Manus AI is an autonomous AI agent designed to help users analyze information, generate content, and complete tasks through conversational prompts. It’s widely popular among developers, researchers, and productivity-focused users.
Over the past months, there has been widespread discussion about Manus AI’s safety. Many users, particularly on platforms like Reddit, are questioning how it handles user data and whether it can be trusted.
In this blog, we dive into Manus AI safety and data privacy by reviewing official documentation, user discussions, and common risk factors associated with AI tools. We aim to provide a balanced, evidence-based reference that helps readers make informed decisions.
TL;DR: Is Manus AI Safe
Yes, Manus AI is generally safe for use. It appears to be a legitimate AI tool, not a scam. There is no public evidence of illegal issues, such as data leaks or fraud, associated with the tool. That said, discussions around Manus AI safety concerns remain necessary. To protect our data privacy, we should avoid submitting sensitive information and treat it as a cloud-based AI assistant, rather than relying on it as a secure storage system.
What Is Manus AI
Manus AI is an autonomous general AI agent developed by the Chinese startup Butterfly Effect. The agent utilizes multiple AI models to assist you in performing various tasks, such as creating slides, building websites, developing apps, designing images, creating videos, and more.
Currently, the platform offers 3 versions: Manus 1.6 Lite (free), Manus 1.6 Pro, and Manus 1.6 Max Pro. It allows free users to test basic features with limited access, while advanced automation and higher usage require a subscription.
What are the Main Safety Concerns about Manus AI
We have identified 4 primary safety concerns surrounding Manus AI: data privacy, accounting and billing issues, legitimacy and potential scam worries, and output accuracy problems, after analyzing and categorizing hundreds of user reviews and technical reports. Is Manus AI legit or safe to use? If you are also trying to figure it out, just pay attention to the following content.
1. Data Privacy and Security Concerns
A Manus AI review reddit: "Does Manus have permission to share its users' real names and personal tasks as use-cases? Because that's what it looks like Manus is doing.”
Data privacy has been the foremost concern for any AI-powered agent, like Manus AI. This is because these tools use a cloud-based browser to perform tasks, it’s inevitable to naturally interact with a vast amount of information.
Here, we’ll explore the truth from the following 4 questions:
Does Manus Have Permission to Share Users’ Personal Information?
According to their official platform responses, Manus AI claims they won’t publicly display your user name and tasks without your consent. However, some Reddit users early claimed that their real names and specific task details had been exposed publicly on the platform.
I have personally used the tool for a diverse range of tasks, like technical blog drafting and AI tools comparison analysis. I also closely monitored my account settings and privacy dashboard. As of now, I have not encountered any issue where my usernames and task content are shared.
What Data Does Manus AI Collect from Users?
According to the official privacy policy of Manus AI, the platform collects various categories of user information and technical data necessary for its operation. We conclude them as follows:
- Input Data: The text, prompts, and files you upload to guide the AI agent and perform automated tasks.
- Interaction Data: The information about how you use the service, such as session activity, feature usage, and interaction logs.
- Account information: Details you provide when you create an account, such as your email address, username, and any profile settings you choose to set.
- Automatic Data: The data collected automatically through cookies, IP address, operating system, and similar technologies.
Does Manus AI Store or Share User Data?
Yes! Manus AI states that the data is used to "improve the model" and provide services. It may share limited information for specific purposes, workflow automation, analytics, and client retention. Since it was built over other foundational AI models, like GPT or Claude, some data may be processed by other third-party providers.
This triggers a major concern – “Data Residue”, whether the agent logs into a site for you, or where is that interaction cookie stored? While the company uses data encryption, the nature of autonomous agents means the "attack surface" is larger than a standard chatbot. So, we highly recommend that you avoid sharing credentials or proprietary secrets within the agent's environment.
Is User Data Used for Model Training?
Manus AI’s privacy policies declare that they do not use personal user data, such as private prompts or specific task outputs, to train their base models. However, they may utilize de-identified or aggregated usage information to improve system performance and agent reasoning. Manus suggests using the Enterprise version, which offers stricter data isolation and formal guarantees against model training.
2. Accounts and Billing Worries
A Reddit user reported that Manus suspended his account for fake friend invitations:
“My Manus account was suspended for 'risk behaviors, such as fake friend invitations or possession of multiple free accounts. This does not reflect my activity. I maintain a single personal account, used for one legitimate project that was close to completion when the suspension occurred.
This type of complaint reflects a broader concern about how Manus enforces its account and billing rules, especially when automated “risk behavior” systems are involved. However, as seen in this user's case, the systems may lead to the sudden suspension of genuine accounts and the loss of critical work-in-progress data.
Why is Your Account Being Suspended or Disabled?
Based on our investigation into these reports, we found the suspended or disabled account issues usually stem from the 3 main triggers:
- Multiple free accounts detection: Using different emails to access free tiers from the same network is not allowed by their Terms of Service.
- Fake friend invitations: If the system detects that multiple invited accounts are sharing the same IP address or device fingerprint, the primary account will be flagged as “fake friend invitations.”
- High-volume API abuse: Sending an unusual number of complex requests in a short time can trigger a security lockout to prevent server strain or scraping.
According to their official documents, Manus AI uses credit-based billing models where credits are non-transferable and linked strictly to the verified account. If an account is suspended for "policy violations," users may lose access to prepaid credits without an immediate guarantee of a refund.
