Stash vs Manus AI: Open Source vs China's Autonomous AI Agent

Autonomous AI agents are having their moment. Manus AI made headlines in early 2025 as "the second DeepSeek," scoring 86.5% on GAIA benchmarks - beating OpenAI's Deep Research. Meanwhile, Stash has been quietly democratizing AI agent capabilities for non-technical users through open-source desktop software.

Both promise to autonomously complete complex tasks, but they take radically different approaches. Here's how they compare.

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What is Manus AI?

Manus AI is a general-purpose AI agent developed by Chinese startup Monica.im, launched around March 2025. It's been called "the second DeepSeek moment" for its unexpected capabilities and Chinese origin.

Key Features:

• Fully autonomous: Plans and executes complex multi-step tasks independently
• Multi-model architecture: Uses Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Qwen (Alibaba), and other models
• Independent computing environment: Works without constant user supervision
• Research & analysis: Can research, analyze data, generate reports automatically
• Code writing & deployment: Writes and deploys code autonomously
• High benchmark scores: 86.5% on GAIA (basic tasks) vs OpenAI's 74.3%; 57.7% on complex tasks vs 47.6%

Manus is currently in closed beta with limited access.

What is Stash?

Stash is an AI-powered desktop application that combines a persistent file system, long-term memory, and real-time access to your files and information.

Key Features:

• Persistent file system: Complete workspace that AI understands and remembers
• Long-term memory: Maintains context across all your documents and sessions
• Real-time integrations: Direct access to Gmail, Google Drive, Notion, bookmarks
• Natural language workflows: Build custom automations without complex agents
• Learns your voice: AI sounds and acts like you over time
• Version control: Full change history with instant rollback
• Desktop-first: Works locally, privacy-focused

Stash is publicly available and ready to download today.

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Key Differences

Manus AI: Pros and Cons

Pros

✅ Exceptional performance - Outperforms OpenAI on GAIA benchmarks ✅ Fully autonomous - Handles complex tasks end-to-end without supervision ✅ Code generation - Writes and deploys code independently ✅ Multi-model approach - Combines best models (Claude, Qwen, etc.) ✅ Research capabilities - Strong at data analysis and report generation ✅ Independent environment - Can work for hours without user input

Cons

❌ Closed beta - Not publicly available, waitlist required ❌ Closed source - Proprietary, can't inspect or modify code ❌ Availability uncertainty - Unclear timeline for public release ❌ Cloud dependency - Requires internet, no offline use ❌ Limited file operations - Not optimized for bulk document editing ❌ No version control - Can't rollback changes

Stash: Pros and Cons

Pros

✅ Available today - Download and use immediately, no waitlist ✅ Persistent file system - Complete workspace with long-term memory ✅ Real-time data access - Direct access to files, emails, and integrations ✅ Learns your voice - AI that sounds and acts like you ✅ Natural language workflows - Build automations without coding ✅ Version control - Full change tracking and instant rollback ✅ Privacy-focused - Desktop-first, your data stays local ✅ File operations - Bulk edit, rename, organize hundreds of files

Cons

❌ Not benchmarked - No public GAIA scores to compare ❌ Desktop only - No mobile or cloud version ❌ Smaller model selection - Primarily uses Claude (though MCP allows extensions) ❌ Requires local setup - Download and installation needed

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Who Should Choose Manus AI?

Manus AI is ideal if you:

• Can access the closed beta (currently limited)
• Need maximum autonomous capabilities for complex research tasks
• Value bleeding-edge performance over immediate availability
• Work on tasks requiring hours of unsupervised AI work
• Want AI that can write and deploy code independently
• Are comfortable waiting for public release
• Don't mind cloud-only operation

Best use cases: Advanced research projects, code generation, complex data analysis requiring multiple models, tasks benefiting from absolute cutting-edge AI performance.

Reality check: Most users can't access Manus yet. If you need an AI agent today, Manus isn't an option.

Who Should Choose Stash?

Stash is ideal if you:

• Want an AI workspace you can use today (no waitlist)
• Deal with information overload across multiple systems
• Want persistent memory that remembers your entire work context
• Need real-time access to files, emails, and integrated data
• Want AI that learns your voice and organizational patterns
• Need proactive assistance based on your ongoing work
• Require version control for peace of mind
• Prefer desktop applications over cloud tools

Best use cases: Knowledge workers managing many documents, consultants creating presentations, researchers synthesizing information, analysts working with spreadsheets, anyone needing AI for file-heavy workflows. Learn more about document automation.

Performance Comparison

Manus AI wins on pure benchmark performance - 86.5% on GAIA beats everything else available. It's genuinely impressive technology.

However, benchmark scores don't tell the whole story:

• Availability: Stash ships today; Manus is waitlist-only
• Use case fit: Stash is optimized for file operations; Manus for autonomous research

For most knowledge workers, availability and fit matter more than benchmark scores. A tool you can use today beats a higher-performing tool you can't access.

Final Recommendation

This comparison comes with an important caveat: Manus AI isn't publicly available yet.

Choose Manus AI if you can access the closed beta, need absolute cutting-edge autonomous performance, and don't mind proprietary cloud platforms. It's genuinely impressive technology when (if) you can get it.

Choose Stash if you need an AI agent today, work with files and documents, value open source software, or want persistent memory and version control.

For most users, the decision is simple: Stash is available now and purpose-built for document workflows. Manus is impressive on benchmarks but inaccessible to most people.

We're excited about Manus pushing the boundaries of what AI can do autonomously. But until it's publicly available, Stash remains the practical choice for knowledge workers who need AI agents today.

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Stash Desktop is ready to download. No waitlist, no barriers.

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