Who owns Manus now?
Manus runs as an independent company again, led by its founding team since September 1, 2026. Manus has not said who holds its shares after the Meta deal was unwound or how the purchase money was settled.
Manus after China blocked Meta's deal: who runs it, Manus 2.0
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What Manus is
In one or two sentences, before anything else.
Manus is a general AI agent that researches and builds slides, websites, videos and games, made by a company founded in China in 2022 and based in Singapore. China blocked Meta's purchase of Manus on April 27, 2026; Manus resumed independent operations on September 1 and launched Manus 2.0 on September 28, 2026.
Main features
What it can do, one sentence each, and whether we actually tested it.
Three agent tiers
Agent Mode runs Manus 2.0 Lite, Manus 2.0 or Manus 2.0 Max; free accounts get Lite only, Pro and Team get all three, and every plan has Chat Mode.
Per Manus's pricing help article, updated October 2, 2026.
Cascade agent harness
Keeps a project light and loads specialised capabilities only when the task needs them.
Manus says Cascade used 23.2% fewer tokens, took 28.2% less time and cost 32% less in one test configuration it has not disclosed.
Manus Studio
A desktop workspace where Manus works with your local files and folders in an authorised session, covering documents, spreadsheets, PDFs, slides, websites, code, games and video; Video Editor and Game Dev are its first add-ons.
Cloud Computer
A persistent Ubuntu server with a public IP for always-on projects such as multiplayer game servers and automations.
30 or 50 USD a month; files on it are deleted if you stop paying, per Manus's help center.
Automations
Starts work on a schedule or on an event from a connected service, such as a new email, a Slack message, a calendar event or a change in ad performance.
Remote Control
Takes voice commands from your phone and works on your computer while the desktop streams live, using only the files, browser and apps you approved.
Cue personal agents
A separate app of personal agents, each with its own email address, phone number, wallet and computer, with spending limits you set.
Early access by invite code at launch; Cue phone numbers are a separate subscription.
Manus Flex
Runs Manus on your own API key from an inference provider, OpenRouter, Fireworks or Modal at launch; the provider bills the model use and the rest of the task still uses Manus credits.
Who it is for
The people it helps and the problems it solves, and where it ranks.
Built for
- Freelancers and small teams who hand off research, slide decks and simple websites
- Marketers and operators who want work to start from an email, a Slack message or a calendar event
- Developers who call agents through the Manus API
- Existing Manus users checking whether their account and data survived the split from Meta
Problems it solves
- Multi-step web research that takes hours by hand
- Turning a brief into a slide deck, a website, a short video or a simple game
- Keeping automations and game servers running when the laptop is closed
- Not knowing who runs the service that holds their data after a blocked acquisition
Graded in
What it is good at
Public tests other people ran: what they gave it and how it did.
Case 1
Real freelance projects judged against human work, in the Remote Labor Index by the Center for AI Safety and Scale AI (arXiv, October 2025)
Input
230 real projects from freelance platforms, such as game development, product design, architecture, data analysis, video and 3D modelling, each judged by three trained evaluators against the human deliverable.
What happened
Manus produced work a reasonable client would accept on 2.5% of projects, the highest of the agents tested, ahead of Grok 4 and Claude Sonnet 4.5 (2.1%), GPT-5 (1.7%), ChatGPT agent (1.3%) and Gemini 2.5 Pro (0.8%). Every agent failed almost all projects, and most Manus runs date from June 2025, long before Manus 2.0.
Case 2
Open-web research compared with ChatGPT Deep Research, in Caiwei Chen's test for MIT Technology Review (March 11, 2025)
Input
Compile a list of reporters covering China tech, find two-bedroom New York apartments that meet several criteria, and nominate 50 candidates for a list of innovators under 35.
What happened
Manus beat Deep Research on two of the three tasks but took far longer and failed more often: crashes, a high service load error, and sites that blocked it with CAPTCHAs or paywalls. The 50-name list took hours and over-represented some institutions. This was the first public version, not Manus 2.0.
Case 3
Making a short product ad with Video Editor, per Manus's help center (October 2026)
Input
A brief for a 30 to 60 second product ad; Manus makes the first cut, then you fix a subtitle typo, swap the music track and drag in your own product shot.
