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Manus alternative in 2026: an AI agent with its own computer, hosted in Europe

Manus popularised the AI agent with its own cloud computer, then lived through a Meta takeover, a forced unwinding and a data deletion. What Manus does, why users look elsewhere (credits, data in the US and Singapore, instability), and the alternatives.

By the Baguette Bot team 3 min read
Manus alternative
Contents
  1. What happened to Manus
  2. What Manus does well
  3. Why people look elsewhere
  4. The alternatives
  5. Baguette Bot as a Manus alternative
  6. Which one should you choose?
  7. Sources

In March 2025, Manus made a lot of people understand what an AI agent could be: you give it a task, it opens its own cloud computer, browses, writes code, builds files, and comes back with a result. It still does that well. But the company's 2026 has been unusually turbulent, and many users now search for a Manus alternative.

What happened to Manus

  • December 2025: Meta announced the acquisition of Manus, reportedly for more than $2 billion.
  • April 2026: China's National Development and Reform Commission ordered the deal unwound.
  • June 2026: according to Bloomberg, Meta cut Manus off from its internal systems.
  • 11 August 2026: Manus announced it would operate independently again.
  • 23–24 August 2026: Manus deleted the data created since 29 December 2025 by certain users in jurisdictions it did not name. Access was interrupted for two days, with a backup and restore window, and Manus said it was not a security incident.
  • End of September 2026: Manus 2.0 launched, with a desktop app.

The product works. But for an agent that holds your files and logins, ownership and stability matter.

What Manus does well

  • A real cloud computer per task, with a browser, code execution and files.
  • Background and scheduled tasks.
  • Strong at research and deliverables: reports, slides, small web apps.
  • A free daily allowance to try it.

Why people look elsewhere

  • Credits. Pricing is based on credits: a daily free allowance, then paid plans from $20/month. Credits don't roll over, and you can't know in advance what a task will cost. "My credits ran out mid-task" is the most common complaint.
  • Data location. Manus's own FAQ places data in the United States and Singapore.
  • No model choice. Manus picks the models.
  • Instability. A takeover, an unwinding and a data deletion in one year.

The alternatives

  • OpenAI dots: the closest big-platform equivalent. You get a cloud computer, background work and thousands of apps, but only from ChatGPT Pro ($100/month), and personal plans exclude the EU, UK and Switzerland. See Baguette Bot vs OpenAI Dots.
  • Claude Cowork: since October 2026 its tasks run in Anthropic's cloud and continue when your laptop is closed. It is tied to Claude.
  • Grok Bot and Meta Muse: agent teams or personal agents on US cloud computers. Muse is US-only. See the full comparison.
  • Self-hosted Hermes Agent: free, any model, but you run the server. See Baguette Bot vs Hermes Agent.
  • Baguette Bot: described below.

Baguette Bot as a Manus alternative

Baguette Bot takes the same core idea (an AI with its own computer) and changes four things:

  1. A computer that stays. Instead of a sandbox per task, each account has a persistent Linux computer, hosted in Paris. Your bots keep their files, logins and memory between tasks. You can watch the screen live and take over, and a snapshot before each mission lets you undo.
  2. Pricing you can read. A free plan with up to 6 bots, then Pro at €29/month, Max at €69 and Ultra at €129, with the computer included. On Max and Ultra, some fast models are unlimited. Each bot can have a monthly budget cap.
  3. Your model. Choose among more than 400 models for each bot, or keep everything with Mistral AI in sovereign mode.
  4. Your agents. Export your bots to an open .bot file, with instructions, memory, routines, watchers and teams. If you leave, they leave with you.

It also covers things Manus users often ask for: several specialised bots that work together, routines and watchers that run without you, connected email and calendar accounts on paid plans, and apps for Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone (beta).

Which one should you choose?

Manus remains a capable agent for one-off research and deliverables, if its credits and data location suit you. If you want an agent that lives on a stable computer in France, with clear prices, the model you choose and agents you can take with you, try Baguette Bot. The free plan needs no payment.

Sources

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