We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It never changes a score or a ranking. How we make money
It's a split decision.
Choose Claude Code for work centered on an existing codebase: it can inspect and edit code, run tests, and connect to GitHub, GitLab, command-line tools, and editors. Choose Manus when the task spans browser actions, research, media, or scheduled automation as well as software development. Both have free plans, but Claude Code is excluded from Claude’s Free plan, while Manus’s free plan limits credits and concurrent tasks. Neither product is open for self-hosting based on the stated terms; Manus is explicitly proprietary and cloud-hosted.
01Side by side
| Claude Code | Manus | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Subscription tiers; enterprise API-rate billing | Credit-based subscriptions; team pooled credits |
| Free tier | Claude Free excludes Claude Code | 300 daily credits; 1,500 monthly cap |
| Licence and self-hosting | Licence and self-hosting terms not published | Proprietary cloud-hosted; no self-hosting option |
| CLI and docs | Terminal access; documentation linked | Browser, code, and file workflows |
| Integrations | GitHub, GitLab, command-line tools, IDEs, Slack | GitHub, Notion, Linear, Slack, MCP, Zapier |
| Platforms | macOS, Linux, Windows, web, mobile, IDEs | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, extension |
| Limits and scaling | Subscription usage limits; plan-dependent | Paid plans list 20 concurrent tasks |
| Primary workflow | Codebase changes, tests, migrations, pull requests | Development, research, media, browser and workflow automation |
Claude Code Choose Claude Code if
- Choose Claude Code for changes inside an existing codebase.
- Choose Claude Code for terminal, editor, and GitHub-centered work.
- Choose Claude Code when code review and tests are central.
Manus Choose Manus if
- Choose Manus for browser-driven research and form workflows.
- Choose Manus for scheduled tasks, media, and software prototyping.
- Choose Manus when one workflow spans multiple digital tools.
02Pricing at real usage
Claude Code is included with Pro at $20 monthly or $17 per month with annual billing. Max costs $100 monthly and lists five times Pro usage every five hours and weekly; Ultra costs $200 monthly and lists ten times Pro weekly usage. Claude’s Free plan costs $0 but does not include Claude Code. Team seats start at $25 monthly, or $20 per month with annual billing.
Manus Free costs $0 and includes 300 daily refresh credits, capped at 1,500 monthly, plus one concurrent task. Pro starts at $20 monthly for 4,000 credits, or $16.67 per month with annual billing. Higher credit plans cost $40 or $200 monthly. The Team plan is $20 per seat monthly, with pooled credits. Manus usage grows by credit allocation; Claude usage grows through plan tiers and stated usage allowances.
03API, SDKs and integration
Claude Code is presented as an agent you steer from a terminal, IDE, Slack, or web and mobile apps. Its product page links to documentation and names GitHub, GitLab, command-line tools, VS Code, Cursor, Devin Desktop, JetBrains, and Slack integrations. The page describes these workflows but does not specify a language-specific SDK matrix or API contract.
Manus works through virtual browser environments, code, and files. It connects to GitHub, Notion, Linear, and Slack, supports Model Context Protocol (MCP) connectors for custom server endpoints, and offers a Zapier MCP connector for more than 8,000 third-party applications. Its product pages do not give language-specific SDK instructions. For developers, the practical distinction is codebase-oriented terminal and editor work in Claude Code versus browser actions and wider tool connections in Manus.
04Open source, self-hosting and lock-in
Manus is proprietary, cloud-hosted software, and its product description says there is no self-hosted option. Claude Code’s product page does not publish its open-source or self-hosting terms. Neither product page specifies data-export formats or a migration path, so teams should ask each vendor how to export task history, files, and other stored data before making the agent part of a production workflow.
Manus’s browser operation, scheduled automations, and cloud computer make its hosted environment part of the workflow; moving those tasks elsewhere may require rebuilding them. Claude Code is tied to Anthropic’s service and plan usage, while its integrations touch external tools such as GitHub and GitLab. Teams should check permissions, repository access, and what data persists in each connected service.
Questions people ask
Which is better for software development, Claude Code or Manus?
Claude Code is the closer fit for work in an existing repository: it can inspect and edit code, run tests, and support issue-to-pull-request workflows. Manus also supports app development, but its broader focus includes browser automation, research, media, and scheduled workflows.
Can I use Claude Code on the Free plan?
No. Claude’s Free plan includes limited usage but does not include Claude Code. The Pro plan includes Claude Code and costs $20 monthly, or $17 per month with annual billing. Higher-use individual plans are listed at $100 and $200 monthly.
Does Manus have a free plan, and what are its limits?
Yes. Manus Free includes 300 daily refresh credits, capped at 1,500 monthly, one concurrent task, and two scheduled automations. Paid Pro plans start at $20 monthly for 4,000 credits and list 20 concurrent tasks.
Can either tool be self-hosted?
Manus is proprietary cloud-hosted software, and its product description says it has no self-hosted option. Claude Code’s product page does not publish self-hosting terms. Teams that need deployment control should ask Anthropic directly and confirm Manus’s hosted-service requirements.