available in 22 languages, including English, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese

Cons

  • In 2026 China forced the Meta deal to be unwound; some users had to back up their own data and lost access for about two days during a deletion
  • The privacy policy says nothing about model training

Best for

  • People who want to try an agent before paying, thanks to a free plan with daily credits
  • Small teams that want a shared credit pool on the Team plan

Skip it if

  • Users who need fast human support for billing problems

Experience & key features

Manus is an AI agent from Butterfly Effect, a Singapore-based company that The Wire China describes as having roots in China. You describe a job, the agent works through it on a cloud virtual machine and returns a research report, slides or a website. Manus debuted in March 2025.

Manus 2.0 (28 Sep 2026) adds an always-on Cloud Computer, event-triggered Automations (email, calendar, Slack, Notion), a video editor, game building and remote control of a computer from a phone. A separate personal-agent app, Cue, is in early access with invite codes. The developer says the new agent harness used 23.2% fewer tokens than the old system in its own test.

The personal plan is called Pro and is tiered by credits: $20/month for 4,000 credits, from $40 for 8,000 and $200 for 40,000. Yearly billing saves about 17%, for example $200/year for the 4,000-credit tier. Team costs $20 per seat per month with a shared credit pool. Monthly credits do not roll over, and Manus publishes no VND prices.

The main caution is billing and support. Trustpilot shows 212 reviews at 1.2/5, though the profile is unclaimed and Trustpilot does not fact-check reviews. The app, by contrast, rates 4.7/5 on the App Store and 4.6/5 on Google Play. The two pictures diverge sharply, so read both and try the Free plan before paying. If you mainly need a chat or research assistant, ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini have more predictable pricing.

Screenshots

Product image 1 of the Manus iPhone app on the App Store
Product image 1 of the Manus iPhone app on the App Store
Product image 2 of the Manus iPhone app on the App Store
Product image 2 of the Manus iPhone app on the App Store
Product image 3 of the Manus iPhone app on the App Store
Product image 3 of the Manus iPhone app on the App Store

Plans & pricing

Prices last verified Nov 11, 2026

Free

Personal

Free

Daily refresh credits, capped at 1,500 per month, usable only with Manus 2.0 lite.

Pro (Standard)

Personal

$20/mo

$16.67/mo billed yearly

4,000 credits per month plus 300 refresh credits a day; 20 concurrent and 20 scheduled tasks. Yearly billing: $200/year.

Pro (Customizable)

Personal

$40/mo

$33.33/mo billed yearly

From 8,000 credits per month (higher credit tiers cost more), same task limits as Standard. Yearly billing: from $400/year.

Pro (Extended)

Personal

$200/mo

$166.67/mo billed yearly

40,000 credits per month, same task limits as Standard. Yearly billing: $2,000/year.

Team

Business

$20/mo/user

$16.67/mo billed yearly

4,000 credits per seat per month in a shared pool; admin dashboard and audit logs. SSO free from 30 seats, otherwise a $150 add-on.

Enterprise

Business

Contact sales

Contact sales; adds enforced SSO, legal hold, per-user budgets and corporate invoicing.

Free plan limits
The Free plan gets daily refresh credits, capped at 1,500 per month and usable only with Manus 2.0 lite.
Free trial
No free trial
Cancellation & refunds

The Help Center says Manus fully refunds credits consumed by tasks that fail because of technical issues on its side. It does not cover refunds of subscription fees.

Privacy

The privacy policy (updated 27 Dec 2025) is issued by Butterfly Effect Pte. Ltd. (Singapore). Manus collects contact details, your inputs and files, cloud task execution logs, and device and activity data. The policy allows using online identifiers for personalised ads with consent, sharing de-identified data with third parties for lawful business purposes, and transferring data to the US or elsewhere. Manus Browser sandbox data is kept up to 7 days on free plans and 14 days on paid plans. The policy does not mention model training; only the Team plan page says Manus never allows model training on customer data and has agreements with its model providers to that effect.

