Manus, a fast-rising artificial intelligence agent developed by founders originally from China, has crossed the milestone of US$100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) within just nine months of its launch, the company announced on Wednesday.
Now headquartered in Singapore, the startup claims this achievement places it among the fastest-growing AI companies globally, with its overall revenue run rate crossing US$125 million. The company said its growth has accelerated significantly since the release of Manus 1.5, recording more than 20 per cent month-on-month growth.
Launched in March, Manus attracted international attention by positioning itself as a general-purpose AI agent capable of autonomously handling real-world digital tasks. These include activities such as booking travel, navigating websites, and producing structured research outputs without continuous human input.
The upgraded Manus 1.5, introduced in October, brought noticeable gains in performance, especially in research execution and web-based development tasks, the company said.
Annual recurring revenue is commonly used by software firms to estimate predictable yearly income. However, industry experts note that ARR calculations can vary widely across startups. Tech analyst Rui Ma pointed out that some companies inflate projections by including trial users or estimated future payments. She added that Manus appears to be using a more cautious approach to reporting its figures.
Independent estimates had earlier placed Manus’ ARR at around US$94 million in October, based on transaction tracking from global payment platforms such as Stripe. Manus co-founder Zhang Tao has publicly stated that the company’s revenue numbers are calculated using verified payment data.
Industry observers say Manus stands out for its strong computer-interaction capabilities, allowing it to navigate forms, logins and complex workflows more smoothly than many competing AI agents. This functionality has become a key differentiator in the increasingly crowded AI tools market.
The company is backed by major global and Chinese investors, including Benchmark, ZhenFund, HongShan and Tencent. In July, Manus shifted its base to Singapore after downsizing its Beijing operations and withdrawing from the mainland Chinese market.
Manus runs on a combination of AI models, including Claude from US-based Anthropic and Alibaba’s Qwen models. Claude is not officially available in China, which influenced the company’s overseas expansion strategy.
Competition in the AI agent space has intensified, with new offerings from OpenAI and Google delivering overlapping features. Some users have reportedly switched away from Manus, citing similar functionality available through bundled AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini.
Currently, Manus employs over 100 people across Singapore, Tokyo and San Francisco, and plans to open a new office in Paris, signalling its ambitions for further global expansion.
