Manus 2.0: What Changed with Cascade, Studio, and Cloud Computer

Manus 2.0 (September 28, 2026) was a platform release rather than a simple model update. The Cascade harness is designed to keep projects lighter by loading specialized tools only when needed. Manus reported efficiency gains in tested configurations (fewer tokens, faster completion, lower cost), though results vary by task. New to Manus? Start with what Manus is.

Major additions#

• Cascade: on-demand specialized capabilities.
• Manus Studio: a desktop environment for professional creation, with editing for documents, slides, code, websites, video (timeline) and games. Studio can also give Manus access to your own files, terminal and apps, with permission modes that keep you in control.
• Event-triggered Automations: start from emails, calendar events or other signals, in addition to schedules.
• Cloud Computer: a persistent always-on machine for bots, game servers, databases or long-running automations (Manus Cloud Computer).
• Manus Flex: bring your own API key from supported providers such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI and OpenRouter.
• Cue: a new app for personal agents, announced alongside 2.0.

Who benefits most#

Users who want to edit agent outputs directly (especially video or interactive projects) and teams that need always-on automation benefit most from 2.0. The free tier remains limited to Lite capabilities (Manus pricing).