Browse / Agents & Automation / Manus vs n8n AI

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Manus vs n8n AI — which one should you pick in 2026?

Reviewed May 23, 2026 by Faisal Saleem · no paid placements, ever.

Manus starts at $19/mo — General-purpose autonomous AI agent. n8n AI starts at $20/mo — Open-source workflow automation with AI nodes. Both are agents & automation tools. We compared pricing, features, agent capability, pros & cons, and which workflows each is best for — full head-to-head below.

IN ONE LINE

Pick Manus if budget is the priority. The other tool wins on specific features — see the side-by-side below.

Pick Manus if… vs. Pick n8n AIif…

Pick Manus if…

You want the cheaper option (starts at $19/mo, n8n AI starts at $20/mo).
You specifically need Autonomous task execution or Browser use, which n8n AI doesn't ship.
Your primary use case is Research or Task automation — n8n AI doesn't list this.

Pick n8n AI if…

You specifically need Self-hosted or LangChain nodes, which Manus doesn't ship.
Your primary use case is AI workflows or Self-hosted automation — Manus doesn't list this.

FULL HEAD-TO-HEAD

Manus vs n8n AI — side-by-side

TOOL	ManusAGENT Agents & Automation General-purpose autonomous AI agent.	n8n AIAGENT Agents & Automation Open-source workflow automation with AI nodes.
PRICING MODEL	Freemium	Freemium
STARTING PRICE	$19/mo	$20/mo
CATEGORY	Agents & Automation	Agents & Automation
AI AGENT	Yes	Yes
EDITOR'S PICK	No	No
KEY FEATURES	Autonomous task execution Browser use Code execution File generation Async workflows	Self-hosted LangChain nodes Vector store nodes 400+ integrations Code nodes
USE CASES	Research Task automation Data analysis Report writing	AI workflows Self-hosted automation RAG pipelines Internal tools
TAGS	#agent#autonomous#general-purpose	#automation#open-source#self-hosted
WEBSITE	manus.im	n8n.io/ai

PRICING

Manus vs n8n AI pricing

Manus is the cheaper option at the entry tier — roughly $1.00/mo less than the other.

Manus

Freemium · entry tier from $19/mo

3 plans available — see breakdown below.

n8n AI

Freemium · entry tier from $20/mo

4 plans available — see breakdown below.

Manus plans

Free

Try Manus AI agent

$0forever

Limited daily credits

Limited daily credits
Basic task access
Access to general models

Starter

For individuals

$39per month

3,900 credits / month

3,900 credits/month
2 concurrent tasks
Access to most features
Priority queue

POPULAR

Pro

n8n AI plans

Starter

For solo automators (€20/mo)

$22billed annually

2,500 executions / month

2,500 monthly executions
1 shared project
5 concurrent executions
Unlimited users, 50 AI credits

POPULAR

Pro

Business

For larger teams (€667/mo)

$733billed annually

40,000 executions / month

40,000 monthly executions
SSO/SAML/LDAP
Self-hosted option
Git version control

Enterprise

For larger orgs

Custom

Custom executions

Custom executions
200+ concurrent
External secret store
Dedicated support with SLA

USE CASES

What each is best for

Each use case listed by either vendor, with which tool actually covers it.

USE CASE

Manus

n8n AI

Research
Task automation
Data analysis
Report writing
AI workflows
Self-hosted automation
RAG pipelines
Internal tools

PROS & CONS

Strengths and trade-offs

Manus

Pros of Manus

Free tier available; paid plans from $19/mo
Includes an autonomous AI agent for multi-step tasks
Autonomous task execution
Browser use
Code execution

Cons of Manus

Competition is strong in this space — see n8n AI for comparison

n8n AI

Pros of n8n AI

Free tier available; paid plans from $20/mo
Includes an autonomous AI agent for multi-step tasks
Self-hosted
LangChain nodes
Vector store nodes

Cons of n8n AI

Competition is strong in this space — see Manus for comparison

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Manus vs n8n AI — frequently asked questions

Is Manus better than n8n AI?

It depends on your workflow. Manus ships with autonomous-agent capability, while n8n AI also includes an AI agent. Neither is currently our Editor's Pick — both are credible options. See the side-by-side table above for specifics.

Is Manus cheaper than n8n AI?

Manus is cheaper. Manus starts at $19/mo and n8n AI starts at $20/mo — a difference of roughly $1.00 per month at the entry tier.

Does Manus have an AI agent?

Yes — Manus ships with autonomous-agent capability (it can plan and execute multi-step tasks, not just answer a single prompt).

Does n8n AI have an AI agent?

Yes — n8n AI includes autonomous-agent capability.

What's the difference between Manus and n8n AI?

Both are agents & automation tools. The key differences come down to pricing (Manus: Freemium, from $19/mo; n8n AI: Freemium, from $20/mo), agent capability (Manus: yes, n8n AI: yes), and feature focus. Use the comparison table above to weigh which axis matters most for your work.

What's a good alternative to Manus and n8n AI?

Beyond Manus and n8n AI, the strongest alternatives in Agents & Automation depend on whether you prioritise price, agent capability, or specific features. See our "Manus alternatives" and "n8n AI alternatives" pages for a hand-picked ranking of each.

Best Manus alternatives

Best n8n AI alternatives