What Is Manus AI Agent? How It Works and How to Use It

Picture this: It’s 2025, and you’re sipping your morning coffee, scrolling through headlines about AI agents taking over the workplace. Not in a Skynet way (thankfully), but in a “Wow, my digital coworker just built a dashboard, sorted resumes, and scraped a hundred websites before I finished my bagel” kind of way. If you feel like the world of AI agents is moving faster than your caffeine can keep up, you’re not alone. The buzz is everywhere—AI agent startups raised $3.8 billion in 2024 (that’s nearly triple the year before), and 85% of enterprises plan to implement AI agents by the end of 2025 (, ).

But as someone who’s spent years building SaaS and AI automation tools, I’ve learned that not all AI agents are created equal. Today, I want to dig into one of the most hyped new players: Manus AI Agent. What is it, how does it work, and—crucially—where does it shine, and where does it still fall short compared to vertical AI agents like ? Grab your coffee (or tea, or Red Bull—I don’t judge), and let’s break it down.

Meet the Manus AI Agent: The Autonomous AI Agent Revolution

Let’s start with the basics. What is “Manus”? What’s an “AI agent”? And why is everyone suddenly talking about them like they’re the next iPhone?

What Is an AI Agent?

At its core, an AI agent is a software bot that can autonomously carry out tasks. Unlike traditional chatbots (think: “Hey Siri, what’s the weather?”), AI agents don’t just answer questions—they take a goal and proactively plan, research, execute, and deliver results, often with minimal human input. They’re like digital interns that don’t take coffee breaks or ask for PTO.

What Is Manus AI Agent?

Manus AI Agent (or just “Manus”) burst onto the scene in March 2025, developed by Chinese startup Butterfly Effect. The name “Manus” is Latin for “mind and hand,” which is a pretty poetic way to say: “I think, I act.” Unlike most AI tools that wait for your every instruction, Manus is designed to take your objective and run with it—planning, executing, and iterating until it gets the job done ().

For example, in its viral launch demo, Manus was shown sorting résumés, ranking job candidates, and formatting results into a spreadsheet—all from a single prompt (). It’s not just answering; it’s doing.

General AI Agents vs. Vertical AI Agents

Here’s where things get interesting. Manus is a “general-purpose” AI agent—it aims to handle virtually any knowledge work, from data analysis to web scraping to building websites. But there’s another breed: vertical AI agents, like , which focus on doing one thing (say, web data extraction) extremely well, with deep industry context and specialized tooling.

Think of it like this: Manus is the Swiss Army knife, while Thunderbit is the chef’s knife—maybe it can’t open a bottle of wine, but it’ll dice your onions like a pro.

How Does Manus AI Agent Work? Under the Hood of an AI Agent

Let’s pop the hood and see what makes Manus tick. (Don’t worry, I’ll keep the jargon to a minimum—no need to bring your CompSci textbook.)

The Agent Loop: Perception, Planning, Execution

Manus operates in a cycle that mimics how humans solve problems:

1. Analyze the Goal: Understands your instruction and defines what “success” looks like.
2. Plan and Select Tools: Breaks the goal into steps, chooses which tools or actions to use.
3. Execute the Step: Runs code, scrapes data, browses the web, or manipulates files as needed.
4. Observe and Iterate: Checks results, refines its plan, and repeats until the task is done.
5. Finalize and Deliver: Compiles the final output—could be a report, a dashboard, a spreadsheet, or even a deployed web app.

This isn’t just theory. Manus actually runs a structured “agent loop” (), orchestrating multiple specialized sub-agents (think: one for web browsing, another for coding, another for data analysis) all coordinated by a central “executor” agent.

Code Snippet: Manus’s CodeAct Mechanism

One of the coolest (and geekiest) tricks Manus uses is the CodeAct mechanism. Instead of relying on a fixed set of APIs, Manus often writes and executes Python code on the fly to solve problems. Here’s a simplified example:

1# Manus might generate something like this to analyze sales data
2import pandas as pd
3import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
4df = pd.read_csv('sales_data.csv')
5summary = df.groupby('region').sum()
6summary.plot(kind='bar')
7plt.savefig('sales_summary.png')

Manus writes this code, runs it in a secure cloud sandbox, and then delivers the chart as part of its output. It’s like hiring a junior developer who never complains about code reviews.

Manus AI Agent’s Step-by-Step Workflow

Let’s walk through a real-world scenario: “Generate a Q2 sales forecast dashboard.”