What happened
Manus says the parts you keep stay in place, so a one-second change needs no new prompt and no full regeneration. This is the vendor's own description; nobody has published a test of Video Editor yet.
Where it falls short
What it does badly, with the evidence, and what we could not settle.
Weak
Weak
Fails nearly all real freelance work.
Evidence: In the Remote Labor Index (October 2025), only 2.5% of Manus's deliverables were judged acceptable to a client, even though that was the best score of any agent tested.
Unreliable on the open web.
Evidence: MIT Technology Review (March 2025) saw crashes, a high service load error, long freezes, and sites that blocked Manus with CAPTCHAs or paywalls; Manus's chief scientist acknowledged the higher failure rate.
Some accounts lost data in the split from Meta; businesses that need a stable home for their data should wait.
Evidence: For affected accounts, Manus deleted data created from December 29, 2025 on August 23 to 24, 2026 (Singapore time), deleted accounts created or changed after that date in full, and paused new subscriptions in affected regions from August 11. It has not named the jurisdictions.
Costs are hard to predict.
Evidence: Manus's help center says credits pay for model tokens, virtual machines and third-party APIs and depend on a task's complexity and duration; monthly credits do not roll over, and free daily credits work only with Manus 2.0 Lite, up to 1,500 a month.
The headline savings of Manus 2.0 cannot be checked.
Evidence: Computerworld noted that Manus did not disclose the configuration or tasks behind its claim that Cascade used 23.2% fewer tokens and cost 32% less.
Uncertain
Uncertain
Who owns Manus's shares now and how Meta's payment was settled.
Why unsure: Manus says only that it is independent and led by its founding team; neither Manus nor the reports we opened describe the financial terms of the unwinding.
Whether the founders can travel.
Why unsure: TechCrunch reported in April 2026, citing Reuters and the Financial Times, that CEO Xiao Hong and chief scientist Ji Yichao were barred from leaving mainland China; we found no later report.
Which regions the data deletion and subscription pause covered.
Why unsure: Manus refers only to regulatory requirements in specific jurisdictions and told affected users through in-app notices and email.
How Manus 2.0 performs.
Why unsure: Every public test we found ran on 2025 versions; nobody has published an independent test of Cascade, Studio or Cue.
Price, limits and formats
The numbers, each with its source and the date we checked it.
| Spec | Value | Note and source |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2022 in China by Xiao Hong, Ji Yichao and Zhang Tao; headquarters moved to Singapore around mid-2025 | Source: techcrunch.comchecked |
| Meta deal announced | December 29, 2025; reported at about 2 billion USD | Source: cnbc.comchecked |
| Deal blocked | April 27, 2026: China's NDRC prohibited foreign investment in Manus and ordered the transaction withdrawn | Source: techcrunch.comchecked |
| Ownership now | Independent company led by its founding team since September 1, 2026 | Source: manus.imchecked |
| Data after the split | Affected accounts lost data created from December 29, 2025 on August 23 to 24, 2026 (SGT); data is stored in the US and Singapore | Source: manus.imchecked |
| Current version | Manus 2.0, launched September 28, 2026, on web, desktop (macOS, Windows), iOS and Android | Source: manus.imchecked |
| Free plan | 0 USD: 300 credits a day for Manus 2.0 Lite, 1 concurrent task, 2 scheduled automations | Source: help.manus.imchecked |
| Paid plans | Pro from 20 USD a month for 4,000 credits or 40 USD for 8,000 with a 7-day trial; Team from 20 USD per seat; 17% off yearly | Source: help.manus.imchecked |
| Cloud Computer | 30 USD a month (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 70 GB) or 50 USD (2 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 120 GB) | Source: help.manus.imchecked |
| Bring your own model key | Manus Flex: inference billed by OpenRouter, Fireworks or Modal; other task costs still in Manus credits | Source: manus.imchecked |
| Website visits, September 2026 (manus.im) | 21.8 million (−15.2% on August); 2nd of 15 on AICPB's AI agents list | Source: mp.weixin.qq.comchecked |
Common questions
Answer first, then why, an example, the limits and what to do next.
Did Meta buy Manus?
Meta announced the purchase on December 29, 2025, but China blocked it. On April 27, 2026 China's National Development and Reform Commission prohibited foreign investment in Manus and ordered the transaction withdrawn, and Manus called its August 2026 data changes part of its separation from Meta.
