Clawly vs Manus AI vs ChatGPT Agent: Which AI Agent Wins for Business Admin in 2026
Small business owners lose an average of 16 hours per week to administrative tasks. That's two full workdays spent on emails, invoices, and CRM updates instead of the work that actually grows revenue.
AI agents promise to take that work off your plate, but the category has gotten crowded and confusing. This comparison breaks down how Clawly, Manus AI, ChatGPT Agent, and Claude Code actually perform for business administration—what each tool does well, where it falls short, and which one fits your specific workflow.
What AI agents for business admin actually do
An AI agent for business administration connects to your existing tools and takes action on your behalf. It sends emails from your inbox, updates contacts in your CRM, and creates invoices through your billing software. This is different from a chatbot that generates text you then copy and paste somewhere else.
The distinction matters more than it might seem at first. When you ask a regular AI assistant to "send a follow-up email to Sarah," it writes the email and shows it to you. When you ask an AI agent the same thing, it actually sends the email from your Gmail account. One creates work. The other completes work.
- Inbox triage: Sorting incoming emails by priority and drafting replies
- Scheduling: Coordinating meetings across calendars without the back-and-forth
- Invoicing: Creating and sending invoices, then following up on late payments
- CRM updates: Logging calls, updating contact records, tracking deal stages
Why free chatbots fall short for business admin
Free chatbots are genuinely useful for certain tasks. They can brainstorm ideas, explain concepts, and draft content. However, they operate in isolation from your business tools, which creates a gap between what they produce and what you actually accomplish.
What traditional chatbots can and cannot do
A traditional chatbot lives inside a chat window. Everything it creates stays there until you manually move it somewhere else.
You can use a free chatbot to draft an email, but you still open Gmail, paste the text, add the recipient, and click send. You can ask it to summarize a meeting, but you still copy that summary into Notion or your project management tool. The chatbot generates output. You do the work of putting that output to use.
- Can do: Answer questions, generate text, brainstorm, summarize documents
- Cannot do: Access your email, calendar, CRM, or accounting software
- Cannot do: Send messages, schedule meetings, or update records on your behalf
Non-examples of volume tasks chatbots handle poorly
High-volume administrative work exposes the limitations quickly. Consider sending invoice reminders to 50 clients, following up with leads who haven't responded, or sorting through 100 new emails each morning.
A chatbot can draft one reminder at a time. You still send each one individually. For tasks that repeat across dozens or hundreds of instances, the time savings disappear. The chatbot handles the writing. You handle everything else.
What separates AI agents from basic chatbots
| Feature | Basic Chatbot | True AI Agent |
|---|---|---|
| Connects to your tools | No | Yes |
| Takes real action | No (generates text only) | Yes (sends emails, updates records) |
| Learns your workflows | No | Yes |
| Works proactively | No | Yes |
The table above captures the core difference. A chatbot is a writing tool. An agent is an execution tool. Both have their place, but they solve different problems.
Clawly AI for business admin
Clawly is a Telegram-based AI assistant built for small business administration. You message it the way you'd message a colleague, and it handles tasks inside the tools you already use.
Core features and 60+ integrations
Clawly connects natively to Gmail, Stripe, Calendly, HubSpot, Notion, Asana, Pipedrive, and more than 60 other tools. Native connections mean Clawly works directly inside your accounts rather than simulating actions through a browser.
When Clawly sends an email, it sends from your Gmail. When it updates a contact, it updates your HubSpot. The actions happen in your tools, not in a separate system you then sync manually.
Business admin tasks Clawly handles best
Clawly is particularly effective for recurring administrative work that follows predictable patterns.
- Invoice reminders: Connects to Stripe and sends payment follow-ups automatically
- Inbox triage: Reads your inbox, flags important messages, drafts replies for your review
- CRM updates: Logs customer interactions and new leads without manual data entry
- Scheduling: Coordinates meeting times across calendars through Calendly integration
Setup and onboarding
Getting started takes three steps:
- Sign up with your Google account
- Connect your Telegram account
- Start delegating tasks via chat
No technical configuration. No training period. Ready in under a minute.
Limitations to consider
The Telegram-first interface works well if you're comfortable delegating through chat. If your team prefers desktop dashboards or Slack-based workflows, the adjustment may take some getting used to. Clawly also focuses specifically on business administration rather than technical tasks like coding or data analysis.
Manus AI for business admin
Manus is an autonomous agent designed for complex, multi-step tasks. It approaches automation differently than Clawly, using browser automation to navigate websites and applications rather than connecting through direct integrations.
Core features and integrations
Manus excels at tasks that require navigating multiple websites, extracting information, and compiling results. It can log into web applications, click through interfaces, and complete workflows that span several different tools.
The browser-based approach offers flexibility. Manus can work with almost any web application, even ones without official integrations. The tradeoff is reliability. Browser automation can break when websites update their layouts or add new security measures.
