Manus Cue is a standalone app for personal AI agents in which each agent gets its own email address, phone number, wallet and computer, so it can send messages, take calls, pay within a set budget and finish tasks on its own machine. Several Cue agents can share a group chat and hand work to each other. For marketers, Cue is two things at once in 2026: a team of agents that can carry real work, and a new kind of customer that emails, calls and pays brands directly.

Manus introduced Cue on September 28, 2026 as part of Introducing Manus 2.0, describing it as "a new standalone app for your personal agents, on your phone and desktop, built on the same infrastructure as Manus." Where most AI assistants borrow the user's accounts to act, Cue gives each agent an identity of its own that reaches a brand's inbox, sales line and checkout directly. The same launch added Automations, which start work when something changes in a connected app, including an ad account.

What Manus Cue Is and How It Works

The Manus 2.0 launch post and the Manus help center article What is new in Manus 2.0? describe five defining traits.

1. Every agent has its own identity. According to Manus, "each agent has its own email, phone number, wallet, and computer," so it can send messages and see a task through on its own machine.

2. Payments stay inside a budget and need approval. The launch post says an agent can "pay within the budget you set." The Cue by Manus listing on Google Play adds that Cue can "complete bookings, orders, and payments after you confirm."

3. Agents answer the phone. A Cue agent "can also take your calls and leave you a summary in Cue."

4. Agents work as a team in group chats. Agents in a group chat share a goal and hand work to each other, as in Manus's example of a Marketing channel where one agent researches venues for a New York launch, one builds a shortlist and one drafts the deck. In the help center's words, "You set the direction, check in from your phone, and make the final call."

5. Agents act in the physical world too. At a restaurant, Manus says a user can scan the QR code and the agent "can order for you or hold your place in line."

How to Get Access to Manus Cue in 2026

The launch post states that "Cue is in early access and free to use with an invite code," and that new users can start with the code MEETCUE, "available to a limited number of early users on a first-come, first-served basis." Everyone who gets in receives extra invite codes to share.

• From Manus. Manus users can open the Agents (Cue!) tab in the sidebar and scan the QR code to download the app.

• On mobile and desktop. At launch, Cue was available on web, desktop and mobile, with iOS "coming soon after App Store review." The Cue by Manus App Store listing is now live in the US, published by Butterfly Effect Pte. Ltd., and still states that "Cue currently requires an invitation code."

• What access includes. The store listings state that "Once you have access, Plus membership is included at no charge."

Is Manus AI Free? Manus AI Pricing in 2026

Manus runs on credits, and the main Manus plans are set out in the help center article What is the current membership pricing for Manus?. All prices are in US dollars.

• Free: $0 per month, with 300 daily refresh credits, one concurrent task, two Scheduled Automations, and access to Chat Mode and Manus 2.0 Lite in Agent Mode.

• Pro: Starts at $20 per month with 4,000 monthly credits, or $40 per month with 8,000 monthly credits and a 7-day free trial. Both tiers support 20 concurrent tasks and 20 Scheduled Automations and add Manus 2.0 and Manus 2.0 Max.

• Team: Starts at $20 per seat per month and includes all Pro features. Annual billing on Pro and Team carries a 17% discount.

• Cue phone numbers: A Cue phone-number subscription is "purchased separately from your Manus membership," and phone usage counts toward a Cue weekly allowance instead of Manus credits. The App Store listing shows US, Canada and Singapore phone numbers as in-app purchases at $9.99 each.

So Manus AI is free to try and Cue is free with an invite code, while heavier agent work, top models and phone numbers cost money. European teams should check which phone numbers the app offers them before planning voice workflows.

Manus Automations: Event Triggers for Marketing Work

Automations are the part of Manus 2.0 that marketing teams will feel first. The launch post explains that Scheduled Tasks used to start work only at a set time, and that "A new email, a change in ad performance, a calendar event, a Slack message, or a Notion update can all trigger a task."

The Manus Automations documentation lists three trigger types: a schedule, a triggered task that starts when "A selected event happens," and an Advanced automation (Beta) built from a plain-language request. Trigger sources include Gmail, Notion, Google Calendar, Shopify, webhooks and "advertising platforms," depending on the apps a user has connected.

