OpenBot vs Manus: A Local Manus Alternative

OpenBot runs the provider tools you already use, with the plans you already pay for: Codex with your ChatGPT plan, Claude Code with your Claude plan, Gemini with your Google AI Pro or Ultra plan, and Grok CLI with your Grok account or an xAI API key. OpenCode runs free models, or your own model on any OpenAI-compatible server, also one on your computer. You choose the provider, the model and the reasoning effort for each agent. When you move an agent to a different provider, it keeps its role, workspace and conversation.

Manus says it is LLM-agnostic: it chooses the right model for each task, so you do not have to. It does not name the models. You choose only between its own tiers: the free plan gets Manus 1.6 Lite in Agent mode, and paid plans also get Manus 1.6 and Manus 1.6 Max. You pay Manus in credits, and a plan that you already pay for at another AI company does not apply.

OpenBot runs on the computer that hosts it. Agent workspaces, conversations and app data stay on that computer, so it must stay on while its agents work. Run it on a desktop or a server that stays on, and your agents keep working while your laptop is closed. Local-first is not offline: an agent that uses a hosted provider still sends its requests to that provider.

By default, each Manus task works in a temporary sandbox: a virtual computer with internet access in Manus's cloud. A Cloud Computer that stays on costs $30 or $50 a month more. Cloud tasks and scheduled tasks keep running while you are offline. Since March 2026, the desktop app for macOS and Windows can also let Manus run commands in the folders that you allow on your own computer; those tasks need that computer on.

The OpenBot apps for iPhone and Android connect to the computer that runs your agents. From anywhere, you chat with them, follow their progress and send files. The connection goes directly between your devices when it can, it is encrypted, and no cloud stores your chats or files. You set up no VPN or tunnel. Remote access needs an OpenBot account.

Manus has apps for iPhone and Android and a web app. You can also give it tasks in Telegram, WhatsApp Business, LINE or Slack, or by email; one messaging app at a time for each workspace. The work itself happens in Manus's cloud, or on your computer when you use the desktop app.

In OpenBot, each agent is a full coding agent: Codex, Claude Code, Gemini, Grok CLI or OpenCode, each with its own job and workspace. A lead agent can give parts of a task to other agents in a shared channel. You follow their work and step in when a decision needs you. For a team of people, one computer runs the host and the others join it; the chats and files stay on the host.

Manus is one agent that can split a large task: Wide Research starts hundreds of independent agents that work in parallel. Paid plans run up to 20 tasks at the same time. Up to 50 people can work in one task, and only the owner of the task pays the credits. The Team plan pools credits and adds single sign-on; the owner of a team can see all the session data of its members.

OpenBot keeps workspaces, conversations, attachments and browser data in a SQLite database on the computer that runs it. There is no copy on OpenBot's side. An account holds your profile, team memberships, invitations, sign-in sessions, the settings that let devices find each other, and any agent templates that you publish. Product analytics, which never include chat content, are on by default and linked to your account when you sign in; you can turn them off in Settings.

Manus stores your data in the US and Singapore. Its privacy policy says that it collects the files of each task, the shell commands the agent runs and their output, and the code. Manus says its model providers do not train on your data. For individual plans, it states no training opt-out, and its terms give Manus a permanent license to use your content, in aggregate, to improve the service. The Team plan says Manus does not train models on your data.