GTM Tech Stack
Best ofGTMUpdated Oct 26, 2026

Best Manus alternatives · what $20 a month buys on five AI agents

Manus is an AI agent, a tool that plans a task with several steps and does it for you. It bills in credits, the units an agent spends as it works, and every Manus plan works out to $5 per 1,000 credits on monthly billing.

Notes from GTM teamsWritten by people who run outboundWe use the tools we recommend.

our pick for you

Our pick

Pick Runable if you want the largest credit count for $20 a month billed monthly. A credit is the unit an agent spends as it works, and Runable Pro includes 25,000 a month plus 1,500 a day. Pick Happycapy Pro or the smallest Manus plan if you want the lowest paid start. Both are $17 a month billed yearly, which means you pay for the year up front. Stay on Manus if your work comes in bursts, because its add-on credits, the extra credits you buy on top of a plan, never expire.

  • Runable Pro is $20 a month billed monthly for 25,000 credits a month plus 1,500 a day. Max is $100 a month billed monthly for 150,000 a month plus 1,500 a day.
  • Manus is $20, $40 or $200 a month billed monthly for 4,000, 8,000 or 40,000 credits, which is $5 per 1,000 on every plan.
  • Happycapy Pro is $20 a month billed monthly or $17 a month billed yearly for 2,000 credits. Happycapy Free is $0 a month with 250 credits a month.
  • Lindy Team starts at $29.99 a month per active user for 3,000 credits, as of October 26, 2026. Lindy Free is $0 a month and starts you with $50 in credits that last 7 days.
  • Genspark’s pricing page showed a login wall on October 26, 2026, so it has no price on this list.

Ranked picks

  1. #1
    Runabletop pick

    Best for: People who want the largest credit count for $20 a month billed monthly, and a top plan at $100 a month billed monthly.

    Credit / waterfallAutomation
    • 25,000 monthly credits for $20 a month billed monthly, the largest count of the $20 plans compared.
    • Max is $100 a month billed monthly, half of the $200 a month Manus plan.
    • 1,500 daily credits on top of the monthly credits on both plans.
    Go to the websiteRead our review

Compare

ToolPrice bandBest forDealbreaker
#1 RunableCredit / waterfallPeople who want the largest credit count for $20 a month billed monthly, and a top plan at $100 a month billed monthly.Runable’s pricing page doesn’t say the number of credits one task uses.
MethodHow we scored these tools▾

Prices are as of October 26, 2026. The Runable and Manus prices on this list are billed monthly. Happycapy prices are shown billed monthly and billed yearly. Genspark’s pricing page sent visitors to a login page that day, so it has no price on this list. The math compares price per credit inside each tool and makes no claim about tasks per dollar.

Who it's for

buy if

  • You pay for Manus and want to know what the same money buys elsewhere.
  • You want a free or cheaper way to try an AI agent before you commit.
  • You make slides, reports, images or websites with an agent every week.

skip if

  • Skip a switch if your work comes in bursts. Manus says its add-on credits never expire.
  • Skip this list if you want an outbound sales agent. The AI SDR tools list covers those.

The short answer

Pick Runable if you want the largest credit count for $20 a month billed monthly. Runable Pro includes 25,000 credits a month plus 1,500 a day, and Max is $100 a month billed monthly.

Pick Happycapy Pro or the smallest Manus plan if you want the lowest paid start. Both are $17 a month billed yearly. The Manus plan includes 4,000 credits a month and Happycapy Pro includes 2,000, and each tool counts credits in its own unit.

Pick Lindy if you want an assistant inside Gmail and meetings. Lindy Free is $0 a month with credits that last 7 days.

Stay on Manus if your work comes in bursts. Manus add-on credits never expire.

What $20 a month buys on each agent

As of October 26, 2026, Runable Pro is $20 a month billed monthly for 25,000 credits a month plus 1,500 a day.

Manus is $20 a month billed monthly for 4,000 credits a month plus 300 refresh credits a day.

Happycapy Pro is $20 a month billed monthly for 2,000 credits, or $17 a month billed yearly.

Lindy has no $20 a month plan. Its Team plan starts at $29.99 a month per active user for 3,000 credits.

Why credit counts don’t compare across agents

Each agent decides what one credit buys. Manus’s docs say credits are spent “based on the complexity and resources required for each task.”

So 25,000 Runable credits against 2,000 Happycapy credits tells you nothing about tasks per dollar. Run the same real task on two agents and count what each one spent.

The math: on October 26, 2026 prices, Runable Pro works out to $0.80 per 1,000 credits, Runable Max to about $0.67 per 1,000, Manus to $5 per 1,000 and Happycapy Pro to $10 per 1,000 on monthly billing. These are prices inside each tool and say nothing about cost per task.

Daily credits help light daily use

Two agents add a daily allowance on top of the monthly credits. Runable adds 1,500 a day on both plans. Manus adds 300 refresh credits a day on its $20 a month plan.

If you use an agent a little each day, the daily number can cover your work before you touch the monthly bucket.

Genspark vs Manus on price

Genspark is another AI agent. On October 26, 2026, its pricing page sent visitors to a login page, so Genspark shows no public price to compare. Read its plans after you sign in, and test one task against Manus before you pay.

When staying on Manus costs less

Manus’s docs say plan credits reset each month and add-on credits never expire. A team that works in bursts can keep a small plan and buy add-ons for the busy weeks.

Manus says it also shows an estimate in its dashboard before each task. If you need a cost number before you run a task, that estimate helps.

Two users who found the credits costly

Chipo Faith, a content marketer, wrote on X on October 19, 2026 that she burned through credits and dollars during the Manus hype, before she found Claude Code and Codex. The Hacker News user mercurialsolo called Manus overpriced in December 2025, before Manus 2.0. Both complaints are about credit cost.

What users say

“I also build with AI. During the Manus hype I burned a ton of credits (and dollars) vibe coding just about ANYTHING, before I learned about Claude Code and, later on, Codex.”

Common questions

What is the best alternative to Manus?▾

For the largest credit count at $20 a month billed monthly, Runable. For the lowest paid start, Happycapy Pro at $17 a month billed yearly, the same price as the smallest Manus plan billed yearly. Credits are a different unit on each tool, so test one real task first.

Is there a free Manus alternative?▾

Happycapy Free is $0 a month with 250 credits a month. Lindy Free is $0 a month with $50 in credits that last 7 days. Both were listed on October 26, 2026.

Is Genspark better than Manus?▾

Genspark’s pricing page showed a login wall on October 26, 2026, so no price comparison is possible. Run the same task on both before you decide.

What is cheaper than Manus?▾

Happycapy Pro costs the same as the smallest Manus plan, $17 a month billed yearly or $20 a month billed monthly. Runable Max is $100 a month billed monthly against $200 a month for the top Manus plan. Cheaper per credit doesn’t mean cheaper per task.

Which AI agent gives the largest credit count for $20 a month?▾

As of October 26, 2026, Runable Pro gives 25,000 credits a month plus 1,500 a day for $20 a month billed monthly. Credit counts don’t compare across tools.

Sources8 references▾

what to do next

What to do next

Pick one task you run every week, like a 10-slide deck. Run it on Runable Pro and on the agent you use now, and write down the credits each one spent. If your work comes in bursts, price a small Manus plan with add-on credits first. Try Runable Next · Manus pricing explains every Manus plan · AI SDR tools covers outbound agents · GTM engineer stack shows where an agent fits.

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