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Manus vs Sauna

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors.

The short answer

Cheaper paid plan
Manus — $20/mo vs $29/mo for Sauna
Free plan
Both have one
Public API
Manus has one; not confirmed by us for Sauna
Higher Trust score
Sauna — 84 vs 79 for Manus
Best fit
Manus: Knowledge workers who want a report, deck or small site produced end to end from a brief · Sauna: Founders and operators who want one assistant across iMessage, Slack and email

From our own records as of each tool's last check. Anything we have not confirmed is left out rather than guessed. How we verify

ManusAutonomous agent that runs tasks in its own sandboxSaunaProactive AI teammate with persistent memory that works through iMessage, Slack, email and the web, and builds routines for repeat tasks.

Side by side

FactManusSauna
CategoryAI Agents & Autonomous WorkersPersonal AI Assistants
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starts at$20/mo$29/mo
Public APIYesNot confirmed
Trust score79 / 10084 / 100
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, APIWeb, iOS
CompanyButterfly Effect Pte. Ltd.Wordware
Last verifiedSep 6, 2026Oct 2, 2026

What our research says

Manus

Manus is for delegating a whole task — research a market, build a small site, clean a dataset — and reading the result later, with a replayable trail of what the agent did. It is strongest on bounded, verifiable jobs and weakest when the task needs judgement calls mid-way, and the credit meter makes long multi-step runs expensive to repeat: a failed run costs the same as a good one.

Pros

  • Runs in its own cloud sandbox with browser, terminal and files, so nothing is installed locally
  • Step-by-step progress and session replay make the agent's work auditable
  • Published plans: Free with daily credits, Pro from $20, Team from $20 a seat with pooled credits
  • Bring-your-own API key is supported on Team for model access

Cons

  • Credits are consumed by run time and tool calls, so cost per finished task is hard to predict
  • The original Basic and Plus plans were folded into Pro, and the pricing page itself shows no figures without JavaScript
  • Operator is a Singapore entity with disputes under SIAC arbitration, which matters for enterprise procurement

Sauna

An interesting bet for professionals who want an assistant that remembers context and gradually takes over repeat chores, reachable from the chat apps they already use. It is aimed at knowledge work rather than coding. Pricing starts at $29 a month and climbs quickly, and the product is young, so try the free start before committing a team.

Pros

  • Persistent memory is the core of the design
  • Reachable from web, iOS, iMessage, Slack and email
  • Thousands of integrations and custom MCP connectors
  • States SOC 2 Type II compliance and no training on user data

Cons

  • Monthly billing only, with no annual discount
  • Upper tiers are expensive, with Team at $999 a month
  • Free allowance is described two different ways on the site

Which one fits

Choose Manus if you need

  • Knowledge workers who want a report, deck or small site produced end to end from a brief
  • Teams that want pooled credits and shared workspaces on a per-seat plan
  • Trying autonomous agents without setting up a sandbox yourself

Choose Sauna if you need

  • Founders and operators who want one assistant across iMessage, Slack and email
  • Teams that want shared memory and routines for recurring work

Manus vs Sauna: the questions people ask

Is Manus cheaper than Sauna?

On published entry prices, Manus starts lower — $20/mo against $29/mo for Sauna. Entry price is the lowest paid plan as we last verified it; what each plan includes differs.

Does Manus or Sauna have a free tier?

Both: Manus has a free tier, and Sauna has a free tier.

Which has a public API, Manus or Sauna?

Manus ships a public API, as of our last verification. A public API for Sauna is not confirmed by us — check its developer docs before you plan an integration.

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