Head-to-head · verified Nov 2, 2026

ChatGPT (Work & agent features) vs Manus

Verdict: ChatGPT is the broad, cheaper default ($8 Go / $20 Plus) with deep research, a browser and Codex. Manus is for handing off whole autonomous tasks such as slides, sites and Wide Research on credits ($20 for 4,000 credits).

Side by side

	ChatGPT (Work & agent features)	Manus
Maker	OpenAI	Manus AI
Best for	A general assistant that can browse, run deep research, schedule tasks and work in your apps.	Handing off whole tasks (research, slides, sites, media) to an autonomous agent.
Free tier	Yes. Unlimited text chats with GPT-6 (abuse guardrails apply) and limited deep research, Codex and ChatGPT Work on desktop.	Yes. 300 daily refresh credits, 1 concurrent task, 2 scheduled automations.
Paid	Go $8/mo (may include ads), Plus $20/mo, Pro $100, $200 or $500/mo.	Pro from $20/mo (4,000 credits), $40/mo (8,000 credits, 7-day trial), up to $200/mo (40,000 credits, per third-party reviews). Team from $20/seat/mo. Annual billing saves 17%.
Open source	No	No
Pros	Strong free tier One app covers chat, research, coding (Codex) and agent work Scheduled tasks from Go upward	Free daily credits Wide Research and parallel tasks on Pro
Cons	The Go plan may include ads The always-on Dot agent is Pro-only	Credit consumption per task can be unpredictable manus.im/pricing is JavaScript-only, so we couldn't read it directly; prices come from the help center
Sources	pricing (verified 2026-11-02)	pricing (verified 2026-11-02)

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FAQ

ChatGPT (Work & agent features) or Manus: which should I use?

ChatGPT is the broad, cheaper default ($8 Go / $20 Plus) with deep research, a browser and Codex. Manus is for handing off whole autonomous tasks such as slides, sites and Wide Research on credits ($20 for 4,000 credits).

Do both have free plans?

Yes. ChatGPT Free, and Manus Free with 300 daily credits.

Which is better for long autonomous tasks?

Manus is designed around them; ChatGPT Pro adds the always-on Dot agent.