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Meta Acquires Manus AI for $2B+: What This Means for AI Agents
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Meta Acquires Manus AI for $2B+: What This Means for AI Agents

• 4 min read
manus-ai meta openmanus ai-agents open-source industry-news

Breaking news from late 2025: Meta officially acquired Manus AI in a deal valued at over $2 billion. This marks a pivotal strategic move in the increasingly competitive AI agents race.

What Is Manus AI?

Manus AI is a Singapore-based AI startup (originally from China), developed by the Monica AI team. Key features:

  • General-purpose AI agent - capable of autonomously executing complex end-to-end tasks
  • Autonomous execution - not just suggestions, but actual actions: research, coding, data analysis
  • Multi-step reasoning - analyzes, plans, and executes multiple consecutive steps

Before the acquisition, Manus operated on a subscription model and didn’t support BYOK (Bring Your Own Key).

The Meta-Manus Deal: Key Points

Why Did Meta Buy Manus?

  1. The 2026 AI Agents Race - AI agents are becoming the new battleground after LLMs
  2. Meta AI Integration - Manus will be integrated into Meta’s consumer products
  3. Competition with OpenAI and Google - GPT Agents and Gemini are leading the market

What Happens After the Deal?

  • Manus continues operating its subscription service independently
  • China operations discontinued - Meta announced complete severance of Chinese ties
  • China investigating the deal for export control compliance

What This Means for Developers

With Manus now under Meta’s umbrella, many developers are concerned about:

  • Pricing changes - Meta could adjust pricing at any time
  • Platform lock-in - Dependency on Meta’s ecosystem
  • Data privacy - Data processed through Meta’s servers
  • Regional restrictions - Some regions may face access limitations

Want to Experiment? OpenManus Is the Open-Source Alternative

If you want to experience Manus-like AI agents without depending on Meta, the community has developed OpenManus - an open-source project replicating Manus AI’s capabilities.

What Does OpenManus Offer?

FeatureDescription
Agent FrameworkFlexible framework for creating AI agents with various behaviors
Tool IntegrationConnect to external tools and APIs
Multi-LLM SupportSupports GPT-4, Claude 3.5, Qwen VL Plus and more
Browser AutomationAutomated web browsing and data extraction
Task VisualizationReal-time monitoring of thinking and execution processes

Advantages Over Official Manus

  1. BYOK Support - Use your own API keys
  2. Self-hosted - Run on your infrastructure, keep data secure
  3. Customizable - Tailor agent behaviors to your needs
  4. Vendor independent - No worries about Meta changing pricing or terms

Integrating OpenManus With VibeCodeCheap API

OpenManus supports multiple LLM providers. You can use VibeCodeCheap API to significantly reduce costs:

Simple Configuration

# config/config.yaml
llm:
  model: claude-sonnet-4-20250514
  base_url: https://api.vibecodecheap.com/v1
  api_key: ${VIBECODECHEAP_API_KEY}
  max_tokens: 8096
  temperature: 0.0

Cost Comparison

ProviderClaude Sonnet 4 InputClaude Sonnet 4 Output
Anthropic Direct$3.00/1M tokens$15.00/1M tokens
VibeCodeCheap$1.50/1M tokens$7.50/1M tokens
Savings50%50%

With AI agents running multiple automated tasks, API costs can reach hundreds of USD/month. Saving 50% is significant.

Supported Models

VibeCodeCheap provides access to all popular models:

  • Claude 4 Opus, Sonnet - Best for reasoning and coding
  • GPT-4o, GPT-4 Turbo - Versatile, high-speed
  • Gemini 2.0 - Powerful multi-modal

Getting Started With OpenManus

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/FoundationAgents/OpenManus.git
cd OpenManus

Step 2: Install Dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

Step 3: Configure API

Create config/config.yaml:

llm:
  model: claude-sonnet-4-20250514
  base_url: https://api.vibecodecheap.com/v1
  api_key: your_vibecodecheap_api_key
  max_tokens: 8096
  temperature: 0.0

Step 4: Run the Agent

python main.py

Conclusion

The Meta-Manus acquisition marks a pivotal moment in the AI agents industry. However, with OpenManus and VibeCodeCheap API, developers can still:

  • ✅ Experience Manus-like AI agent capabilities
  • ✅ Maintain full control over data and infrastructure
  • ✅ Save 50%+ on API costs
  • ✅ Customize to specific needs

Sign up for VibeCodeCheap today to get free credits and start building your own AI agents!

Updated: January 10, 2026

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