Was my Manus data deleted?
Only accounts Manus marked as affected lost data, and Manus has not named the jurisdictions involved. For those accounts, data created from December 29, 2025 was deleted on August 23 to 24, 2026 (Singapore time), and accounts created or changed after that date were deleted in full. Backups can still be restored with no deadline, according to Manus's September 1 post.
Is Manus free?
Manus has a free plan with 300 credits a day, but it runs only Manus 2.0 Lite in Agent Mode and one task at a time. Pro starts at 20 USD a month for 4,000 credits; how many tasks that covers depends on each task's length and complexity.
What is new in Manus 2.0?
Manus 2.0 adds a new agent harness called Cascade, a desktop workspace called Manus Studio with Video Editor and Game Dev, paid Cloud Computers, event-triggered Automations, Remote Control from your phone and a separate Cue app for personal agents. Manus's claim that Cascade cuts cost by 32% comes from one test configuration it has not disclosed.
Is Manus better than Genspark or ChatGPT agent?
No public test has compared Manus 2.0 with Genspark or with today's ChatGPT agent. In the Remote Labor Index, run on 2025 versions, Manus produced acceptable work on 2.5% of real freelance projects against 1.3% for ChatGPT agent; Genspark was not included.
More screenshots
What the public tests show
This page is built from what can be checked today: Manus's own posts and help center, reporting by TechCrunch, CNBC and Computerworld, and two public tests from 2025. Nobody has published an independent test of Manus 2.0 yet. Sources were checked on October 17, 2026.
According to AICPB's traffic rankings, manus.im had 21.8 million visits in September 2026, down 15.2% on August: 2nd among AI agents.
What happened
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Founded in China; parent company Butterfly Effect set up in Beijing | TechCrunch |
| Mid-2025 | Headquarters moved to Singapore | TechCrunch |
| December 29, 2025 | Meta announces it is buying Manus, a deal reported at about 2 billion USD | Manus, CNBC |
| April 27, 2026 | China's National Development and Reform Commission prohibits foreign investment in Manus and orders the deal withdrawn | TechCrunch, CNBC |
| August 11, 2026 | Manus says it will return to independence; affected users must back up their data, and new subscriptions pause in affected regions | Manus, Manus help center, CNBC |
| August 23 to 25, 2026 | Data deleted from affected accounts; restoration opens on August 25 | Manus help center |
| September 1, 2026 | Manus "formally resumed independent operations" | Manus |
| September 28, 2026 | Manus 2.0 launches | Manus, Computerworld |
Who owns and runs it now
Manus says its founding team leads the company, an "independent agent lab", but has not said who holds its shares after the unwinding or how the purchase money was settled. Meta said in April that the deal "complied fully with applicable law". TechCrunch reported, citing Reuters and the Financial Times, that CEO Xiao Hong and chief scientist Ji Yichao were barred from leaving mainland China; we found no later update. Woshipm reported on September 29 that Manus is building a team for products aimed at China, with no date.
Manus calls the August deletion part of its "separation from Meta" and says it was not a security incident. It hit only accounts in jurisdictions Manus has not named: data created from December 29, 2025 was deleted, and accounts created or changed after that date were deleted in full. Backups can still be restored.
What Manus 2.0 does
Manus calls 2.0 "not a version update" but a new architecture:
- Cascade, an agent harness that loads specialised tools only when a task needs them. Manus says it used 23.2% fewer tokens and cost 32% less in one test configuration; Computerworld notes the setup was not disclosed.
- Manus Studio, a desktop workspace that works with your local files, with Video Editor and Game Dev as its first add-ons.
- Cloud Computer, a paid always-on server for game servers and automations.
- Automations triggered by an email, a Slack message, a calendar event or a change in ad performance.
- Remote Control, voice commands from your phone while Manus works on your computer.
- Cue, a separate app of personal agents, each with its own email address, phone number, wallet and computer.
A day later Manus added Flex, which runs Manus on your own API key from OpenRouter, Fireworks or Modal. Gartner's Anushree Verma told Computerworld such agents should be treated as "untrusted or semi-trusted automation with strong isolation".
