Vellum is a personal AI assistant that runs as a native Mac app on your machine or in Vellum Cloud, with iOS, web app, voice, email, Telegram, and Slack surfaces that share one memory. Manus is a cloud-based general autonomous agent from Butterfly Effect that runs multi-step tasks in sandbox virtual computers, accessed through a web app, desktop and mobile apps, Mail Manus, and a Slack integration on a credit-based subscription from a free tier up to $200/mo.
Last updated: May 2026
Vellum is a personal AI assistant that runs as a native Mac app on your machine or in Vellum Cloud, with iOS, web app, voice, email, Telegram, and Slack surfaces that share one memory. It builds a structured, persistent memory of your work and people automatically, and executes real actions across 50+ services through managed OAuth.
Manus is a cloud-based general autonomous AI agent from Butterfly Effect that runs multi-step tasks in sandbox virtual computers. Available on Free, Pro ($20 to $200/mo), and Team plans on a credit-based subscription, accessed through a web app, desktop and mobile apps, Mail Manus, and a Slack integration.
Category
Vellum
ManusChannels
Native Mac app, iOS, web app, voice, email, Telegram, and Slack. Every surface shares one memory.
Web app, desktop app, mobile app, Mail Manus (email), and Slack integration. No native voice or Telegram surface.
Hosting
Run on-device as a native Mac app, on Vellum's managed cloud, or self-host on your own VPS.
Fully cloud-hosted by Manus in sandbox virtual computers. No self-host option. Tasks run in Manus's infrastructure.
Integrations
Native agent skills plus 1-click integrations with 50+ services through managed OAuth.
Browser operator, file system, code execution, Slack, Mail Manus, and connectors for common research and productivity tools.
Memory
Builds a persistent, structured memory of your work and people that gets sharper with every conversation and correction.
Each task runs in its own sandbox virtual computer. Manus learns preferences but has no persistent memory across sessions.
Modularity
Builds its own skills, learns your tone, and adapts based on what you reward and correct.
Three agent tiers: Manus 1.6 Lite, 1.6, and 1.6 Max. Multi-agent sub-agents and model selection happen per subtask.
Open Source
Open source under MIT license. Full codebase available on GitHub.
Proprietary. Closed-source SaaS from Butterfly Effect. Source code not available.
Pricing
Free Base with 10 free credits + referral credits. Pro from $50/mo for configurable compute, storage, and assistant email.
Free with 300 daily credits. Pro from $20/mo (4,000 credits) up to $200/mo (40,000 credits). Credit burn varies by task.
Privacy
Run locally on Mac, in Vellum Cloud, or self-host. Vellum never has access to your data on any deployment path.
Cloud-hosted by Manus. Tasks and data processed inside sandbox virtual computers under Manus's data and provider policies.
Schedules
Built-in scheduling for daily briefings, weekly reports, and hourly checks that just run on a cadence.
Scheduled tasks supported: 2 on Free, 20 on Pro and Team. Manus runs them autonomously and persistently over time.
Security
Credentials live in an isolated vault and never enter the language model, so prompt injection can't exfiltrate keys.
Cloud sandbox virtual computers per task. Enterprise controls, SSO, and access management on the Team plan.
Setup
Up and running in 5 to 10 minutes: download the Mac app, sign in, connect your tools. No terminal needed.
Sign up to manus.im, get 300 daily credits, start tasks. No download required, desktop and mobile apps optional.
Storage
Vellum Cloud: 3 GB RAM and 4 GB storage by default. Mac app runs on standard Mac hardware.
Cloud-hosted by Manus. No published minimum specs for Manus task storage or compute capacity.
Manus runs in Manus's cloud during the lifespan of a task you have kicked off, on a credit budget. When credits run out or the task completes, the agent is idle until the next prompt.
Vellum is fully managed cloud. No session to keep open, no laptop to babysit. Scheduled jobs and background tasks run in Vellum Cloud whether you are at your desk or asleep, and you wake up to work that already shipped.
Manus runs every task in a sandbox virtual computer hosted by Manus. Data is processed under Manus's data and provider policies.
Vellum is available as both Vellum Cloud and a native Mac app on your own machine, and Vellum never has access to your data on either path. Credentials live in an isolated vault the model never sees, so prompt injection cannot exfiltrate keys.
