Manus builds an app for you, in its cloud.
Lienox runs your own agent team, on your machine.
Two ways to delegate work to AI agents: a cloud service focused on building and deploying an app for you, or a local orchestrator you control — with your own AI keys, flat pricing, and automation for a lot more than "one app".
What each one is
Two different approaches to delegating work to agents
A cloud agent focused on building an app
Manus is an AI agent that runs on Manus infrastructure, built so someone with no technical background can describe an idea and get a complete app: it researches the market, designs frontend and backend, connects a database, and deploys the result — all inside a sandbox they manage.
An agent orchestrator that lives on your machine
Lienox is a local-first platform that runs chains, workflows and cron jobs of AI agents directly on your machine, using your own API keys (BYOK). It isn't limited to building one app: it orchestrates code, research, content, marketing and ops processes, with its own agent browser and control over your existing projects.
What sets Lienox apart
Four things that change when the orchestrator lives on your machine
Your data stays with you
Prompts, files and results never leave your machine. Telemetry is anonymous and uses an allowlist of events — never content, paths or outputs.
Flat price, not burnable credits
Free or Ultra ($8/mo) define capacity, not consumption. AI inference is paid separately, directly to your provider, at their published price.
Not just "build an app"
Chains and workflows with nodes, advancement rules and parallel branches for any process: code, research, content, marketing or ops.
Automation that doesn't switch off
Recurring cron jobs (unlimited on Ultra) and its own agent browser to control your existing projects — not just the one the agent just built.
Head to head
Lienox vs Manus, feature by feature
Data verified against each product's public documentation at the time this page was published.
| Feature | Lienox | Manus |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Locally, on your own machine | In Manus' remote cloud sandbox |
| AI cost | BYOK — you pay your AI provider directly | Burnable credits with a daily or plan limit |
| Platform price | Flat: Free or $8 per month, no meter | Freemium + credit packs |
| Recurring automation | Unlimited cron jobs on the Ultra plan | Scheduled tasks, burn credit per run |
| Multi-agent orchestration | Chains/workflows with nodes, advancement rules and parallel branches | One autonomous agent that splits work into internal workstreams |
| Agent browser | Space Browser: real cursor, isolated tab per agent, for any site or project | Automated browsing inside the build sandbox |
| Data privacy | Prompts and files never leave your machine | Execution and data live on Manus' infrastructure |
| Extensibility | MCP: import tools, your own OAuth, allow/block per tool | Configurable API connections inside the sandbox |
| Voice & remote control | Local Whisper + TTS, your own Telegram bot | Not offered |
| Deliverable | You manage and deploy your own projects | Manus deploys and hosts the app for you |
| Ideal user | Teams and builders who want full control, privacy and automation of any workflow | Non-technical founders who want one app ready to launch |
Capabilities
The agent's full cycle, running locally
One desktop to create, run and supervise agents that plan, research and automate for you.
Chains & Workflows
Design agent pipelines with nodes, per-step prompts, advancement rules and templates. Live visualization in the Space.
multi-nodeAgent Cron Jobs
Schedule recurring agents: daily reports, repo monitoring, maintenance and alerts. Your team works while you sleep.
automationMultimodal Space
Conversational chat, agent-driven browser, file viewer, 3D models, audio and video — all inline in one canvas.
localSplit Chats
Split the screen into multiple parallel conversations with different agents or contexts, coordinated from one workspace.
productivityVoice & Telegram
Talk to your agents with local Whisper + TTS (no external voice API). Control everything from your own Telegram bot.
multimodalPrivate by Design
Your code, prompts and data live on your disk. Only anonymous usage events are reported — never content, paths or outputs.
privacyWhich one is right for you?
Pick the one that solves your real problem
Choose Manus when you want to:
- • Launch a single app without installing anything or writing code
- • Have a third party research the market and put the pitch deck together for you
- • Have hosting and deployment fully managed by the provider
- • Not worry about installing software on your machine
Choose Lienox when you want to:
- ✓ Run several workflows, not just "one app": code, research, content, ops
- ✓ Make sure your prompts, files and results never leave your machine
- ✓ A flat, predictable price, with no per-task credit meter
- ✓ Recurring automation (cron) and direct control of your own projects
Frequently asked questions
Lienox vs Manus
What are the best alternatives to Manus?
It depends on what you need to automate. If you want to launch a single app without writing code, Manus is still a solid cloud option. If you need to automate several processes (code, research, marketing, ops) with your own AI keys and without your data leaving your machine, Lienox is the local-first alternative.
Is Manus free in 2026?
Manus offers a freemium plan with limited daily credits; continued use burns credits or requires a paid plan. Lienox uses a different model: a permanent Free plan and a single flat-price paid plan, Ultra ($8 per month), that does NOT meter by credit consumed — AI inference is paid separately, directly to your provider.
Is there an alternative to Manus for technical teams who don't want to depend on a cloud sandbox?
Yes. Lienox runs as a desktop app (Linux, Windows, macOS) and executes agents on your own machine, with direct access to your projects, repos and local servers — not inside a remote sandbox managed by a third party.
What's the most private alternative to Manus?
In Lienox, your agents' prompts, files and results never leave your machine. Telemetry is optional and uses an allowlist of events — it never includes content, file paths or results. Manus, being a cloud service, executes and stores your tasks on its own infrastructure.
Can I use Lienox instead of Manus?
If your goal is to launch a single web app without touching code or managing infrastructure, Manus solves that case directly. If you're looking for a broader-purpose agent orchestrator — chains, workflows, cron jobs, its own agent browser and control over your existing projects — Lienox covers that ground in addition to the software-building part.
Is Lienox useful for non-code tasks too?
Yes. Lienox's workflows orchestrate agents for code, research, content, marketing and ops alike — it's not limited to building and deploying an app.
How does app deployment compare between the two?
Manus automatically builds and deploys the app on its own infrastructure — you don't need to manage servers. Lienox auto-detects your own projects' run plan (scripts, framework, port) and runs them from your machine; you stay in control of where and how the final result is hosted.
Run your own agent team, on your machine
Free forever on Linux, Windows and macOS. Bring your own AI keys — no credit meter.