For paid media, the Meta Ads Manager connector lets Manus query an ad account in real time, and pairs with a Scheduled Automation "to receive daily or weekly campaign summaries." Three automations suit a marketing team:

• Ad-performance alerts. When an ad metric changes, Manus pulls the breakdown and drafts a recommendation, and a person makes the budget call.

• Inbound triage. New emails to a campaign inbox get sorted by intent, with draft replies held for review.

• Launch watch. Manus's own example watches a product account on X and has a draft ready when an update posts, and as the help center puts it, "You still decide what goes out."

How to Use Manus AI as a Marketing Teammate

Manus works best on research-heavy tasks with a clear output and a human check at the end. RZLT used it to build a live Web3 VC directory from idea to execution, where Manus handled research and first-pass data collection and RZLT's reviewers validated the final 124 firms. The same pattern suits Cue: one stage of the work per agent, handoffs in a shared chat, and the final review with the team.

RZLT recommends starting with work that reads and reports, setting each agent's budget low, and adding email and phone tasks once the team trusts the output.

When Agents Pay and Call: A New Kind of Customer

Cue matters even to brands that never use it, because an agent with its own email, phone number and wallet reaches a business through the same channels a human customer uses.

1. Inbound email and calls will come from agents. Sales and support teams should expect task-focused requests from agents and answer them with exact prices, availability and next steps.

2. Payment has to work for a budgeted agent. The agent pays within the user's budget after the user confirms, so an all-in price and a short checkout make approval easy. RZLT's explainer on agentic payments and the x402 protocol covers the rails beyond card checkout.

3. Product data decides the shortlist. Agents that research and compare need structured, consistent product information, and gaps in price, stock or terms make a brand harder to recommend.

4. Connectors put a product inside the agent's toolkit. Manus agents act through connected apps, so a product with an MCP server or integration is easier for an agent to use.

Manus AI Alternatives

Two other personal agents launched that month. Meta's Muse, introduced on September 8, 2026, is "a secure, private personal AI agent," and its business page lists it as available to people in the US and Canada who are 18 and over. OpenAI's dots, introduced on September 29, 2026, are proactive ChatGPT agents rolling out to Pro and Business Premium users in eligible markets. Cue stands apart by giving each agent its own phone number and wallet.

Manus Cue FAQ

Who owns Manus AI? Is Manus owned by Meta? No. Manus is independent in 2026, led by its founding team under its parent company, Butterfly Effect. Manus announced it was joining Meta on December 29, 2025, and in April 2026 TechCrunch reported that China's National Development and Reform Commission "has required the parties involved to withdraw the acquisition transaction." On September 1, 2026, Manus said it "has formally resumed independent operations" (Manus Resumes Independent Operations). On October 8, 2026, TechCrunch reported that Butterfly Effect "has raised more than $500 million" in a round led by Boyu Capital and IDG Capital.

Is Manus Cue free? Yes, during early access. Cue is free to use with an invite code, and Plus membership is included once a user has access. Cue phone numbers are sold separately.

How Marketing Teams Should Prepare for Manus Cue

Cue moves personal agents into the channels brands already run. RZLT recommends a short, ordered response for 2026:

• Test the brand as a customer. Have a Cue agent email, call and try to buy from the brand, then fix every step where it stalls.

• Start Automations with read-only work. Point the first triggers at ad performance and inbound email, and keep sending and spending with a person.

• Make prices and policies agent-ready. Publish complete prices, stock and terms that an agent can repeat to its user without guessing, following RZLT's analysis of how AI shopping agents change what converting a buyer means.

• Plan a connector. Products with a natural task for an agent should map out an MCP server or integration, starting from RZLT's guide to what Model Context Protocol means for growth teams.

The underlying shift sits in RZLT's B2A Manifesto on marketing to personal AI agents: when agents become the gatekeepers, marketing has to meet their criteria of facts, fit, price and proof. Cue gives those agents an inbox, a phone line and a wallet, and agents will keep returning to the brands that answer them well.