Manus 2.0 Explained: Cascade, Cloud Computer, Automations, Studio (Video Editor / Game Dev), and Cue from the Official Announcements

Manus 2.0, announced by Manus on September 28, 2026, is a relaunch built on three pillars: a new foundation (Cascade, Cloud Computer, Automations), Manus Studio (Video Editor, Game Dev and more), and Cue (a separate app). The official blog and help center show no new pricing plan for 2.0; Cloud Computer is bought separately at $30 or $50 per month.

This article is based on the official blog (Japanese edition), the official help center, each feature's official blog, the official pricing page, and press coverage as of October 14, 2026. The Cascade figures are Manus's own measurements, and no third-party verification is available. The desktop app's requirements and the company's background are covered in our Manus Studio article. Where the official sources are silent, we write "not stated officially."

The official blog says at the outset that Manus 2.0 is "not a version update," describing it as a new architecture, new products, and new features. The three pillars are: first, the new foundation (Cascade, Cloud Computer, Automations); second, Manus Studio (Video Editor, Game Dev, Remote Control and Computer Use); third, Cue, a new standalone app.

According to the end of the official blog, Manus 2.0 is available on web, desktop, and mobile. Cue is also offered on web, desktop, and mobile; as of September 28, the iOS version was scheduled to release after App Store review. Cue is in early access and is free with an invite code. The official blog says the code "MEETCUE" is distributed in limited quantity on a first-come basis, and people who gain access receive additional invite codes.

Cascade is described by the official blog as the latest iteration of Manus's in-house agent harness. It keeps a project lightweight from the start and calls on specialized capabilities only when the work needs them, so briefs, pages, videos, and automations all live in one connected project. The figures come from "one test configuration": compared with the previous system, tokens down 23.2%, task completion time down 28.2%, and execution cost down 32%. The official help center notes that these are not overall averages. They are one configuration measured in-house, and no third-party verification is available. The detailed measurement conditions are not stated officially.

Cloud Computer is a persistent cloud server provided by Manus. The official blog explains that a multiplayer game needs a server that keeps running when you close your laptop, and automations need a place that can run around the clock, and it says you can now buy a Cloud Computer. The feature itself was released on May 4, 2026; 2.0 repositions it as the home for game servers and Automations. The plans according to the official help article (Understanding Cloud Computer Plans and Billing) are below.

According to the official help center, an upgrade restarts the VM and pauses running sites, bots, and scripts. If you stop paying, the VM is stopped and working files, installed tools, and databases are deleted (deliverables already handed over in chat remain), so the official guidance is to back up to local or cloud storage through the desktop app before canceling. You can connect through a web terminal or SSH (check VM status under Settings > My Computer), or instruct Manus in plain language in chat. The official help article on troubleshooting (updated June 5, 2026) expects stable 24/7 operation but says connection problems or unexpected pauses can occur. An uptime guarantee (SLA) is not stated officially.

Automations extends the conventional scheduled task. According to the official blog, Manus used to start work only at a set time; with Automations it can also start when something happens in a connected service. The trigger examples are a new email, a change in ad performance, a calendar event, a Slack message, and a Notion update. The official help steps are: choose a trigger, authorize the required services, and tell Manus what to do next. Scheduled tasks are created in the sidebar under Automations, then Create, then Schedule, and the Create menu also offers Triggered task and Advanced automation (Beta).

According to the official blog, the desktop app has been upgraded to Manus Studio in 2.0, a workspace shared by people and AI. It handles documents, spreadsheets, PDFs, slides, websites, code, games, and video, and two new environments, Video Editor and Game Dev, are added for video and games. We start with Video Editor.

- Individual timeline elements: according to the official blog (September 28), Manus makes the first cut and hands over the timeline as is. Clips, images, text, motion graphics, and audio are all separate elements, so you can swap the music, insert your own footage, move animations, and export
- Hand it back to Manus: Manus continues the work taking your manual edits into account. Chat instructions such as "lower the music" are reflected in the same project (October 1 dedicated blog)
- Videos it suits: short product ads (30 to 60 seconds), AI UGC, data motion graphics, tutorials, vlogs, and motion-driven videos. The official text says no editing experience is needed
- Alchemy mode: start from an idea, and Manus combines video generation and code generation to take creative direction. The result can be adjusted on the timeline
- Desktop only: Video Editor lives in Manus Studio (the desktop app); pressing "Edit in Video Editor" on the web version leads you to the desktop app download
- How far it gets: the dedicated blog says Manus typically brings the first version to 80 to 90% complete. Export formats and credit consumption are not stated officially
- Scale example: a travel-footage project is described as having 325 subtitles, 112 text effects and stickers, 195 video segments, 7 music cues, and 118 sound effects as individual elements

- Playable templates: built by combining video, image, and coding models, you start from a template and can play in the first session. Max Ultra mode raises the look and feel of play (official blog, September 28)
- Edit panel: lets you check behavior, manage assets, edit code, and manually change motion, art, and scenes. The official example turns a villager's hair from brown to silver while leaving everything else as is
- Tweak Panel and Assets Management: according to the October 1 dedicated blog, you can adjust speed, gravity, damage, spawn rate, and similar values in real time, and swap characters, visuals, animations, effects, and sounds, including AI-assisted asset editing. These are aimed at people with no coding experience
- Publishing: you can publish as a website that anyone can play from a link
- Multiplayer steps: the official blog describes a few clicks: Configure, then Multiplayer, then Select Cloud Computer, then Buy one. It supports racing, versus, competitive, and 3D games, and Manus handles the server, network, and maintenance
- Rough edges: the official text states that Manus 2.0 still has quite a few rough edges. The official updates page also lists Game Dev's release date as October 1, which is offset from the September 28 announcement

Studio also has Remote Control and Computer Use. According to the official blog, in a connected and authorized session, Manus gets its own visible workspace on your computer and works with the files, browser, and apps you approve. One example is asking from a smartphone to find the latest material in the launch folder and send it. The required plan is not stated officially. The requirements (macOS on Apple Silicon only, Windows 10/11, no Linux support) and the approval model are in our Manus Studio article.

