Compare AI tools

	Manus S	Recraft S	Claude Code S	Perplexity S
Tagline	Autonomous AI agent that actually finishes tasks.	Vector + raster AI for designers. Actually controls the output.	Anthropic's CLI agent. Opus-powered, operates on your repo directly.	AI search done right. Cited answers, not chat theater.
Category	agents	image	coding	research
Pricing	Free tier + $39-$199/mo	Free + $12-$48/mo	Part of Claude Pro/Max/Team plans	Free + $20/mo Pro
Best for	People who want to hand off tasks entirely — trip planning, research, spreadsheet building.	Designers, brand teams, anyone needing vector output or tight style control.	Developers who want an agent, not autocomplete. Large refactors, tests, docs.	Replacing Google for any question where you want a cited answer in seconds.
Strengths	General-purpose agent — research, book, build, analyze Parallel task execution Web browsing + file creation + coding	Exports SVG vectors — rare in AI image gen Strong style control + consistency Brand kit for consistent outputs	Runs locally, edits your actual files Strong on large codebases with 1M context Great at multi-step tasks	Sources every claim Fast, current answers Pro Search runs multi-step research Spaces for persistent context
Weaknesses	Still hit-or-miss on complex multi-hour tasks Can burn credits fast	Less hyped than Midjourney Learning curve for non-designers	Terminal-based — learning curve Can't be used without Claude subscription	Not a general chatbot Answers can be shallow on complex topics
Kai's verdict	S-tier in the agent category. The first one I'd give to a non-technical friend.	S-tier for designers. The only one that takes vectors seriously.	S-tier if you live in the terminal. Different shape than Cursor — complementary, not replacement.	S-tier for search. I use it before Google now. If you're still Googling everything, try this for a week.
Link	Open →	Open →	Open →	Open →