Manus AI Reviews: Everything You Need to Know Before Subscribing (2026 Edition)

TL;DR

Thinking of upgrading Manus AI but confused about the real costs, subscription tiers, and whether it's worth your money? This complete guide breaks down Manus pricing plans, monthly costs, agent/seat pricing, and compares them with ChatGPT and other competitors. We’ll share real user feedback, show you where the hidden fees are, and help you choose the best plan for your needs—no hype, just what you need to know before you subscribe.

Manus AI Pricing Plans Overview (2026)

If you’re anything like me, you’ve seen Manus AI’s marketing and wondered: “What’s it really going to cost me each month?”

I’ve combed through the official Manus AI pricing page, dug into user reviews, and compared every plan to bring you the straight facts.

When I first started looking into Manus AI, I found myself overwhelmed by confusing pricing, hidden agent fees, and a ton of conflicting advice online.

That’s why I put together this no-nonsense guide—to help you (and my past self!) make sense of Manus AI’s pricing plans, real monthly costs, and whether it’s actually worth it for your needs.

I’ll walk you through the subscription tiers, agent pricing, how credits work, and even share what real users wish they’d known before subscribing.

If you want a clear answer to, “How much does Manus AI actually cost—and should I subscribe?” you’ll find everything you need right here.

Whether you’re just testing the waters or planning to run multiple AI agents for your business, I’ll break down exactly what you’ll pay and what you’ll get at each tier:

• “Credits” are used to run AI agents—every action or workflow uses a certain number.
• Agent pricing means you pay extra if you want multiple concurrent AI agents (“seats”) running.

Agent Pricing Example:

If you’re on the Plus plan ($39) and want 3 agents running, you’ll pay $39 + (2 x $15) = $69/month.

How Much Does Manus AI Cost Per Month?

Understanding the Credit System

Manus AI doesn’t just charge a flat subscription—you’re buying a monthly pool of “credits” that get consumed as you use the platform. Here’s what that means for your wallet:

• Basic Plan ($19): Best for testing or light personal use. 100 credits will cover basic tasks, but you’ll run out quickly if you automate a lot.
• Plus Plan ($39): 300 credits supports moderate use—enough for a solo founder or small team doing daily automations.
• Pro Plan ($199+): Designed for startups, devs, or agencies running multiple agents or heavy workflows.

Your Actual Monthly Cost = Plan Price + Extra Agents + Overages (if you use more than your credits)

Real-World Monthly Cost Examples

Which Manus AI Subscription Is Right for You?

Business, Solo, Developer: Who Should Choose What?

• Solo/Personal Use: Basic or Plus, depending on how many daily automations you want. If you’re experimenting, start at Basic.
• Freelancers/Side Projects: Plus is the sweet spot. Enough credits, affordable extra agents.
• Teams/Startups: Pro is built for you—lower per-agent cost, bulk credits, premium support.
• Developers/Integrators: Pro, for API access and advanced workflow support.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

• Low volume, high-impact use? Basic is fine.
• Need to automate lots of tasks or run several agents? Plus or Pro, but watch your credit usage!
• Scaling a business on Manus? Pro with custom credits/agents is the only cost-effective choice.

Manus AI vs. Competitors (ChatGPT, Genspark, etc.)

Key Takeaways:

• Manus AI’s agent pricing is unique: you pay per “seat” (agent), unlike ChatGPT or Genspark.
• If you need lots of parallel automations, Manus can get expensive fast.
• ChatGPT is more predictable for pure chat/knowledge use, but lacks workflow automation features.
• Genspark is cheaper for unlimited code/agent chat, but fewer workflow integrations.

Real User Reviews & Common Complaints

How Expensive Can Manus AI Get? (Real Pricing Examples)

What Are Real Users Saying?

• Positive: “The workflow automations save me hours every week.” “Agent concurrency is a game changer.”
• Negative: “Ran out of credits sooner than expected.” “Billing support is slow to respond.” “Pricing is confusing—watch out for agent fees!”

⚠️ Agent Mode Credit Drain: A Hidden Cost Risk

One of the most serious complaints from real Manus AI users is how unpredictably expensive Agent Mode can become. Unlike standard workflows, Agent Mode can rapidly consume credits—sometimes draining your entire monthly allocation in minutes.

Real User Reports:

• "Lost $39 in under 10 minutes": Multiple users on Reddit reported purchasing the Plus plan ($39), running what seemed like simple agent tasks, only to watch their credits vanish almost instantly.

• "No warning, no control": Agent Mode doesn't give you real-time credit usage alerts, so you can't stop a runaway agent before it drains your account.