Plans and credits
| Plan | Price | Credits | Agent modes | Parallel tasks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 0 USD | 300 a day, up to 1,500 a month | Manus 2.0 Lite | 1 |
| Pro | From 20 USD a month | From 4,000 a month | Lite, 2.0 and Max | 20 |
| Pro | From 40 USD a month, 7-day trial | From 8,000 a month | Lite, 2.0 and Max | 20 |
| Team | From 20 USD per seat a month | Shared pool | Lite, 2.0 and Max | Not stated |
Annual billing is 17% cheaper (Manus help center). Credits pay for model tokens, virtual machines and third-party APIs, and a task costs more the longer and more complex it is. Monthly credits do not roll over; credits for tasks that fail on Manus's side are refunded (credit rules). A Cloud Computer costs 30 or 50 USD a month, and its files are deleted if you stop paying (Cloud Computer billing).
What public tests show
- Real freelance work. The Remote Labor Index, by the Center for AI Safety and Scale AI (arXiv, October 2025), gave agents 230 real projects from freelance platforms and had trained evaluators judge each result. Manus produced client-acceptable work on 2.5% of them, the best score, while every agent failed almost everything. Most Manus runs date from June 2025.
- Open-web research. Caiwei Chen at MIT Technology Review (March 11, 2025) found Manus beat ChatGPT Deep Research on two of three tasks but was slower and failed more often, with crashes, CAPTCHAs and paywalls.
How it compares with Genspark and ChatGPT agent
In the Remote Labor Index, Manus (2.5%) finished ahead of Grok 4 and Claude Sonnet 4.5 (2.1%), GPT-5 (1.7%), ChatGPT agent (1.3%) and Gemini 2.5 Pro (0.8%), all as of 2025. Genspark, from MainFunc, began in June 2024 as an AI search engine and added an Autopilot Agent (Wikipedia); it was not in the index, and we found no test that puts it against Manus. Computerworld frames Manus's Cue as a rival to Muse, the personal assistant from Meta.
Who should wait
- Companies that need a settled owner and a clear data jurisdiction: Manus has not published who owns it now.
- Anyone who needs unattended work done right: the best agent score on real freelance work is 2.5%.
- Users who need predictable costs: credits per task vary with length and complexity.
- Anyone Manus flagged in August: check the in-app notice before putting new work there.
Sources
Sources
- China blocks Meta's $2B Manus deal after months-long probe (TechCrunch, April 27, 2026) (techcrunch.com), accessed
- Manus to return as independent company after China blocks Meta deal (CNBC, August 11, 2026) (cnbc.com), accessed
- Meta's ex launches agent rival to Meta's Muse (Computerworld, September 29, 2026) (computerworld.com), accessed
- Manus Joins Meta for Next Era of Innovation (Manus, December 29, 2025) (manus.im), accessed
- A Note to Our Users (Manus, August 11, 2026) (manus.im), accessed
- Manus Resumes Independent Operations (Manus, September 1, 2026) (manus.im), accessed
- Introducing Manus 2.0 (Manus, September 28, 2026) (manus.im), accessed
- Introducing Manus Flex (Manus, September 29, 2026) (manus.im), accessed
- What is the current membership pricing for Manus? (Manus help center, updated October 2, 2026) (help.manus.im), accessed
- What are the rules for credits consumption? (Manus help center, updated September 30, 2026) (help.manus.im), accessed
- Service Change Overview: What's Happening and Am I Affected? (Manus help center, updated August 21, 2026) (help.manus.im), accessed
- Understanding Cloud Computer Plans and Billing (Manus help center, updated September 23, 2026) (help.manus.im), accessed
- What is new in Manus 2.0? (Manus help center, updated October 1, 2026) (help.manus.im), accessed
- Manus API documentation (Manus) (open.manus.im), accessed
- Manus 2.0 launches and restarts its China plans (Woshipm, September 29, 2026) (woshipm.com), accessed
- Remote Labor Index: Measuring AI Automation of Remote Work (Center for AI Safety and Scale AI, arXiv, October 30, 2025) (arxiv.org), accessed
- Everyone in AI is talking about Manus. We put it to the test. (MIT Technology Review, March 11, 2025) (technologyreview.com), accessed
- Genspark (Wikipedia) (en.wikipedia.org), accessed
- AI产品榜 (AICPB), issue 40: web rankings for September 2026 (mp.weixin.qq.com), accessed
Changelog
Changelog
- Added September 2026 website visits from AICPB.
- Page created from public reporting and public tests.
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