1. User Prompt: “Create a Q2 sales forecast report using last year’s data and current market trends.”
2. Goal Analysis: Manus parses the request, identifies it needs to fetch sales data, analyze trends, and visualize results.
3. Planning: Decides to (a) pull last year’s sales data (possibly by scraping a dashboard or querying a database), (b) research current market trends online, (c) run a forecast model, (d) generate charts.
4. Execution:
   • Uses its web browser agent to gather market data.
   • Writes and runs Python code to analyze and forecast sales.
   • Generates charts and compiles a dashboard.
5. Iteration: If the first forecast looks off (maybe the data is missing a region), Manus loops back, fetches more data, and refines the output.
6. Delivery: Deploys the dashboard to a public URL or sends you a downloadable report.

All of this happens with minimal back-and-forth. You can literally close your laptop, go for a walk, and come back to a finished dashboard ().

Key Features of Manus AI Agent: What Makes It Stand Out?

So what’s the big deal? Here’s what Manus brings to the table:

Manus’s real innovation is in orchestrating these capabilities together, not just having them in isolation ().

Manus AI Agent in Action: Real-World Use Cases

Let’s get practical. What can Manus actually do?

• Data Analysis & Dashboard Creation: Feed it raw data, and Manus will analyze, visualize, and even deploy a dashboard to a live URL ().
• Job Screening: Manus can fetch resumes, parse skills, rank candidates, and output a shortlist—all from a single prompt ().
• Web Scraping: Manus can browse websites, extract data, and format it into spreadsheets or JSON. Here’s a pseudo-prompt:

  1"Go to this supplier directory, extract all company names, emails, and phone numbers, and output as a CSV."

  Manus will plan the steps, write code to scrape the site, and deliver the file.
• Content Generation: Manus can summarize research, write articles, or generate slide decks.
• Software Automation: It can write and run code to automate workflows, from querying APIs to managing files.

The catch? While Manus can do all these things, it sometimes needs a little hand-holding, especially for tasks that require deep domain knowledge or large-scale, high-accuracy data extraction.

The Limitations of General AI Agents Like Manus

Here’s where my experience (and a healthy dose of skepticism) kicks in. Manus is impressive, but it’s not a silver bullet for every problem.

Where Manus Struggles

• Lack of Deep Industry Context: Manus is a jack-of-all-trades, but not a master of any. It can miss subtle industry-specific rules or nuances. For example, in legal or medical tasks, it might make plausible-sounding mistakes that an expert would never make ().
• Data Accuracy and Scalability: Manus’s web scraping is more “ad hoc” than industrial-grade. If you need to scrape thousands of pages reliably, handle dynamic content, or bypass anti-bot measures, Manus can stumble. It’s great for quick, one-off jobs, but not for mission-critical, high-volume data pipelines ().
• Prone to Errors and Loops: Like any LLM-based system, Manus can hallucinate, get stuck in loops, or produce inconsistent outputs. Debugging why it made a mistake can feel like chasing a ghost in the machine ().
• Security and Privacy Concerns: Manus runs in the cloud, and there are open questions about where data is stored and who can access it—especially important for businesses with sensitive information ().
• Not Built for Every Workflow: If you need a tool that just works, every time, for a specific business process, Manus’s flexibility can be a double-edged sword.

Vertical AI Agents vs. General AI Agents: Why Context Matters

This is where the “vertical AI agent” comes in. Instead of trying to do everything, vertical agents focus on doing one thing—like web data extraction—extremely well.

“AI + Industry” vs. “Industry + AI”

• General AI Agents (AI + Industry): Start with a powerful AI, then try to apply it to every problem. Manus is the poster child here.
• Vertical AI Agents (Industry + AI): Start with a deep understanding of a specific industry problem, then use AI to solve it. is a great example.

Here’s a quick comparison:

Thunderbit: A Vertical AI Web Scraper Built for Real-World Data

Let me put on my Thunderbit hat for a second (okay, I wear it every day). Here’s how we approach the problem differently:

• AI-Powered Data Structuring: Thunderbit uses AI to analyze web pages and suggest the right columns and data types—no need to fiddle with selectors or code ().
• Dynamic Page Support: We handle dynamic content, infinite scroll, and subpage scraping out-of-the-box.
• Browser and Cloud Scraping: Choose between scraping in your browser (great for logged-in sites) or in the cloud (super fast for public data).
• Flexible Templates: One scraper template can adapt to multiple page layouts—no need for constant maintenance.
• Anti-Bot Bypass: Thunderbit mimics real user behavior, helping you get past anti-scraping measures.
• Free Data Export: Export to Excel, Google Sheets, Airtable, or Notion—no hidden fees.
• Specialized Extractors: One-click email, phone, and image extraction—completely free.