Business admin tasks Manus handles best
- Complex research: Gathering data from multiple sources and compiling reports
- Data extraction: Pulling information from websites for lead generation or market analysis
- Multi-step web workflows: Completing tasks that require logging into and navigating different applications
Limitations to consider
Manus carries a higher price point and steeper learning curve than alternatives. For straightforward recurring tasks like invoice follow-ups, a direct integration typically works more reliably than browser automation. Manus is better suited for complex, one-off projects than daily administrative routines.
ChatGPT Agent for business admin
ChatGPT has added agent-like features over time, including the ability to browse the web and execute code. It remains primarily a conversational tool, though, with automation capabilities that are still developing.
Core features and integrations
ChatGPT offers strong conversational AI, a code interpreter for data analysis, and a plugin ecosystem that connects to various services. The quality of integrations varies significantly by plugin. Some work reliably. Others require troubleshooting.
Business admin tasks ChatGPT Agent handles best
- Content creation: Drafting emails, social media posts, blog articles, and marketing copy
- Research synthesis: Summarizing long documents, articles, or research papers
- Document drafting: Creating first drafts of proposals, reports, and internal policies
ChatGPT is excellent at generating content. It's less effective at executing tasks inside your business tools without manual intervention.
Limitations to consider
Most connections to business software require setup through plugins or third-party automation tools like Zapier. ChatGPT also doesn't work proactively. It responds when you prompt it rather than handling recurring tasks on a schedule.
Claude Code for business admin
Claude Code is a coding and software development tool from Anthropic. It's designed to help developers write, debug, and navigate code repositories.
Is Codex better than Claude Code for business automation
Both OpenAI's Codex and Anthropic's Claude Code focus on software development rather than business administration. Neither is built for tasks like invoicing, CRM updates, or inbox management.
If you're comparing Codex vs Claude Code, the comparison itself suggests a mismatch with business admin needs. Both tools excel at code generation and technical workflows. Neither connects to the business tools that handle invoices, emails, or customer records.
For business administration, you're looking at a different category of tool entirely.
Side-by-side feature comparison table
| Feature | Clawly AI | Manus AI | ChatGPT Agent | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Setup time | Under 1 minute | Hours to days | Minutes (basic use) | Minutes |
| Integrations | 60+ native | Browser-based | Plugin-dependent | Developer tools only |
| Admin task handling | Excellent | Good for complex web tasks | Fair for drafting and research | Not designed for admin |
| Pricing | Free tier, Pro from $29/mo | Premium/Enterprise | Free tier, paid tiers available | Mid-tier/Premium |
| Proactive automation | Yes | Yes (with setup) | No | No |
| Best for | Small business admin | Complex technical tasks | Content and research | Software development |
Which AI agent handles high-volume admin tasks
Volume is where the differences become practical. Handling one invoice reminder is easy with any tool. Handling 50 invoice reminders every week is where the right choice saves hours.
For invoice and payment follow-ups, Clawly connects directly to Stripe and sends reminders automatically. ChatGPT can draft reminder text, but you send each one manually. Manus could automate the process through browser actions, though the setup takes significantly longer.
For inbox triage, Clawly reads and sends emails directly from your inbox. ChatGPT drafts replies you then copy, paste, and send yourself. The difference compounds across dozens of emails daily.
For CRM updates, Clawly logs interactions in HubSpot or Pipedrive automatically after calls or emails. Other agents typically require manual triggers or a connector service like Zapier to achieve similar results.
Which AI agent fits your business
The right choice depends on what you're trying to accomplish and how much setup you're willing to do.
Solopreneurs and freelancers often benefit most from Clawly. The low cost, fast setup, and focus on administrative tasks align well with the work that slows down client-facing time.
Small teams and agencies might use Clawly for execution tasks like CRM updates and billing, while using ChatGPT for content generation like marketing copy and reports.
Non-technical users typically find Clawly's chat-based interface on Telegram the most accessible option. Manus and Claude Code assume comfort with technical configuration.
Ready to delegate your admin? Try Clawly free. No credit card required. Ready in under a minute.
Frequently asked questions about AI agents for business admin
What are the 5 types of AI agents?
The five main types are simple reflex agents, model-based agents, goal-based agents, utility-based agents, and learning agents. Each type has increasing autonomy and decision-making capability, from basic stimulus-response patterns to agents that improve their performance over time.
Can AI agents send invoices and update your CRM automatically?
Some AI agents connect directly to billing and CRM tools to send invoices and log updates automatically. Clawly does this through native integrations. Other agents like ChatGPT can draft invoice content, but you send it manually.
Do AI agents work with Telegram or WhatsApp?
Clawly operates natively through Telegram, allowing you to delegate tasks via chat. Most other AI agents require their own web interface or dedicated application rather than working through messaging platforms.
How long does it take to set up an AI agent for your business?
Setup time varies significantly by tool. Clawly is ready in under a minute with a Google sign-in and Telegram connection. Agents like Manus can require hours or days of configuration depending on the complexity of your workflows.
