HOW-TO · DEV

How to use Manus AI to research and compare API options for your project

intermediate15 minBy Fredoline Eruo
Target environment
Ubuntu 24.04 · Manus Desktop 1.xmacOS 14.x · Manus Desktop 1.x
PREREQUISITES

Manus AI installed and configured, web search tool enabled, project requirement document or problem statement

What this does

Manus AI can autonomously search the web, retrieve documentation, and produce a structured comparison of multiple API options based on criteria relevant to the project such as pricing, latency, feature completeness, and developer experience. This automates the initial research phase that typically consumes hours of manual investigation.

Steps

  1. Open a terminal and start a Manus research session with manus session start --mode research.
  2. Define the research scope by providing a detailed prompt, for example: "Compare three authentication API providers — Auth0, Clerk, and Firebase Auth — for a React-based SaaS application with the following requirements: social login, multi-tenant support, under $500/month at 10,000 monthly active users, and compliance with GDPR."
  3. Manus parses the requirements and constructs a search strategy covering documentation, pricing pages, developer reviews, and community discussions for each provider.
  4. Review the collected data as Manus streams findings in real time. Each data point is annotated with its source URL.
  5. Request a structured output format by typing "format the comparison as a table with columns for Provider, Pricing, Latency, Feature Coverage, and GDPR Compliance".
  6. Ask for a recommendation by prompting "Based on the data, which provider best fits the stated requirements and why?"
  7. Request a cost estimate for the specific usage pattern by typing "Estimate monthly cost for each provider at 10,000 MAU with an average of 200 API calls per user per day".
  8. Export the complete research report by typing "save report to research/auth-api-comparison-2026-05-29.md" which writes the findings to a file in the project directory.
  9. Close the session with manus session close.
  10. Review the saved report in a text editor to verify the findings meet the project requirements before proceeding with implementation decisions.

Verification

cat research/auth-api-comparison-2026-05-29.md

Expected output contains a markdown table with provider names, pricing tiers, latency figures, feature coverage ratings, and GDPR compliance status, each entry citing one or more source URLs.

Common failures

  1. Web search tool not enabled — If Manus produces no results and the output indicates search is unavailable, verify the web search tool is configured in ~/.manus/config.json under the tools section. Enable it by setting "web-search": { "enabled": true }.

  2. Research scope too broad — Asking for a general comparison of an entire category of services produces shallow results. Narrow the scope by providing specific requirements and constraints in the initial prompt.

  3. Outdated pricing information — API pricing changes frequently. The research report should be treated as a starting point. Verify critical pricing figures directly on the provider's website before making a final decision.

  4. Report saved with missing sections — If the file is truncated, the session may have timed out. Reopen the session, reference the previous research with "continue from previous session", and regenerate the missing sections.

Related guides

  • Install and set up Manus AI on your local development machine
  • Create a task completion workflow in Manus AI for building a React component
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