Official pricing page

Manus alternatives

Gemini logo7.5/10

Gemini

Google's AI assistant, tied into Gmail, Drive, Android and Google storage plans

Freemium
ChatGPT logo7.5/10

ChatGPT

OpenAI's flagship AI assistant for writing, research, coding, images and voice

Freemium
All alternatives

Controversies & incidents

Issues documented by the press, regulators, courts or the vendor itself. Every item is sourced; unproven claims are labelled as allegations. Last researched: Nov 11, 2026

  • Medium impactResolvedPrivacy ·

    Some users' data deleted during the split from Meta

    Manus said data some users created since 29 Dec 2025 would be deleted on 23–24 Aug 2026, citing regulatory requirements in certain jurisdictions. Affected users had to back up their own data and lost access for about two days.

    Read the full account

    On 11 Aug 2026 Manus posted a notice that data generated by certain users on or after 29 Dec 2025, the date Meta acquired Manus, would be deleted from 8 a.m. on 23 Aug through 24 Aug 2026 (SGT). It cited its separation from Meta and regulatory requirements in specific jurisdictions, which it did not name, and said the move was not the result of a security incident. Affected users could back up until 7:59 a.m. on 23 Aug, restore from 25 Aug, were not charged from 11 to 23 Aug and were promised welcome-back bonuses. Per Subscription Insider, some subscriptions that began on or after 29 Dec 2025 were cancelled with prorated refunds, and the data that could be removed included account information, subscription records, task data and third-party connector authorisations. On 1 Sep 2026 Manus said users who had backed up could still restore through a portal with no deadline.

    Vendor response

    Manus said the deletion was required by regulations as it separated from Meta, not caused by a security incident; it waived charges during the backup window and kept the restore portal open with no deadline.

    Sources:Manus blog: A Note to Our Users (11 Aug 2026)Manus blog: Manus Resumes Independent Operations (1 Sep 2026)Subscription Insider: Manus service change brings refunds, data deletion and outage (24 Aug 2026)

  • Medium impactConfirmedRegulator ·

    China orders the Meta acquisition of Manus unwound

    Per TechNode, the foreign-investment security review office under the NDRC barred the deal and ordered the parties to unwind it. Per BuildMVPFast, Meta said the deal complied fully with applicable law.

    Read the full account

    Meta announced the purchase of Manus in late Dec 2025, reportedly valued at up to $2 billion according to TechNode. On 27 Apr 2026, per TechNode, the foreign-investment security review office under the NDRC barred a foreign acquisition of the Manus project and ordered the parties to unwind the deal "in accordance with laws and regulations". BuildMVPFast says the NDRC gave no reasoning and Meta said the deal "complied fully with applicable law". Manus later deleted some users' data as part of separating from Meta and announced it had resumed independent operations on 1 Sep 2026.

    Vendor response

    Meta said the deal complied fully with applicable law (per BuildMVPFast). TechNode quotes no statement from Manus; on 1 Sep 2026 the company announced it had resumed independent operations.

    Sources:TechNode (27 Apr 2026): Manus-related foreign investment deal ordered unwoundBuildMVPFast: Manus funding tops $500M after China undid Meta dealManus blog: Manus Resumes Independent Operations (1 Sep 2026)

  • Medium impactAllegedBilling ·

    Complaints about credits, renewals, refunds and support

    Trustpilot reviewers (1.2/5, 212 reviews) complain of fast-draining credits, unexpected charges and refused refunds; Botcrawl calls the "Upgrade & add credits" button misleading. These are unverified allegations.

    Read the full account

    Per Botcrawl (9 Mar 2026), the "Upgrade & add credits" button suggests buying extra credits but actually moves the account to a higher monthly plan; unused credits vanish when the billing cycle resets, and the account renews at the higher price unless downgraded first. The author, a paying customer, says support messages sometimes went unanswered for days or weeks. On Trustpilot, reviewers cite bot-based support, unexpected charges and renewals, and refund requests refused or left unresolved; the profile is unclaimed and Trustpilot does not fact-check reviews. Manus's Help Center confirms monthly credits do not roll over. No public Manus response was found.

