July 31, 2025
5 min read
Carl Franzen
Chinese AI startup Manus introduces Wide Research, spinning up 100+ AI agents to perform large-scale parallel web research and creative tasks.
Chinese AI startup Manus is rolling out a groundbreaking feature called Wide Research. This innovative tool utilizes over 100 AI agents working in parallel to conduct large-scale research and tackle complex creative tasks.
Unlike other AI solutions that focus on "Deep Research" with a single agent performing in-depth analysis, Manus's Wide Research employs more than 100 concurrent subagents to simultaneously address a single task or a series of related subtasks. This approach is designed to accelerate and broaden the scope of research and creative endeavors.
How Wide Research Works
Manus's Wide Research was demonstrated by analyzing 100 sneaker models. In this demo, each subagent independently evaluated the design, pricing, and availability of a single sneaker. The result was a sortable matrix output, available in spreadsheet and web formats, generated within minutes. The platform also showcased Wide Research's capability in creative tasks, such as generating poster designs in 50 distinct visual styles simultaneously, delivering the assets in a downloadable ZIP file. This functionality is powered by Manus's optimized virtualization and agent architecture, which offers a 100-fold increase in compute power over previous offerings. The system automatically activates Wide Research for tasks that require broad analysis, eliminating the need for manual configuration.Pricing and Availability
Wide Research is currently accessible to users on the Manus Pro plan. A phased rollout to Plus and Basic plans is planned. Manus offers the following subscription tiers:- Free ($0/month): Provides 300 daily refresh credits, Chat mode access, and 1 concurrent and 1 scheduled task.
- Basic ($19/month): Includes 1,900 monthly credits (with a bonus limited offer), 2 concurrent and 2 scheduled tasks, advanced models in Agent mode, image/video/slides generation, and access to exclusive data sources.
- Plus ($39/month): Offers 3 concurrent and 3 scheduled tasks, 3,900 monthly credits (with a bonus), and all Basic features.
- Pro ($199/month): Features 10 concurrent and 10 scheduled tasks, 19,900 credits (with a bonus), early beta access, a Manus T-shirt, and the full feature set, including advanced agent tools. An annual prepayment option provides a 17% discount.
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Architectural Innovation
Each Manus session operates on a dedicated virtual machine, providing users with orchestrated cloud compute managed through natural language. A key architectural difference from traditional multi-agent systems is that each Wide Research subagent is a fully capable Manus instance, empowered to perform any general task independently. This flexible design allows for scalable task handling without reliance on rigid templates.Benefits and Challenges
Manus highlights Wide Research as a significant advancement in agent parallelism, promising faster and more diverse outputs compared to single-agent deep research models. However, the company has yet to release benchmarks or detailed technical comparisons regarding the efficiency, speed, or cost-effectiveness of this approach. The broader AI ecosystem has experienced mixed results with subagent systems, with common user-reported issues including slow performance, high token consumption, and coordination difficulties. Manus acknowledges that Wide Research is experimental and may encounter limitations as it evolves.Looking Ahead
Wide Research reinforces Manus's commitment to scalable, multi-threaded AI collaboration. The company's approach to generalized agent instances could significantly influence future AI workflows and agent architectures. Industry observers will be closely monitoring the progress of this ambitious system to see how it navigates the challenges inherent in multi-agent frameworks.Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is Manus's Wide Research feature? Wide Research is a new feature from Manus that uses over 100 AI agents working in parallel to conduct large-scale research and creative tasks, differing from traditional single-agent deep research models. How does Wide Research differ from "Deep Research" offered by other AI providers? While "Deep Research" typically involves a single AI agent conducting in-depth analysis, Wide Research deploys over 100 concurrent subagents to tackle tasks simultaneously, aiming for broader and faster results. Can Wide Research be used for creative tasks? Yes, Wide Research can be applied to creative tasks, such as generating multiple design variations or content pieces simultaneously. What are the subscription plans for Manus and how is Wide Research accessed? Manus offers Free, Basic, Plus, and Pro plans. Wide Research is currently available to Manus Pro users and will be rolled out to other plans gradually. What are the potential challenges of using multi-agent systems like Wide Research? Potential challenges, as reported in the broader AI ecosystem, can include slow performance, high token consumption, and difficulties in coordination between agents. Manus acknowledges that Wide Research is experimental and may face evolving limitations.Source: Originally published at VentureBeat on July 31, 2025.