Grok Bot vs Cue by Manus (2026): Which AI Agent Wins?

What Is Grok Bot?

Grok Bot is xAI's agent product, launched in beta on August 11, 2026. It is a persistent, named agent that lives on an account-scoped cloud VM with a browser, a filesystem, a terminal, and MCP support. It signs into your apps and does multi-step work, and it keeps running when your laptop is closed.

Do not confuse it with @grok, the reply chatbot on X, with Grok Tasks (scheduled prompts), or with the Grok Business and Enterprise team chat plans. Those are separate products.

Its real strengths are practical. You can run several bots in parallel and have them coordinate in a group chat, teach one a skill with up to 10 minutes of browser demonstration, and set up routines that run on a schedule or on an event. It also handles tools that have no API by falling back to computer vision and the browser. For an overview of how agents like this fit into work, see AI beyond ChatGPT for business.

What Is Cue by Manus?

Cue is a standalone Manus app for personal agents, launched on September 28, 2026 alongside Manus 2.0. Each agent gets its own email address, phone number, wallet, and dedicated computer. That Cloud Computer keeps jobs running when your own device is closed, though its pricing has not been disclosed.

Cue can complete tasks on its own machine, send messages, make payments inside a budget you set, and answer incoming calls and leave you a summary in the app. It can also scan QR codes, for example for restaurant ordering or holding a place in line. Multiple agents can share a group chat, split one job, and delegate to each other, with you approving the result.

One context point: Manus was the subject of a Meta acquisition announced in December 2025 that China blocked in April 2026. Manus said in August that it would return to operating independently, and Cue launched after that. It is not a Meta product.

Is Cue Free? Grok Bot Pricing and Access

Cue is free during early access, but you need an invite code. Later pricing is not disclosed, and the pricing of the Cloud Computer is also undisclosed. The web, desktop, and mobile apps exist, with iOS awaiting App Store review.

Grok Bot is in early beta and is reached through SuperGrok Heavy or any paid Cursor plan, according to xAI's docs. Usage resets weekly. Prices quoted across sources conflict, so we are not going to print a number: confirm the current figure on x.ai before you pay.

In practice, Cue is cheaper to try if you can get an invite, while Grok Bot is the easier one to get if you already hold one of those subscriptions. For broader price comparisons across assistants, see our roundup of the best AI personal assistants in 2026 and the OpenAssistant pricing page.

Head to Head: What Each Agent Can Actually Do

Both products run a long-lived cloud computer, do multi-step work, support multiple cooperating agents, and can start work from triggers. The difference is in the model of delegation.

• Grok Bot acts through your accounts. It uses connectors (Gmail, Google Calendar, Drive, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Salesforce, Slack, Notion, GitHub, Jira) and asks for approval before sending, publishing, buying, or deleting. It stops for passwords, 2FA, and payment entry.
• Cue acts as its own entity. It has an email address and a wallet, spends inside a budget, and takes calls. Verified integrations include Gmail, Dropbox, GitHub, Notion, and calendar, though we did not find a full list.
• Automation: Grok Bot allows 50 routines per bot and keeps the last 20 runs. Cue starts tasks on new emails, calendar events, Notion updates, and Slack messages, set up by prompt.

Neither product has documented team features for multiple humans sharing one agent. If your goal is everyday task automation, either can serve. If you need shared tasks between people, look at products built for that, such as those covered in our solutions overview.

Does Grok Bot Have Its Own Phone Number? Identity and Channels

This is the clearest difference. Grok Bot has no documented phone number or email of its own. Bots have names, but that is not an external identity: the bot works as you, inside your logins. A third-party review found no email, Slack, Telegram, or phone channel for reaching it. You use the desktop app or the iPhone companion. Voice calls are not documented.

Cue has its own phone number, email address, wallet, and computer. It can answer incoming calls and leave a summary. What we could not verify is whether it can make outbound voice calls, whether it needs your approval before messaging someone, how it identifies itself to outsiders, and whether you can text it from your own iMessage or email.

An agent with its own identity is more independent and can be handed tasks that involve strangers. An agent that acts as you is more predictable for the people on the other end, but it means anything it sends carries your name. Neither model is wrong. It depends on how you feel about delegation.

Head to Head: Privacy, Security, and Trust

Neither product publishes much for individual users. For Grok Bot, xAI's Grok Business and Enterprise plans state that customer data is never used for training, and Enterprise adds custom SSO, SCIM, advanced audit and security controls, and an optional Enterprise Vault. A secondary report cites SOC 2 Type II and GDPR, with ISO 27001 and 42001 in progress. One design caveat is documented: all bots share one VM and are not separate security boundaries.

For Cue, we found no SOC 2, admin, or audit information. The documented control is a user-set spending budget.

If you plan to give either agent access to your inbox, read the terms first and see how to know if an AI tool is safe. Companies should also check what a vendor publishes on trust before rolling anything out, and read how to use AI at work for policy basics.

Who Each Is Best For

• Grok Bot is best for developers and power users, people who live in Cursor or X, and anyone whose work depends on legacy tools without APIs. Its real-time X and web search, parallel bots, and skill learning by demonstration are genuine advantages.
• Cue is best for people who want a separate agent with a real identity, spending controls, and cross-platform apps, and who are willing to wait for an invite. It bundles the identity pieces in one product.
• Neither is a clear fit yet for teams that need shared tasks, SSO, and audit trails on the agent itself. For that, compare Grok Bot against other options or read Instinct vs. Cue and Instinct vs. Grok Bot.

How They Differ in One Line

Grok Bot is a persistent cloud VM that works as you inside your own accounts. Cue is an agent with its own email, phone number, wallet, and computer. If you want to compare Cue with another new agent, see Cue by Manus alternatives and Muse vs. Cue.