Manus vs Cicada

Manus is an autonomous general agent: give it a task in its apps, Slack, Telegram or email and it works on its own cloud computer to deliver research, slides, sites and apps. Cicada is an AI workforce for a business: every employee gets a teammate they text on WhatsApp or iMessage, mention in Slack or email, that keeps working in your apps and reports back in the thread.

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The short version

Pick Cicada if the work runs through your team's conversations: WhatsApp and iMessage groups, Slack, email and meetings, with an agent per person that keeps going in your apps. Pick Manus if you want one powerful agent to produce finished deliverables, like a researched deck or a site, from a single request.

What Cicada does that Manus doesn't.

It lives in your team's chats

Manus works in its own apps, Slack, Telegram DMs, LINE and email; we couldn't find WhatsApp or iMessage. Cicada is in WhatsApp and iMessage, one-to-one and in group chats, as well as Slack and email.

Ongoing work, not just tasks

Cicada's agents keep working: they watch an inbox, chase what's gone quiet, run on schedules and app events, and tell you when something needs you. Each person has their own, and they share what they learn.

It joins your meetings

On the Business plan, Cicada joins Meet, Zoom, Teams and Webex calls and texts you the decisions. Manus records in-person conversations and reads Zoom recordings; we couldn't find it joining online calls.

A lock on every app

Any member sets each connected app to Full, Ask first or Read-only for every agent, and approvals arrive in the thread. Manus asks you to approve each connector before it's enabled; we couldn't find per-app read-only locks.

About Manus

What it is: An autonomous general agent that works on its own cloud computer, from research to slides, sites and apps, and can run hundreds of sub-agents for wide research. Made by Manus AI (Butterfly Effect), independent again since 1 September 2026 after Meta's acquisition was unwound.
Where it works: Web, desktop (macOS and Windows) and mobile apps, a browser extension, Slack, Telegram (DMs), LINE and email
What it costs: Free with 300 credits a day; paid plans from $20 a month for 4,000 credits up to $200 a month and more; Team $20 a seat a month with credits pooled; Enterprise on request
Worth knowing: Not in WhatsApp or iMessage, no notetaker that joins your calls, and its ownership changed twice in 2026 (some users' data was deleted in August to meet regulators' requirements).

Checked against Manus's own pages on 3 November 2026. See every Manus alternative.

Where Manus fits in the market.

Personal AI assistants help one person with their own work.
Manus
Automation platforms automate the workflows you design.
Enterprise platforms build agents inside their own ecosystems.

Cicada gives your whole business a coordinated AI workforce that every employee can delegate to, through the tools they already use.

Cicada

A team of agents for a team of people.

Manus is one agent per task, with a Team plan that pools credits across members. Cicada gives every person their own agents, coordinated, that work together.

Agents for every person

Each person in your workspace gets their own agents. The apps the team shares are connected once; personal ones, like your inbox, stay under your own login.

A coordinator and specialists

A big job is split between specialists that work at the same time, and you get one answer back from the agent you asked.

Agents that work together

Teammates' agents know what each other covers, use each other's fresh figures and check with each other through the apps you share, never through anyone's private notes. Ask yours to message someone who uses Cicada, at your company or another, and their answer comes back to you.

Know-how the whole team shares

What one agent learns about the business, every agent in the workspace knows, and a skill one agent proves is shared with the rest.

Cicada and Manus, feature by feature.

Feature	Cicada	Manus
Agents across your team	Every person gets their own agents, a coordinator running specialists, and they work together across the team	Each member has their own account on a Team plan, with shared projects and pooled credits
Where you use it	iMessage, WhatsApp, Slack, email and a web app	Web, desktop and mobile apps, Slack, Telegram (DMs), LINE and email
WhatsApp and iMessage	Both, one-to-one and in group chats	Not that we could find (Apple Messages only through Cue, a separate early-access app)
Specialist agents	A coordinator delegates to specialists and returns one answer	Wide Research runs hundreds of sub-agents in parallel
Works on its own	Schedules, app events and proactive checks	Scheduled and event-triggered automations; a Cloud Computer for always-on work
Connected apps	1,400+, plus any MCP server and a live browser	416 connectors (most of them MCP), custom MCP, a cloud browser and computer use on your machine
Joins your meetings	On Business: Meet, Zoom, Teams and Webex	Not that we could find (records in-person meetings; reads Zoom recordings)
Permissions	Per app: Full, Ask first or Read-only, at the autonomy level you set	You approve each connector; admin controls and audit logs on Team
Price	A 3-day free trial, then Starter at $29 a month (300 credits, 3 agents, one person), Growth at $99 (up to 10 people) or Business at $249 (no limit on people). Credits are shared across the workspace, with no charge per person.	Free with 300 credits a day; from $20 a month for 4,000 credits; Team $20 a seat a month, credits pooled

Manus details checked against its own site and docs on 3 November 2026. Products change fast; see the sources below.

A task, or a teammate

Manus shines when you hand it a big, self-contained task and want a finished file or site back. Cicada is built for the everyday flow of a business: many small and large jobs, asked for in chats, done in your apps, followed up without being asked again.

Where people ask

Your team doesn't need another app to open. They text Cicada on WhatsApp or iMessage, add it to the group with suppliers or clients, mention it in Slack, or email it, and the answer comes back there.

Who it belongs to

Meta bought Manus in December 2025, and Manus resumed independent operations on 1 September 2026; some users' data created after the acquisition was deleted in August to meet regulators' requirements. Cicada Labs is based in London.

Where Cicada is stronger

WhatsApp and iMessage, one-to-one and in group chats.
Every person gets their own agents, and they work together.
Ongoing work on schedules and app events, reported back in the thread.
On Business, a notetaker that joins your online meetings.
A Full, Ask first or Read-only lock on every app, for every agent.

Choose Cicada if you want an AI workforce in your team's chats, Slack, email and meetings, with an agent per person that keeps working in your apps.

Where Manus fits

Finished deliverables from one request: slides, hosted sites and apps, video edits.
Very wide parallel research with hundreds of sub-agents.
Working on your own computer through its desktop app.
A free plan with daily credits and a $20 entry plan.

Manus may suit you if you want one agent to research and produce finished deliverables, like decks, sites or apps, from a single request.

Manus vs Cicada, answered.

Is Cicada a Manus alternative?

For a team's day-to-day work, yes. Manus is an autonomous agent for big tasks and deliverables; Cicada gives every employee a teammate in WhatsApp, iMessage, Slack and email, with specialists behind it.

Does Manus work on WhatsApp or iMessage?

Not that we could find, as of November 2026: Manus works in its own apps, Slack, Telegram DMs, LINE and email, and Apple Messages only through Cue, a separate app. Cicada works in WhatsApp and iMessage, including group chats.

Is Manus owned by Meta?

Not any more. Meta acquired Manus in December 2025, and Manus says it resumed independent operations on 1 September 2026. Press reports say Chinese regulators ordered the deal unwound.

How much does Manus cost?

Free with 300 credits a day; paid plans from $20 a month for 4,000 credits, up to $200 a month and more; Team at $20 a seat a month with credits pooled; Enterprise on request.

Sources, checked 3 November 2026

Spotted something out of date? Tell us at support@cicadalabs.io and we'll fix it.

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