To avoid accounting and billing issues, you can follow these best practices:
- Don’t use VPNs or multiple browsers to create "referral chains" for free credits.
- Stick to a single, verified Pro account to establish a consistent "user trust score" with their system.
- Regularly export your code, data, and research results from the Manus sandbox.
3. Legit and Scam-Related Worries
“After nearly two days of digging, I found some scammers ask for crypto payments, block buyers after payment, and use fake vouches from alt accounts,” – a Reddit user reported.
After investigating extensive user reports from Reddit forums, we found that the "legitimacy" of Manus AI is often questioned, not because of the app itself, but because of the secondary market it has created.
Is Manus AI Legit?
Yes! The software is a legitimate product developed by Butterfly Effect Pte. Ltd, the team behind the popular Monica.im tool. It is a functional autonomous agent, not a "vaporware" scam. However, some scammers resell "pre-loaded" accounts, and malicious actors use media bots to promote "free invite codes" for stealing users’ credentials.
How to Protect Yourself from Scams and Frauds?
To safely access Manus AI without losing money or data, follow these strict security rules:
- Only sign up at the official domain.
- Never pay for an invite or account using Cryptocurrency or Gift Cards.
- Do not trust screenshots of "happy customers" on Reddit or Discord.
4. Reliability and Output Accuracy Issues
Like many AI systems, Manus AI also faces reliability and output issues. A user on Reddit shared that the software falsely updates the task:
How Reliable and Accurate is the Manus AI Output?
While Manus AI excels at reasoning, its output reliability and accuracy are highly dependent on the complexity of the instructions. The agent may "hallucinate" progress to satisfy the user's prompt in many cases.
Personally, the free tire is suitable for handling simpler, more structured tasks, like summarizing data and making tables, and the "credit burn" is manageable. For more complex tasks, you may encounter partial execution and context loss issues as seen in Reddit.
How to Get the Most Reliable Results?
To maximize the accuracy of the tool and avoid wasting expensive credits, you’d better adopt a more "hands-on" approach. Here are some proven useful tips for you:
- Granular Prompts: Split large tasks into small batches of 10-20 to prevent memory errors.
- Check Process: Require a "Status Report" at 50% to verify data quality mid-task.
- Set Strict Constraints: Tell the agent: "Label missing data as 'Not Found'—do not skip or hallucinate.
Manus AI Use Cases
Manus AI serves two distinct audiences: individual hobbyists looking for automation and enterprises seeking to streamline operations. The safety risks vary between these two groups.
Is Manus AI Safe for Personal Use
For personal use, Manus AI is relatively safe for simple tasks like travel planning, data summarizing, or general research. For example, if you use it to find the "best 10 hotels in Tokyo," the risk is low. However, you should never use it to log into your personal banking or primary email accounts, as the session data is processed on the company's servers.
Is Manus AI Safe for Business Use
For businesses, especially large enterprises, the risk of using Manus AI is higher. While it effectively automates tasks and market research, its cloud-based "agent" nature means sensitive company data may pass through third-party servers if you upload relevant files into the platform. To ensure safety, enterprises should avoid inputting proprietary source code or confidential financial reports. Unless you use a dedicated Enterprise plan with isolated data environments, Manus AI should be treated as a public research assistant.
Best Practices to Use Manus AI Safely
While Manus AI offers impressive autonomy, we should keep data privacy and security at the top of mind. Here are 4 best practices to help you maintain control of your costs while utilizing the agent’s full potential safely.
1. Limit Sensitive Inputs
Never provide the agent with high-risk credentials, such as banking passwords or private API keys. Since Manus operates in a cloud-based browser, any sensitive input could potentially be logged, increasing the risk of exposure if the session environment is compromised.
2. Review Account and Billing
Check your credit usage frequently to avoid unexpected charges. Besides, you can use virtual credit cards with strict spending limits to prevent "credit drain" caused by the AI getting stuck in a task loop and ensure your subscription settings are transparent.
3. Anonymize Your Prompts
Remove personal identifiable information (PII), such as full names, phone numbers, or specific company addresses, from your instructions. Treating the AI agent as a "public researcher" rather than a private assistant ensures that no sensitive data is stored in the session history.
4. Monitor Sessions in Real-Time
Don't leave the agent unattended for long periods. By watching the live execution logs, you can find incorrect actions or task interruptions early, allowing you to end the process before it wastes too many credits or accesses unauthorized web directories.
FAQs
1. What are the risks of using Manus AI?
The common risks of using Manus AI include data privacy issues through the cloud server, unexpected financial loss due to unpredictable credit consumption or scammers, and output inaccuracy problems caused by AI bugs during complex tasks.
2. Is Manus AI better than ChatGPT?
Manus AI and ChatGPT serve similar purposes but differ in features. ChatGPT is a conversational assistant, while Manus AI is an autonomous agent. Manus AI is superior for structured tasks that require "doing" (like navigating websites or executing code), while ChatGPT is often more reliable for pure "thinking" and chat.
3. Does Manus use my data?
According to its official documentation, Manus AI does not use private user data or task outputs to train its base models. However, it may use de-identified metadata to improve agent performance.
4. Is Manus AI a Chinese company?
Manus AI was founded by Chinese engineers. It’s now developed by Butterfly Effect Pte. Ltd., which is headquartered and registered in Singapore. The development team has international experience, while the company operates under Singaporean jurisdiction and data protection laws.
