The open-source alternative to Manus

Looking for something like Manus, but open source and free to start? Alfera is the AI coworker your whole team shares: a company brain that syncs your apps, connections shared per person or per team, permissions on every action, and Slack, WhatsApp and email. Self-host it in one click, or start on Alfera Cloud.

In one line: Alfera is open source with a company brain, vs a closed general-purpose agent for research and tasks.

General-purpose autonomous AI agentAlfera on GitHub
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ManusGeneral-purpose autonomous AI agentOpen source, or Alfera Cloud
What it isAutonomous AI agent for research, slides and websites that runs scheduled or event-triggered tasks from web, desktop, mobile, Slack and email.The AI coworker your whole team shares, with a company brain that syncs your apps. Open source.
Open sourceNoYes, AGPL-3.0
Self-hostNot publishedYes: one click on DigitalOcean or AWS, or one command on any server
PriceFree $0/month; Pro from $20/month; Team from $20 per seat/month with 4,000 credits per seat (17% off yearly)Free to start: open source to self-host, and Alfera Cloud starts with $10 of free AI usage
Where it worksWeb app, macOS and Windows app, iOS and Android app, Slack, Email (Mail Manus address), APISlack, WhatsApp, email from its own address, the web app, a Mac app, the API and MCP
Team useTeam plan: shared credit pool across seats, tasks private by default and shareable, shared skills and projects, usage analytics, SSO, free guest role.Multiplayer: one coworker for the whole team. It knows who is asking, and each connection is shared with everyone, one project, or one person
PermissionsOnly approved senders can trigger Mail Manus tasks; new Slack collaborators need one-time approval from the session owner. Per-action approvals: Not published.Allow, ask first, or never, per connection and per action. Approvals in Slack, email or the app, and every action logged
Starts on its ownSchedules, and triggered tasks on GitHub, Shopify, webhook and Mail Manus events (live), plus polled connector events; Zapier triggers.On a schedule, from a webhook, or on 600+ app events
ModelsPicks a model per task or lets you choose one; lists video, image, audio and 3D models. Underlying LLMs and bring your own key: Not published.230+ models: Claude, GPT, Gemini, open models, your ChatGPT plan, or your own

Where Manus is the better choice

Individuals and teams who want one agent to deliver finished research, slides, websites and recurring reports.

  • Each user gets a personal email address that turns forwarded emails into tasks, plus purpose-built workflow email addresses
  • Native triggers on GitHub pull requests, Shopify events and webhooks, plus a Zapier integration listed with 8,000+ apps
  • Builds websites, slides, images, video and music in the same agent

Everything Alfera does

  • A company brain that syncs your apps. Connect Google Drive, Notion, Slack and the rest. Documents sync on their own, keep every version, and every answer draws on them.
  • One coworker for the whole team. It knows who is asking. Many people, many tasks at once, each with their own chats and connections, and shared chats when you want.
  • 3,000+ app connections, shared the way you choose. Each connection is open to everyone, one project, or one person. A personal mailbox stays personal; the support inbox is the team’s.
  • Permissions on every action. Allow, ask first, or never, per connection and per action. Approvals land in Slack, email or the app, and every action is logged.
  • Where your team already is. Slack, WhatsApp, email from its own address, the web app, a Mac app, and your own code through the API and MCP.
  • It starts work by itself. On a schedule, from a webhook, or on 600+ app events in Gmail, HubSpot, Stripe and more.
  • Its own computer. Every chat runs in a sandbox with a terminal and a browser, and its files stay from one chat to the next.
  • Any model. 230+ models: Claude, GPT, Gemini, open models, your ChatGPT plan, or a model you run yourself.
  • Open source, and free to start. AGPL-3.0. Self-host it in one click on DigitalOcean or AWS, or start on Alfera Cloud with $10 of free AI usage.

Manus and Alfera

Alfera. Alfera is the AI coworker your whole team shares. It has a company brain that syncs your apps, 3,000+ app connections shared per person or per team, permissions on every action, and it works in Slack, WhatsApp, email and the web app. It starts work by itself, runs on any model, and it is open source: self-host it in one click or start free on Alfera Cloud. Manus is not open source.

Sources

Facts about Manus come from its own pages, read on 16 October 2026. Something out of date? Write to hello@alfera.ai and we will fix it.