Each Manus task runs in its own sandbox virtual computer with sub-agents that plan, execute, and verify. The next task starts fresh, without inherited context.
Vellum builds a structured, persistent memory of your work, people, and patterns automatically. Every conversation makes the next one sharper, and that memory follows you across every surface.
Manus is available through a web app, a desktop app, a mobile app, Mail Manus (email), and a Slack integration. No native voice or Telegram surface.
Vellum ships as a native Mac app, an iOS app, and a web app, with voice, email, Telegram, and Slack surfaces. Every surface shares one memory and identity, so you can switch from desktop to phone without losing a beat.
Choose Vellum if you want a persistent personal AI assistant that builds memory of your work and people over time, runs proactively in the background, and shows up across native Mac app, iOS, web app, voice, email, Telegram, and Slack with one shared memory. Vellum runs on a Free Base plan with Pro from $50/mo, while Manus uses a credit-based subscription from a free tier up to $200/mo.
Manus is a cloud-based general autonomous agent that runs multi-step tasks in sandbox virtual computers. If you primarily want to delegate one-off high-effort jobs like full research reports, slide decks, deployed websites, or generated images and music, Manus's sandbox architecture covers that workload well.
Manus offers a Free plan with 300 daily refresh credits, Pro from $20/mo (4,000 credits) up to $200/mo (40,000 credits), and Team starting at $20 per seat per month. Vellum offers a Free Base plan, plus Pro from $50/mo with pay-as-you-go credits, configurable compute and storage, and your assistant's own email and subdomain.
Vellum builds a structured, persistent memory of your work, people, and patterns automatically across every session, shared across native Mac app, iOS, web app, voice, email, Telegram, and Slack. Manus runs each task in its own sandbox virtual computer and learns preferences over repeated use, but there is no persistent personal memory layer that compounds across Manus sessions.
Vellum connects to 50+ services through managed OAuth with one-click setup, including Google Workspace, Slack, Notion, GitHub, Linear, X, and Telegram. Manus operates through a browser operator that can drive arbitrary web apps, plus direct connectors for Slack, Mail Manus, and common research and productivity tools. Vellum's set is curated for personal-assistant workflows that carry context across surfaces.
Manus is available as a web app, a desktop app, a mobile app, Mail Manus (email), and a Slack integration. Vellum ships as a native Mac app, an iOS app, and a web app, with voice, email, Telegram, and Slack surfaces, all sharing the same memory.
With Vellum, your data lives on Vellum Cloud with per-customer isolation, encryption at rest, configurable retention, and custom LLM credentials so model API keys stay under your control. Vellum never has access to your data on any deployment path, whether you run the native Mac app on your machine or use Vellum Cloud. Manus runs every task in a sandbox virtual computer in Manus's cloud, and data is processed under Manus's data and provider policies.
Both target non-technical users. Vellum is built for every human, with a native Mac app, an iOS app, and a web app, plus voice, email, Telegram, and Slack, all syncing one persistent memory. Manus runs in a web app, desktop and mobile apps, and Slack, where users describe a goal and the sandbox agent delegates across sub-agents on a credit budget. Vellum is the broader fit for ongoing personal AI that follows you across surfaces and remembers what you're working on.
Vellum runs as a native Mac app on your own machine, with iOS, web app, voice, email, Telegram, and Slack surfaces in sync. If you want continuous 24/7 background work without keeping your laptop open, Vellum Cloud handles it on the Pro plan from $50/mo with pay-as-you-go credits, configurable compute and storage, and your assistant's own email and subdomain. Manus is cloud-only and runs entirely in Manus's sandbox virtual computer infrastructure. There is no self-host option.
Yes. They serve different jobs. Some people use Vellum as their always-on personal assistant across surfaces and use Manus when they want a one-off long-running research or deliverable workflow returned as a finished output. Most people consolidate on one over time once they see how Vellum's persistent memory and multi-surface presence cover the day-to-day.
Vellum's memory is structured, persistent, and assistant-managed: it builds up an understanding of you across every conversation, surface, and action, and that memory is the same whether you reach the assistant from Mac, iOS, web app, voice, email, Telegram, or Slack. Manus runs each task inside an isolated sandbox virtual computer with sub-agents that plan, execute, and verify, then the workflow ends. Future tasks start fresh, without inherited context.
