Manus has a new architecture. At 15:22 UTC on September 28, 2026, Manus posted “Introducing Manus 2.0”, and its blog post opens with the line “Manus 2.0 is not a version update.” Five minutes later it introduced Cue, a separate app for personal agents.
This page is read from Manus’s own blog post and posts on X. Where Manus did not say something, we say so.
On this page · 8 sectionsOpen
- Manus launched Manus 2.0 on September 28, 2026, posting at 15:22 UTC on X alongside a blog post that calls it a new architecture rather than a version update. It is available now on web, desktop and mobile.
- Cascade, Manus’s new in-house agent harness, used 23.2% fewer tokens, finished tasks in 28.2% less time and cost 32% less to run than the previous system in one configuration Manus tested.
- Cloud Computer is a dedicated environment you can buy for projects that need to stay up, and Automations let tasks start when something happens in a connected service, not only on a schedule.
- The desktop app becomes Manus Studio, with two new professional environments: a Video Editor that hands you the timeline and a Game Dev mode that can host multiplayer games on a Cloud Computer.
- Cue is a new standalone app for personal agents, each with its own email, phone number, wallet and computer, able to work together in group chats. It is in early access, free with an invite code.
§ 01What Manus launched
| Piece | What it is |
|---|---|
| Cascade | New in-house agent harness that brings in specialized capabilities only when a project needs them |
| Cloud Computer | A dedicated environment you can purchase for projects that need to stay up |
| Automations | Tasks that start when something happens in a connected service, such as a new email or a Slack message |
| Manus Studio | The upgraded desktop app: documents, spreadsheets, slides, websites, code, games and video |
| Video Editor | A timeline you can edit by hand, plus an Alchemy mode where Manus takes the creative direction |
| Game Dev | Build a game, edit it by hand, publish it as a link, host multiplayer on a Cloud Computer |
| Remote Control and Computer Use | Ask Manus to work on your own computer, and watch it from your phone |
| Cue | A standalone app for personal agents with their own email, phone number, wallet and computer |
§ 02The efficiency claim
Manus gives one set of numbers for Cascade, from a single tested configuration against its previous system.
That is Manus’s own measurement on one configuration, not a benchmark, and it says nothing about what users will pay. Manus published no plan changes alongside it.
§ 03Cue, the agents with identities
Cue is the part closest to where the agent market is heading. In Manus’s words, “each agent has its own email, phone number, wallet, and computer”, and several agents can share a goal in a group chat and hand work to each other while you “set the direction and make the final call.” Two hours after launch, Manus added phone numbers for Manus and Cue agents: “Available in select countries for now, with voice-only support in some.”
Access is gated for now: “Cue is in early access and free to use with an invite code.” iOS follows App Store review.
§ 04What Manus did not say
- Prices. No new plan prices, no Cloud Computer price and no word on what Cue costs after early access.
- Which models. The post names no model under Cascade, Video Editor or Game Dev.
- Countries. Phone numbers are in “select countries”, unnamed.
- Independent numbers. The 32% cost figure is Manus’s own, from one configuration.
§ 05Where CellCog sits
Our conflict, declared: we build CellCog, where a business hires AI employees that each own a role, keep memory across work, have their own email, phone number and computer, and manage each other in teams. Cue points at the same idea from the personal side, and the category is better for it. Our Manus alternatives list compares the options, CellCog included and marked as ours; the week’s other personal-agent news, Instinct, sits next to it.
§ 06October 8: $500 million after the Meta exit
Ten days after the 2.0 launch, Manus raised money. Butterfly Effect, the company behind Manus, said on October 8 that it had completed a funding round of more than $500 million, led by Boyu Capital and IDG Capital, with existing investors Tencent, HSG and ZhenFund participating (Reuters, AFP, TechNode, citing Yicai). The company did not disclose a valuation or say what the money is for. AFP calls it the first round since the founders and investors bought the company back from Meta, whose $2 billion acquisition, announced in December, Beijing ordered unwound in April.
| Item | Reported |
|---|---|
| Size | More than $500 million |
| Leads | Boyu Capital, IDG Capital |
| Existing investors in | Tencent, HSG, ZhenFund |
| Valuation | Not disclosed |
| Use of funds | Not disclosed |
For a buyer the money changes the risk read more than the product. A personal-agent app in early access, Cue, now sits on a balance sheet built for a long run, and the gaps listed above (prices, models, countries) are the ones the next release has to fill.
§ 07What we are watching for
- Cue leaving early access, and its price when it does.
- A Cloud Computer price.
- The countries where agent phone numbers work.
- Independent tests of Cascade’s cost and speed claims.
- What the October 8 round is spent on, and a valuation if Manus names one.
§ 08Sources
- Funding, October 8, 2026, as reported by Reuters, AFP and TechNode, read 13:04 UTC; no statement URL published by Manus.
- Manus, Introducing Manus 2.0, September 28, 2026, read 19:05 UTC.
- Manus on X, Introducing Manus 2.0, 15:22 UTC; Cue, 15:27 UTC; agent phone numbers, 17:43 UTC, September 28, 2026.
Q1When did Manus 2.0 launch?
September 28, 2026. Manus’s blog post is dated that day and its launch post on X went out at 15:22 UTC.
Q2Is Cue free?
For now. Manus says Cue is in early access and free to use with an invite code, starting with the code MEETCUE for a limited number of early users.
Q3Can Manus agents make phone calls?
Yes. Manus posted at 17:43 UTC on September 28 that Manus and Cue agents can have their own phone number to make and receive calls and texts, in select countries for now.
Q4How much cheaper is Manus 2.0?
Manus says Cascade cost 32% less to run than its previous system in one tested configuration. It published no new plan prices.
Q5Is CellCog an alternative to Manus?
It is a different shape: CellCog is a platform where you hire AI employees that own a role, keep memory and work in teams. Our comparison of Manus alternatives is linked below; CellCog is our product and that list declares the conflict.