The official blog describes Cue as a new standalone app for personal agents on smartphone and desktop, built on the same infrastructure as Manus. Give it a cue, and the Agent starts working right away. According to Cue's official site (cue.im), each Agent has the following four identities.

The official blog includes a "team" example in which several Agents join a group chat with a shared goal. One researches venues in New York, another builds a shortlist, a third drafts materials, and the user provides direction and the final call. On the service-integration side, the example is scanning a QR code at a restaurant so an Agent can place an order or hold a spot in the queue. The official site's use categories are six: bookings and travel, shopping, contact and paperwork, money management, daily life, and work and creativity. Sample prompts include Japan-related ones such as Tokyo, Uji, and Narita, but availability in Japan, the conditions and regions for phone numbers and wallets, and official pricing are not stated officially. Note that Cue AI at cueai.app is a different product from a different company and is unrelated to the Cue in this article. See our Cue AI article for that product.

Manus Flex is a module announced on September 29, 2026, the day after 2.0. According to the official blog, it runs Manus on your own API key from a supported inference provider: Manus handles planning, tools, and execution, while your provider handles model inference.

- Initial partners: OpenRouter, Fireworks, Modal
- Billing split: model inference is billed directly by the provider. Other services and infrastructure within a Manus task continue to consume Manus credits
- Step 1: get an API key from the provider
- Step 2: connect the key in Manus and choose the main model and the inference effort level
- Step 3: select Manus Flex from Manus's mode menu
- Step 4: use it as usual
- Eligible plans: not stated officially

The table above is from the official pricing page as of October 14, 2026 (US dollars, monthly billing); annual billing is said to save 17%. The Free plan is not shown on the pricing page, but the official help center (March 20, 2026) states that 1,000 credits are granted at first sign-up and 300 credits refresh daily. We could find no new pricing for Manus 2.0 in the official blog or help center. Cloud Computer is priced separately: $30 for Standard and $50 for Advanced. Additional fees and credit consumption for Video Editor, Game Dev, and Cue are not stated officially. According to the official help center, credits are shared between web and desktop, merely having the desktop app open does not consume them, and tasks run on a local PC consume credits at the same rate as cloud execution (because planning and decisions happen in Manus's cloud).

Based on the official blog FAQ and related sources, the timeline is as follows. Meta acquired the company on December 29, 2025; Chinese authorities ordered the deal withdrawn on April 27, 2026; and in August of that year it returned to independent operation (with some user data deleted as part of the separation). In addition, according to TechCrunch (October 8, 2026), the parent company Butterfly Effect announced on WeChat that it had raised more than $500M, its first funding since the split with Meta. The lead investors are Boyu Capital and IDG Capital, with existing shareholders such as Tencent, HSG (formerly Sequoia China), and ZhenFund participating. The valuation was not disclosed. Note that Impress's Forest Watch (September 29) describes it as "under U.S. Meta," but based on the official blog and TechCrunch, it has returned to independent operation after the separation from Meta.

- The Cascade figures are self-measured: 23.2% / 28.2% / 32% are from one test configuration, not overall averages, and have no third-party verification. Your own workloads may not see the same reduction
- Cloud Computer data disappears on cancellation: stopping payment deletes working files, installed tools, and databases. Plan around backups, and note that an uptime guarantee (SLA) is not stated officially
- The scope you authorize for Automations: the more services you connect (email, Slack, Notion), the more Manus can touch. Start with the minimum services and permissions. The approach in our article on safeguards when giving agents permissions is a useful reference
- Remote Control requirements and an always-on PC: macOS on Apple Silicon only, Windows 10/11, no Linux support. The target PC must be running for you to operate it from a smartphone. The required plan is not stated officially
- Cue is early access, and Japan availability is unconfirmed: it is invite-code only, and official pricing, the regions for phone numbers and wallets, and availability in Japan are all not stated officially
- Video Editor is desktop only: the web version leads you to the desktop app download. Export formats and credit consumption are also not stated officially

Other vendors are shipping products in the same "always-on personal agent with its own environment" direction. See each article for how they are positioned: OpenAI dots, Meta Muse, Grok Bot, and OpenClaw, a self-hosted open-source agent. This article does not cover other vendors' specifications or prices.

- Official blog "Introducing Manus 2.0" (Japanese edition, September 28)
- Official help "What's new in Manus 2.0"
- Official blog "Introducing Video Editor in Manus 2.0" (October 1)
- Official blog "Introducing Game Developer" (October 1)
- Official blog "Introducing Manus Flex" (September 29)
- Official help "Understanding Cloud Computer Plans and Billing"
- Official help "Troubleshooting Cloud Computer Access and Uptime" (updated June 5, 2026)
- Official help on credit consumption in the Manus desktop app (March 20, 2026)
- Cue official site
- Manus official pricing page
- Manus official updates
- TechCrunch "China's Manus raises over $500M in first funding round since split with Meta" (October 8, 2026)
- Forest Watch (Impress) "General-purpose AI agent Manus 2.0 announced" (September 29, 2026)