Manus is open for free registration, turning the tables on the US-China AI battlefield: domestic intelligent agents compete overseas, and US fiscal scrutiny is upgraded

Too long, no need to read, just focus on the key points:

• Manus is now open for registration!  The popular AI Agent tool Manus finally no longer requires an invitation code. You will receive points when you register, but the free daily quota may only be enough to "try it out". It is estimated that it can only be used once a day, and complex tasks cannot be completed.
• Giants are "turning the table" one after another!  Domestic AI intelligent platforms such as Baidu's "Xin Xiang App" and Byte's "Kuzi Space" have entered the market with strong capabilities, with functions directly comparable to Manus, showing a trend of "the new wave surpassing the old wave".
• Capital undercurrents surge!  Benchmark, the capital behind Manus, is under investigation by the U.S. Treasury Department, highlighting the tense atmosphere of AI technology competition between China and the United States.

At the end of the article , a table showing the application scenarios of each Agent and the people it is suitable for is provided .

Just this morning! The AI ​​circle is going crazy again! Manus , the AI ​​Agent concept tool that was so popular a while ago that it was hard to get a code,  is finally, finally, finally open for full registration! Yes, you read that right, you don’t have to beg for an invitation code anymore!

The announcement address is thrown to everyone:https://manus.im/updates 

Warm reminder: You need to use the Internet scientifically, otherwise you will be redirected to the domestic version. Those who understand will understand.

Some students reported that the email address they used to apply for the internal test could not be used to register directly! Finally, they changed to a new email address to solve the problem. However, Brother Biscuit’s account can be used normally. I don’t understand this operation. Maybe the official version and the internal test list are separated.

What exactly does Manus do? What is AI Agent?

Wait, what exactly is Manus? How is it different from the familiar DeepSeek and other big models? Good question! To put it simply: DeepSeek is more like a knowledgeable question-answering robot, you ask it and it answers. Manus, on the other hand, is a "doer", a serious  AI agent . It can not only chat with you, but also roll up its sleeves to help you do specific work!

Manus focuses on task-based AI Agent services, which can help you perform seemingly complex tasks step by step. For example, the official case study is quite cool:

• Sounds of the periodic table : Can you imagine that each chemical element has its own "sound"? Manus can give you one! (Illustration: Manus interface showing the sounds of the periodic table)
• Apple report analysis : Are you overwhelmed by a bunch of financial report data? Give it to Manus, it will help you analyze it! (Diagram: Manus's interface for analyzing Apple's report)
• Pokémon Database : I like this one! Generate a Pokémon database website directly! (Diagram: Example of Pokémon database generated by Manus)

From an idea, directly get a result! This is what makes AI Agent really awesome. It can understand your complex needs, collect information online, plan action steps, call various tools (such as search engines, code libraries), and even evolve! Manus product partner Zhang Tao said: "I hope everyone can enjoy the charm of Manus."

Free lunch? Watch out for your points bar!

Manus is open for registration. You will get 1000-1300 points at the beginning, and you can get 300 more points every day. Doesn't it sound good? But! Yes! There is one thing that needs to be reminded: points are used up very quickly! It's ridiculously fast!  As long as the task you create is a little complicated, such as asking it to compile a report with a lot of work, or generate a slightly complicated website, the points will drop like a flood. Even before a task is completed, your free points will be exhausted, and you will be exhausted...

The current price of Manus is not cheap, with membership ranging from $19 to $199 per month. So, if you want to try it out, control the number of posts and don't do too big a job right away . Start with small tasks first, otherwise the free points may only be enough for you to "visit here".

Domestic intelligent bodies are strongly encircling and suppressing! Giants are "turning the table" one after another!

The free opening of Manus actually reflects how fast AI is developing! As the saying goes, "every new version brings a new god", the AI ​​Agent race has already started! Do you think Manus can lead the way? Too naive! Domestic giants have already sharpened their knives and started to "turn the table" directly!

In April, Baidu launched the " Xin Xiang App " at the AI ​​Developer Conference. It was officially defined as a "universal super intelligent platform" and featured "creating an agent in one sentence". No invitation code is required and it is available to everyone! This ambition is to become the iOS of the agent track!

Soon after, ByteDance's " Button Space " also came. Although it also played some "invitation code" hunger marketing in the early stage, it was soon released. Button Space is more like an Agent and Bot development platform for developers. You can use it to create your own Agent with low code or even no code, and publish it to platforms such as Feishu and Douyin. Isn't this the mid-range version of Manus!

(Diagram: Animated image of the webpage introducing the button agent generation activity)

There is also Genspark , which was founded by Jing Kun, a former senior executive of Baidu, and has also focused on AI table and AI slide creation functions, directly targeting the pain points of office workers. The emergence of these domestic intelligent bodies has undoubtedly brought great pressure to Manus.

The cold war in technology is surging! The capital behind Manus is under scrutiny!

This is not the end! What’s even more exciting is that just when Manus was in the limelight, the investor of its Chinese parent company Butterfly Effect, the well-known Silicon Valley venture capital Benchmark Capital, was targeted by the US Treasury Department! According to foreign media such as TechCrunch and Semafor, the US Treasury Department is reviewing Benchmark’s $75 million investment in Manus AI, citing concerns that the investment may trigger new restrictions on investment in advanced technologies (such as artificial intelligence) in “countries of concern.”

Benchmark's legal counsel believes that there is nothing wrong with this investment, for reasons including: Manus did not train its own AI model, but was just a "wrapper layer" based on the existing model; the parent company is registered in the Cayman Islands; employees are spread all over the world; data is stored outside of China. However, this matter still caused a lot of controversy in Silicon Valley. Josh Wolfe of Lux Capital directly criticized: "This investment makes no sense." Delian Asparouhov of Founders Fund also said sarcastically that they were "beneficial to foreign countries." This wave of operations undoubtedly cast a shadow of "technological cold war" on the hot AI Agent track.

AI Agent is here! How can ordinary people seize the opportunity?

Despite all the controversy and competition, one indisputable fact is that AI Agent is becoming a new outlet!  2025 is even regarded by the industry as the first year of AI Agent commercialization. Tools such as Manus, Kouzi Space, and Xinxiang App are turning AI from a "chatting toy" into a "working assistant."

So, where are the opportunities for us, the onlookers or developers who want to get involved?

For developers, you can consider developing tools for AI Agents, such as Agent browsers. Browserbase and Browser Use are good examples, and they have received a lot of funding! Or, you can directly embrace the platforms built by giants and become an Agent application developer, just like the App Store gave birth to countless App developers.

The AI ​​Agent era is here! The future is definitely an era of deep collaboration between humans and AI. Manus has little time left. It must push its products to a wider range of users as soon as possible and find its own differentiated advantages surrounded by giants. For each of us, this is both a challenge and an unprecedented opportunity! Let the bullets fly for a while, and we will continue to watch the huge wave caused by AI!