TLDR: Manus, a prominent Chinese AI agent developer, has launched a new mobile application and introduced a beta-tested premium subscription model. The new offerings, which include ‘Manus Starter’ at $39/month and ‘Manus Pro’ at $199/month, aim to provide enhanced AI capabilities, longer context, and multimodal features, powered by Anthropic’s Claude 3.7. The move positions Manus to compete directly with established players like OpenAI’s ChatGPT Pro, following significant viral attention and government support.
Manus, a rapidly evolving AI agent developer, has officially rolled out its dedicated mobile application and a comprehensive tiered subscription service, marking a significant expansion of its offerings. The company, a Chinese AI startup owned by Butterfly Effect and incorporated in the Cayman Islands, is now making its advanced AI capabilities more accessible to a broader user base.
The newly launched Manus mobile app is available on both Apple’s App Store and for Android devices, promising a general AI agent designed to excel at a wide array of tasks in both professional and personal life. This includes capabilities for detailed reporting, data analysis, and even creative tasks like generating games based on current events. A key highlight of the updated platform is its enhanced technical foundation, now powered by Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 for all tasks, ensuring no fallback to older versions like Claude 3.5. This upgrade brings longer context windows, improved multimodal capabilities, and a more stable sandbox environment, allowing the AI agent to make decisions and execute complex tasks with minimal user prompting.
To cater to diverse user needs, Manus has introduced a beta-tested premium subscription model with two primary plans. The ‘Manus Starter’ plan is priced at $39 per month, offering users 3,900 credits and the ability to run up to two tasks concurrently. For more intensive users, the ‘Manus Pro’ plan is available at $199 per month, providing 19,900 credits, support for up to five concurrent tasks, and exclusive access to beta features. Both paid tiers also come with enhanced stability through dedicated resources, extended context length, and priority access during peak usage hours. While these premium options are now available, Manus will continue to offer limited free access, with new users receiving 1,000 free credits upon signing up.
This strategic launch positions Manus in direct competition with major players in the AI landscape. The ‘Manus Pro’ plan, in particular, is priced to match OpenAI’s ChatGPT Pro, signaling Manus’s ambition to establish itself as a viable and powerful alternative in the burgeoning AI automation market. Furthermore, Manus has also unveiled a text-to-video tool, putting it in direct competition with services like OpenAI’s Sora, Google’s Veo, Runway, and Synthesia.
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The company has garnered significant attention, having gone viral on social media platform X and receiving a feature in Chinese state media broadcasts, which indicates strong governmental support for its domestic rollout. Prior to its public launch, Manus had amassed a waiting list of 2 million users by March 21, 2025, underscoring the high anticipation for its technology. The startup also secured substantial funding, with $75 million led by Benchmark Capital, further solidifying its position in the competitive AI development space.