Side-by-Side: Thunderbit vs. Manus for Web Scraping

If you’re a business that needs reliable, repeatable web data extraction, Thunderbit’s vertical approach just makes life easier. (Shameless plug: you can try it or grab the .)

Security, Privacy, and Practicality: What Businesses Should Consider

• Data Security: Know where your data is processed and stored. Manus runs in the cloud, and its data residency isn’t always clear (). Thunderbit gives you the option to keep data local (browser mode) or use the cloud for speed.
• Privacy and Compliance: If you’re in a regulated industry (finance, healthcare), be extra cautious about sending sensitive data to any AI agent.
• Reliability: Manus is still in beta, with reports of looping errors and inconsistent outputs. Vertical agents like Thunderbit are more mature for their specific use case.
• Human Oversight: Always review outputs—especially for general agents. Think of AI as your super-powered assistant, not your replacement (yet).
• Start Small: Pilot agents on low-risk tasks before rolling them out to mission-critical workflows.

The Future of AI Agents: Which Path Will Win?

So, will general AI agents like Manus take over the world, or will vertical agents like Thunderbit quietly run the show behind the scenes?

Here’s my take: Vertical agents will drive adoption in the near term, because they solve real business pain points with accuracy and reliability. General agents are exciting—they’re the “moonshot” vision—but they still need to earn trust, especially for high-stakes workflows.

That said, I wouldn’t bet against a future where the lines blur. Maybe your general agent will orchestrate a team of vertical agents, each an expert in its domain. Or maybe we’ll see “expert modes” inside general agents, powered by vertical knowledge bases.

But for now? If you need to get data out of websites and into your business tools, you want a vertical AI agent that just works.

Conclusion: Choosing the Right AI Agent for Your Business

To wrap up: Manus AI Agent is a fascinating leap toward autonomous AI, showing us what’s possible when you combine top-tier language models, tool orchestration, and a clever agent loop. It can plan, execute, and iterate on complex tasks with minimal input—a real “digital employee” in the making.

But, as with any Swiss Army knife, sometimes you just need a chef’s knife. General AI agents like Manus are versatile, but they lack the deep industry context and reliability that vertical AI agents bring to the table. For business-critical, recurring workflows—like web data extraction—vertical solutions like deliver accuracy, speed, and peace of mind.

So, when you’re choosing an AI agent, ask yourself: Do I need a tool that can do everything (but sometimes gets lost), or a tool that does one thing perfectly? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but matching the agent to your workflow is the key to unlocking real value.

And hey, if you ever want to see what a vertical AI agent can do for your sales, ecommerce, or real estate data, you know where to find us. (Hint: .)

Stay curious, keep experimenting, and let’s see where the AI agent revolution takes us next. If nothing else, at least your digital intern won’t eat the last donut in the break room.

FAQs

1. What is the Manus AI Agent and how is it different from traditional AI tools?

Manus AI Agent is a general-purpose autonomous AI developed by Butterfly Effect in 2025. Unlike traditional AI tools that require constant prompting, Manus can independently plan, execute, and iterate on complex tasks from a single input. It leverages a multi-agent system, dynamic code execution, and structured agent loops to complete tasks like data analysis, resume screening, and dashboard creation.

2. How does Manus AI Agent perform tasks autonomously?

Manus operates through an agent loop that mirrors human problem-solving: it analyzes the user’s goal, plans the steps, selects tools, executes tasks (like coding or browsing the web), evaluates results, and iterates as needed. It uses mechanisms like CodeAct to generate and run code on-the-fly and coordinates multiple specialized sub-agents to complete end-to-end workflows.

3. What are the strengths of Manus AI Agent?

Manus excels at handling diverse, multi-step knowledge work with minimal input. Key features include autonomous task execution, multi-agent orchestration, real-time web automation, code generation and execution, and multi-model integration. It also supports multiple languages and asynchronous cloud operations, making it highly versatile.

4. Where does Manus AI fall short compared to vertical AI agents like Thunderbit?

While powerful, Manus lacks deep domain expertise and can struggle with industry-specific tasks. It may produce inconsistent results, encounter looping errors, or face data accuracy challenges at scale. In contrast, vertical AI agents like Thunderbit are optimized for specific use cases (e.g., web scraping) and offer higher accuracy, scalability, and ease of use out of the box.

5. Which type of AI agent should a business choose—general-purpose like Manus or vertical like Thunderbit?

It depends on the use case. General-purpose agents like Manus are ideal for exploratory and varied tasks. Vertical agents like Thunderbit are better suited for recurring, mission-critical workflows that demand precision and reliability. Businesses should match the agent type to the task's complexity, scale, and required domain knowledge.

Further Reading: