Manus AI, a rapidly emerging general-purpose AI agent, has opened its registration to the public, moving away from its previous wait-list system. This change follows new funding and increasing competition from tech giants and other AI start-ups. Since its invite-only launch in early March, Manus has become one of the most talked-about AI services globally, recognized for its ability to tackle complex tasks. The service has gained significant attention in the AI community, particularly after its successful launch by a team of Chinese entrepreneurs, marking it as one of the most promising AI start-ups from China since DeepSeek.
The decision to open registration to the public comes after Manus secured $75 million in funding during its latest funding round, which valued the company at $500 million. The round was led by US-based venture capital firm Benchmark Capital, although Manus has not yet responded to requests for comment on the matter. This move is part of the company’s strategy to expand its user base amid increasing competition from major technology players and other start-ups in the AI space.
To attract users, Manus is offering a one-time bonus of 1,000 credits for those who register, with an additional 300 credits being added to free user accounts every day. Manus also introduced a tiered subscription model, with monthly plans costing $39 and $199, making it one of the more expensive AI service subscriptions in the market. The higher-tier plan offers 19,900 credits per month, which can be used for 66 tasks at 300 credits per task, providing users with significant capabilities to explore.
This strategy of offering free credits is expected to help Manus expand its user base as competition in the AI agent market intensifies. Tech giants like Alibaba Group and Ant Group are focusing on the model context protocol, which enables AI agents like Manus to connect with third-party tools, data sources, and systems. Other competitors such as ByteDance, which recently launched Coze Space, and start-ups like Genspark.AI, founded by former Baidu employees, are also entering the AI agent space, making this a highly competitive field. As the AI agent market grows, Manus is positioning itself to be a key player with its advanced features and robust service offerings.
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