Side-by-side comparison · AI Browsers & Agents
Manus vs OpenClaw
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 2 tools. Add one more if you like.
At a glance
Pick it if: People who want to hand off whole tasks and don't want to build the automation themselves.
Pick it if: Technically confident people who want a 24/7 personal assistant on their own hardware and accept the security risk.
Manus scores highest overall, but OpenClaw gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.
Overview
| Attribute | Manus | OpenClaw |
|---|---|---|
| In one line | A general-purpose agent that takes a goal and works through it in its own browser. | A free, open-source assistant you run yourself and message on WhatsApp or Telegram. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Open source |
| Starting price | From $20/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Manus | OpenClaw |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 3.7Winner | 3.2 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 1.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers the job it's built for, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 3.5 | 3.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Manus | OpenClaw |
|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | ||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | No |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | Yes | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | ||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | No |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | Yes |
| AI abilities | ||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | Yes |
| Makes images | Yes | No |
| Makes video | Yes | No |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | No | No |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 15/ 17 | 11/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Manus | OpenClaw |
|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Quick questions and seeing what it can do. | Self-hostedOur pick Free Everyone: there is no paid version. |
ProOur pick From $20/mo, less with yearly billing Anyone who wants to hand off real research and build jobs. | ||
Pro (higher tier) From $40/mo, less with yearly billing Heavier users and anyone publishing websites with it. | ||
Team From $20/seat/mo Teams that want shared credits and admin controls. | ||
Enterprise Custom Large organisations. | ||
| Which plan to pick | Try the Free plan for a week to get a feel for how many credits a real task uses, then move to the $20 Pro tier. Only go higher if you run out most months or you want it to publish websites for you. | There's nothing to buy. Budget for the AI model instead: a cheaper model or a local one keeps costs to a few dollars a month, while a top model running all day can cost $50 or more. Check your AI provider's rules first, because Google and Anthropic have both restricted using personal subscriptions with it at times in 2026. |
Key features
Pros and cons
| Attribute | Manus | OpenClaw |
|---|---|---|
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Manus | OpenClaw |
|---|---|---|
| Best for |
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| You'll find it used by |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Manus or OpenClaw?
Manus scores highest overall in our ratings (Manus 3.7/5 and OpenClaw 3.2/5). Manus is best for multi-step research with a report at the end and lead lists and data gathering. OpenClaw is best for A personal assistant you text on WhatsApp or Telegram and morning briefings from email and calendar.
Which is cheaper, Manus or OpenClaw?
Manus: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at From $20/mo. OpenClaw: It's free and open source.
Which is easier to use, Manus or OpenClaw?
Manus rates highest for ease of use in our scores. People who want to hand off whole tasks and don't want to build the automation themselves.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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