• "Simple tasks = huge bills": Tasks that should cost a few credits can spiral into dozens or hundreds if the agent gets stuck in loops, makes extra API calls, or processes more data than expected.

Why This Happens:

Agent Mode is designed to be autonomous and adaptive—but that means it can make unpredictable decisions about how many actions to take, how deeply to process data, or how many external API calls to make. Without tight controls or usage caps, a single agent can burn through your credits faster than you can react.

Unfortunately, Agent Mode's unpredictable credit consumption makes it difficult to control costs on Basic or Plus plans.

Users frequently report burning through their entire monthly allocation in minutes on seemingly simple tasks, with no real-time alerts or safeguards to stop runaway agents.

For teams and businesses seeking more predictable, controllable AI automation costs, alternatives like Metaflow AI offer transparent pricing models without hidden credit drains or surprise overages.

Common Complaints (from Reddit & Review Sites)

• Billing Issues: Unclear overage fees, hard to downgrade, slow refunds.
• Support: Slower response times for Basic/Plus users.
• Plan Limitations: Credit usage can spike with complex workflows; hard to estimate real monthly cost.

Warning: Always check your usage dashboard—many users were surprised by extra charges for agent seats and overages!

Ready for Smarter AI Automation Without the Surprise Bills?

As someone who's spent countless hours testing AI automation platforms, I've learned the hard way that unpredictable costs can kill productivity gains. If you're like me, a knowledge worker, content marketer, SEO specialist, startup founder, solopreneur, freelancer, or agency owner, you need automation that actually works for you, not against your budget.

That's why I founded Metaflow AI, the platform I wished existed when I was struggling with credit drains, hidden fees, and overly complex workflows.

How is Metaflow AI Different from Manus AI and others:

• Build Your Own Unique Agents: I wanted a no-code way to design custom AI agents tailored to my exact workflow, whether it's content marketing, email campaigns, SEO research, or startup growth. So that's what I built.
• Connect 1,500+ Apps Instantly: I was tired of limited integrations. Metaflow AI automatically connects with more tools than Manus AI, ChatGPT, Notion, and Genspark combined, thanks to built-in MCP (Model Context Protocol) support.
• Visual Canvas for Agent Tooling: Most agent apps out there have context limits and only has pre-built tools or tools behind a paywall. Metaflow gives you an intuitive visual canvas where you can build ai workflows that become tools your agents can use.
• Cursor-Like Interface for Document Editing: Marketers deserve a Cursor-like workspace to move quickly. The built-in editor and agent pair deliver that co-pilot experience, bringing the lightning-speed productivity that developers enjoy to content marketers, email marketers, SEO professionals, and creators. Edit documents, generate content, and automate tasks with an AI assistant that actually understands your business.
• Expert-Crafted Marketing Agents & Workflows: As a solopreneur, you don't have time for setup, prompt engineering, or trial-and-error. Metaflow AI gives you battle-tested marketing agents and workflows designed by experts—ready to deploy in minutes. No configuration. No guesswork. Just plug-and-play automation that starts working for your business the moment you log in. Continue to the platform.
• Transparent, Predictable Pricing: No hidden credit consumption. No runaway agent fees. Start for free with full access to agent building, AI workflows, and tools—all first-class features on both free and paid plans. Upgrade when you need more capacity, starting at $19/month.

Perfect For:

• Content marketers automating blog posts, social media, and SEO
• Email marketers building personalized campaigns at scale
• Startup founders and solopreneurs managing growth without a big team
• Freelancers and agencies delivering faster, smarter client work
• Creators who need powerful AI tools without the enterprise price tag

I built Metaflow AI because I was tired of paying for credits I couldn't control. Now I'm inviting you to try the AI platform that actually works for you.

Try Metaflow AI today and see why knowledge workers are making the switch.

FAQs about Manus AI Pricing

Is it worth it to pay for Manus?

If you automate high-value tasks run workflows like market research, slide generation, or multi-step writing. But be aware it may quickly ramp without your knowledge.

How do I get unlimited Manus?

There’s no true “unlimited” plan—Pro can be “custom,” but you’ll still pay for credits and agents at scale.

Is Manus AI better than ChatGPT?

For workflow automation with multiple agents, yes. For pure chat/knowledge, ChatGPT is simpler and cheaper.

Can I try Manus AI for free?

There is a limited free tier, but you’ll quickly hit credit/agent limits. Upgrade to get more features.

What’s Manus AI’s refund policy?

Refunds are possible, but often slow, contact support and review their TOS before buying.

What happens if I run out of credits?

Your automations stop until next billing cycle, or you pay for extra credits.

What’s the best Manus AI plan for my business?

If you’re running multiple automations daily, Pro is the best value. For occasional use, Plus is sufficient.