    Sources:Botcrawl: Manus "Add Credit" feature raising concerns (9 Mar 2026)Trustpilot: manus.imManus Help Center: credits and pricing rules

Frequently asked questions

Is Manus free?

Yes. Per the Help Center, the Free plan gives daily refresh credits, capped at 1,500 per month and usable only with Manus 2.0 lite.

Do unused credits carry over?

No. Monthly credits refresh on your subscription date and do not roll over. Free credits do not expire, and add-on credits work only with an active paid subscription.

Does Manus support Vietnamese?

Yes. The App Store listing includes Vietnamese among the app's 22 languages.

Does Meta own Manus?

No. Meta announced the purchase in late Dec 2025, but per TechNode, the foreign-investment review office under China's NDRC ordered the deal unwound on 27 Apr 2026. Manus announced it had resumed independent operations on 1 Sep 2026.

Review evidence & sources17

Scores

Ease of use
7.5
Why this score

Tasks are given in natural language on web, mobile and desktop; the app comes in 22 languages and rates 4.7/5 on the App Store and 4.6/5 on Google Play. Credit tiers and plan structure are confusing.

Features
7.5
Why this score

Per the Manus 2.0 post: Cloud Computer, Automations, a video editor, game building and remote control, plus Wide Research, slides and websites. These are vendor descriptions; no independent output-quality evidence was found.

Value for money
5.5
Why this score

Pro starts at $20/month (4,000 credits), with $40 and $200 tiers; credits do not roll over and can drain fast. Trustpilot and Botcrawl report complaints about cost and renewals at a higher price (alleged).

Performance
6.5
Why this score

No credible independent benchmark was found. Some Trustpilot reviewers report agent mistakes that waste credits, and in Aug 2026 some accounts were locked for about two days during a data deletion and restore.

Support
4.5
Why this score

Trustpilot reviewers (1.2/5) describe mostly bot-based support and refunds refused or left hanging; Botcrawl says support messages sometimes went unanswered for days or weeks. These are allegations; no public Manus response was found.

Privacy & security
5.5
Why this score

The policy names the Singapore entity, sandbox retention and user rights; the Team page cites SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 and a no-training commitment for customer data. On the other hand, the policy allows transfers to the US or elsewhere and ad-identifier use, and in 2026 some users' data was deleted as Manus split from Meta.

What users say

Sources

Specs & compatibility
Developer
Butterfly Effect Pte. Ltd. (Manus AI)
Headquarters
Singapore
Launched
2025
Category
AI

Capabilities

  • AI features
  • Public API
  • Integrations
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Mobile app
  • Templates

Platforms

  • Web
  • iOS
  • Android
  • macOS
  • Windows

Interface languages

  • English
  • Vietnamese
  • Japanese
  • Chinese
  • Spanish
  • French
  • Korean
  • German
  • Portuguese
  • Russian
  • Thai
  • Indonesian

Integrations

  • Google
  • Slack
  • Notion
  • Gmail
  • Google Calendar

Support

  • Email
  • Live chat
  • Help center

Change history

  1. Company.Per BuildMVPFast, the parent company says it has raised over $500M on its own.
  2. Feature.Manus 2.0 launches with Cloud Computer, Automations and the Cue app.
  3. Company.Manus announces it has resumed independent operations.
Full change history (7)
  1. Update.Manus announces that data some users created since 29 Dec 2025 will be deleted on 23–24 Aug 2026.
  2. Company.The foreign-investment review office under China's NDRC orders the parties to unwind the Manus deal.
  3. Company.Meta announces it is buying Manus; TechRadar reports a price of about $2 billion.
  4. Launch.Manus debuts.
About the author

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