Smooth vs Manus
Two agents that do real work on a computer. One lives in your chat app and runs every day; the other is a web app for big one-off projects.
Summary
Smooth suits everyday, ongoing help in your chat app: reminders, watchers, research and small automations that keep running, with one memory of you. Manus suits large, self-contained jobs you hand off in a web app, such as a long research report or building a website in one go.
At a glance
| What matters | Smooth | Manus |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Personal assistant that keeps working in the background | Autonomous agent for long, complex tasks |
| Where you use it | Telegram (WhatsApp coming soon) | Web and mobile app |
| Typical task | "Watch this price and tell me", "brief me every morning", "read this PDF" | "Research this market and write a full report", "build me a site" |
| Computer | A private Linux machine per person that keeps files and can run always-on programs | A cloud sandbox per task |
| Memory | One memory of you across every chat, plus saved specialties | Per task and project context |
| Approvals | Asks before payments, emails, new websites and transactions | Runs the task autonomously, you review the result |
| Pricing model | Free plan, then a monthly plan; QRIS or crypto | Usage credits on subscription plans |
| Self-host option | Yes: Smooth Agent, open source | No |
Where Smooth is more direct
- Things that repeat. Schedules, alerts and watchers are built in and report back in your chat.
- Small, frequent requests. Quick questions, a voice note on the go, a photo of a receipt: no project to set up.
- Staying in control. Anything that spends money or speaks for you waits for your tap.
Where Manus is the better choice
- You have a big one-off job and want to hand it over completely, then review a finished deliverable.
- You prefer to watch an agent work in a full-screen web interface.
Use both?
Many people do: an agent app for the occasional big project, and Smooth for everyday life and work that happens in their messages.
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