Head-to-head · profiles checked Oct 1, 2026
Pick Manus to hand off a whole job, and Claude to work through it with an assistant. Manus runs tasks end to end in its own sandboxed computer; Standard costs $20/month for 4,000 credits, and a free tier is not stated. Claude has a Free plan, Pro at $20/month with Claude Code, and Team seats from $25/month. Manus privacy terms and its 8,000-credit price were not confirmed.
We based this comparison on our Manus profile verified 2026-10-01 and our Claude profile verified 2026-09-30, both built from official vendor pages; it uses no third-party benchmarks and no vendor paid for placement.
Manus is built to take a task and run it to the end in its own sandboxed computer, delivering websites, slides, research and media on a monthly credit allowance. Claude is a chat assistant with a free plan, Claude Code on Pro and above, and Team and Enterprise plans with published privacy and admin controls. Both paid entry points cost $20 a month. Pick Manus for hands-off, multi-step jobs, and Claude for everyday writing, coding and document work with clearer documented terms.
Based on our Manus profile verified 2026-10-01 and Claude profile verified 2026-09-30, both from official vendor pages; the Manus 8,000-credit price and privacy terms could not be confirmed, and no benchmark was run.
Our own captures of each vendor's public pages. Click a frame for the full-size image.
If you only want the answer, this is the table. Everything below is the evidence from the two documented profiles.
| You want to | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hand off a multi-step task and get finished work back | Manus | Manus plans and executes tasks in its own sandboxed computer |
| Build a website or app without coding | Manus | Manus lists a full-stack website and app builder on all tiers |
| Make images, music or video | Manus | Manus lists image, music and video tools; Claude does not generate photos or illustrations |
| Make a slide deck | Either | Manus lists AI slides; Claude has Slides on Pro and above |
| Research a topic across many sources | Either | Manus has Wide Research; Claude has web search on all plans and Research on Pro |
| Write or edit long documents | Claude | Claude handles PDFs up to 1000 pages and 500 MB per file |
| Write and debug code | Claude | Claude Code is included from Pro |
| Try it without paying | Claude | Claude has a Free plan; a Manus free tier is not stated |
| Run many tasks at once or on a schedule | Manus | Each Manus tier lists 20 concurrent and 20 scheduled tasks |
| Roll out to a team with SSO and clear privacy terms | Claude | Claude Team lists SSO and no training on content by default at a published seat price |
| Plan | Tool | Price | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manus Standard (4,000 credits) | Manus | $20/mo | 4,000 credits per month, 300 refresh credits daily, 20 concurrent and 20 scheduled tasks |
| Manus Customizable (8,000 credits) | Manus | Not confirmed | 8,000 credits per month, 20 concurrent and 20 scheduled tasks |
| Manus Extended (40,000 credits) | Manus | $200/mo | 40,000 credits per month, 20 concurrent and 20 scheduled tasks |
| Manus Team | Manus | Custom | Not stated |
| Claude Free | Claude | $0 | Usage limits apply; up to 5 Projects; no Claude Code or Research |
| Claude Pro | Claude | $20/mo ($17/mo billed annually) | More usage than Free; usage limits apply |
| Claude Max 5x | Claude | $100/mo | 5x more usage than Pro; monthly only |
| Claude Max 20x | Claude | $200/mo | 20x more usage than Pro; monthly only |
| Claude Team (Standard seat) | Claude | $25/seat/mo ($20 billed annually) | More usage than Pro; 2-150 users |
| Claude Team (Premium seat) | Claude | $125/seat/mo ($100 billed annually) | 5x more usage than standard seats |
| Claude Enterprise | Claude | $20/seat/mo billed annually plus usage at API rates | Usage cost scales with model and task |
| Claude API (Claude Platform) | Claude | Per 1M tokens, e.g. Sonnet 5.5 $2 input / $10 output | Rate limits per Console tier |
USD as published on each vendor's pricing page, checked Oct 1, 2026. Manus pricing in full · Claude pricing in full
| Manus | Claude | |
|---|---|---|
| Messages / rate limits | Credit-based: 4,000, 8,000 or 40,000 credits a month plus 300 refresh credits daily | Usage limits that reset on a schedule; exact quotas not stated (Max is 5x or 20x Pro) |
| Parallel and scheduled work | 20 concurrent tasks and 20 scheduled tasks per tier | Not stated |
| Context / file size | Not stated | Up to 1M-token context; 500 MB per file, 20 files per chat, PDFs up to 1000 pages |
| Seats / team | Team plan for teams of all sizes; seat limits not stated | Team for 2-150 users; Enterprise for larger organizations |
| Feature | Manus | Claude |
|---|---|---|
| Autonomous task execution | Yes (sandboxed virtual computer) | Yes (Cowork on Pro and above) |
| Image generation | Yes | No (HTML/SVG charts and diagrams only) |
| Website and app building | Yes | Artifacts and Claude Code |
| Web search / research | Yes (Wide Research) | Yes (Research on Pro and above) |
| Browser control | Yes (browser operator) | Claude in Chrome (Pro and above) |
| Coding tool | Not stated | Claude Code (Pro and above) |
| Integrations | Gmail, Notion, Slack | Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, GitHub, any MCP server |
| API | Listed; pricing not viewed | Yes, billed per 1M tokens |
| Mobile apps | Yes (iOS, Android) | Yes (iOS, Android) |
| Manus | Claude | |
|---|---|---|
| Training on your data | Not stated | Consumer: may be used unless you opt out; Team and Enterprise: not by default |
| Retention | Not stated | Deleted chats removed from back-end within 30 days; custom retention on Enterprise |
| Business controls | SSO on Team; Trust center lists enterprise-grade security | SSO, SCIM, audit logs, Compliance API, IP allowlisting, HIPAA-ready configuration |
Taken from each vendor's published policy pages at the time of our check. Policies change; the source links are at the bottom.
Autonomous general AI agent that plans and executes tasks in its own sandboxed computer to deliver finished work.
Free stops at: A Get started button is on every tier; whether a free tier exists was not stated.
Pricing US price unconfirmed
Anthropic's AI assistant for writing, analysis, coding and multi-step work, with free and paid plans.
Free stops at: Usage limits apply, Projects: up to 5
Free · paid from $20/mo US · checked Sep 30
The entry prices match: Manus Standard is $20 per month for 4,000 credits, and Claude Pro is $20 per month ($17 billed annually). Claude also has a Free plan, while a Manus free tier is not stated. At the top end, Manus Extended is $200 per month and Claude Max 20x is $200 per month.
Partly. Claude Pro and above lists Cowork for handing off and scheduling tasks, plus Claude Code and Claude in Chrome. Manus is built around a sandboxed virtual computer with internet access, a persistent file system and installable software, and lists 20 concurrent and 20 scheduled tasks per tier.
Claude consumer plans may use chats for training unless you opt out, and Team and Enterprise do not train on content by default. Manus training and retention terms are not stated in our profile; it only points to a Trust center for security and certifications.
Manus lists a full-stack website and app builder on all tiers, which builds from plain instructions. Claude builds interactive HTML artifacts on every plan and includes Claude Code from Pro, which suits people who want to work with the code directly.
Only official vendor pages. No third-party benchmarks, forum threads or press were used. How we review.
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