Manus

Manus is an autonomous AI agent platform that gained widespread attention in early 2025 for its ability to complete long-horizon tasks without human intervention. Originally developed by a Chinese AI startup, Manus was acquired by Meta in late 2025 and continues to operate as a standalone product.

Manus 1.6 Max, released in 2026, delivers significant performance improvements over earlier versions. The average task completion time has dropped from approximately 15 minutes to under 4 minutes — a 4x speed improvement that makes the agent practical for real-time use cases rather than background batch jobs. The agent handles complex, multi-step tasks such as research synthesis, data collection, form filling, and code execution without requiring user supervision.

New capabilities in 1.6 Max include Mobile App Development, where users describe an app concept in natural language and Manus generates working iOS and Android applications. The Web App Builder allows users to create web applications with a built-in database, Stripe payment integration, and SEO configuration — turning Manus into a lightweight no-code app development platform.

The desktop app release adds local file access, allowing Manus to read, edit, and organize files on the user's own machine rather than operating exclusively in cloud environments. Communication integrations — Slack, WhatsApp, and Telegram — allow users to assign tasks to Manus directly from messaging apps and receive results in the same thread.

Design View is a new interactive image creation mode where users can iteratively design visual assets, mockups, and graphics through conversation rather than manual editing.

Best for power users and small teams who need an AI agent that can complete multi-step tasks autonomously across the web, local files, and third-party services without continuous supervision.