Manus
A cloud agent that takes a goal and works through it on its own computer, producing research, apps, slides and video.
By Butterfly Effect · launched 2025-03-06 · last checked 2026-11-01
Why 4: it completes tasks on its own cloud computer while you watch and can step in, and runs event-triggered automations; you check results afterwards rather than approving each step.
What it does. Manus launched as an invite-only beta on 6 March 2025, letting you watch the agent work in a "Manus's Computer" window and step in. Meta agreed to buy it in December 2025, Chinese regulators blocked the deal in April 2026, and Manus announced on 11 August 2026 that it was independent again. Manus 2.0, released on 28 September 2026, added a new harness called Cascade, automations triggered by events in connected services, dedicated cloud computers and control of your own computer from your phone.
Where it falls short. On the Remote Labor Index, Manus 1.6 Max automated 2.92% of projects, below the frontier labs' best. Manus's claims that 2.0 uses fewer tokens and costs less come from its own testing.
What it can do
Incidents
- 2026-08 As part of unwinding the Meta deal, Manus told users to export their own data because data created after the acquisition had to be deleted to meet regulatory requirements. Source
Closest fiction
Her — The ending, when the operating systems leave. Manus left its owner, and it didn't choose to either.
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History
- 2026-11-01 Added to the index.
Sources
- Everyone in AI is talking about Manus. We put it to the test. MIT Technology Review, 2025-03-11
- Manus (AI agent) Wikipedia
- Manus seeks $4B valuation in new $500M fundraise as it resumes independent ops TechCrunch, 2026-09-18
- Introducing Manus 2.0 Manus, 2026-09-28
- China's Manus raises over $500M in first funding round since split with Meta TechCrunch, 2026-10-08
- Remote Labor Index leaderboard Scale AI and Center for AI Safety
← All agents in the index · Autonomy is rated on what the product does today, on a 1–5 scale. Every fact links to a source.