# deer-flow vs Manus
_Autonomous Agents · independent comparison_

> deer-flow and Manus take different routes to the same job: one is a commercial product, the other open-source and self-hostable. Choose based on whether you want a managed experience or full control.

## Side by side

**deer-flow**
- Open source · Agent · 79k★ · Python · MIT · active today
- Best for: Orchestrating sub-agents, memory, and sandboxes through one extensible skill system.
- Avoid if: You built on DeerFlow 1.x — version 2 is a ground-up rewrite that shares no code.
- [listing](https://agentsearchengine.app/agents/deer-flow) · [official](https://deerflow.tech)

**Manus**
- Freemium · Agent
- Best for: Delegating general multi-step tasks to a hosted autonomous agent.
- Avoid if: You need deterministic, auditable workflows.
- [listing](https://agentsearchengine.app/agents/manus) · [official](https://manus.im)

## Key differences

- Manus is a commercial product; deer-flow is open-source and self-hostable.
- Pricing model differs — deer-flow is open source, Manus is freemium.

## Which to choose

**Choose deer-flow if:** Orchestrating sub-agents, memory, and sandboxes through one extensible skill system.

**Choose Manus if:** Delegating general multi-step tasks to a hosted autonomous agent.

## FAQ

**What's the main difference between deer-flow and Manus?**
Manus is a commercial product; deer-flow is open-source and self-hostable.

**Is deer-flow or Manus better?**
Neither is universally better. deer-flow is the stronger fit for Orchestrating sub-agents, memory, and sandboxes through one extensible skill system; Manus for Delegating general multi-step tasks to a hosted autonomous agent. Use the side-by-side specs to decide by your own constraints.

**Is deer-flow or Manus free?**
deer-flow is free to run and self-host; Manus is free to start (freemium), with paid tiers.

**Which is more popular, deer-flow or Manus?**
We rank open-source projects by GitHub adoption, but at least one of these is a commercial product and stars don't measure commercial adoption — so compare them on capabilities and pricing instead.

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Source: [Agent Search Engine](https://agentsearchengine.app) — https://agentsearchengine.app/compare/deer-flow-vs-manus