The Drop | I cheated on ChatGPT with Manus
(and built this little app in 5 minutes)
Let’s be honest for a second.
We all have that one tool we’ve been loyal to for ages. For me, it was ChatGPT. We spent hours together. We brainstormed, we wrote, we strategized. It was a solid relationship.
But lately? The spark was gone. It felt a bit... predictable.
Everyone in the creator space is currently screaming about Claude. “Claude is the new king!” “Claude writes better!” I tried it. It’s fine. But it didn’t give me that butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling.
And then, I met Manus.
Why Manus is different (and why I’m slightly obsessed)
Here is the thing about most AI tools: They chat with you. They give you text. They give you code. But you still have to take that text or code and do something with it. You have to be the builder.
Manus doesn’t just chat. Manus builds.
It’s an autonomous AI agent. You give it a vision, and it opens a browser, writes the code, sets up the server, and actually creates the thing for you. Right in front of your eyes. It’s like having a brilliant, slightly caffeinated developer sitting next to you, turning your wild ideas into reality in minutes.
I didn’t want to build another boring CRM or a complex funnel to test it out. I wanted to build something that feels like us. Something soulful, slightly playful, and completely unnecessary but absolutely delightful.
Enter: The Vibe Check Oracle ✨
I asked Manus to build a tiny, interactive web app. No coding from my side. Just a prompt describing the vibe, the colors, and the humor I wanted.
But I added a twist: I wanted it to be personalized, and I wanted people to be able to download their result to share it on Instagram Stories.
Less than 5 minutes later, this existed.
👉 Click here to draw your personalized Vibe Card for today
(Go ahead, try it for fun. Enter your name and see what you get. My vibe today was: “Anita, your vibe is: A romantically distracted time-traveling artist who lost their wand but found a really good playlist.” Accurate.)
The Playbook: How to build your own Viral Mini-App with Manus
The real magic isn’t just that this app exists. The magic is how easy it was to create.
As creators, we often get stuck because we have a great idea for an interactive tool (a quiz, a calculator, a fun generator), but we lack the technical skills to build it. Manus completely removes that barrier.
Here is the exact step-by-step process I used, so you can build your own.
Step 1: The Vision
Before you open Manus, you need to know what you want. Keep it simple for your first try.
•What does it do? (Generates a random, funny sentence based on three categories).
•The Viral Element: (It asks for a name to personalize the result, and includes a “Save to Share” button so people can post it on social media).
•How should it look? (Soulful, minimalist, using my brand colors: #FAF9F6 for background, #D4A373 for accents).
Step 2: The Prompt
Manus needs clear instructions. Here is the exact prompt I used to generate the Vibe Check Oracle:
“I want to build a simple, interactive web app called ‘The Vibe Check Oracle’.The Functionality:
1.First, show an input field asking for the user’s first name.
2.Then, a button that says ‘Draw a Vibe Card’.
3.When clicked, it should randomly generate a sentence combining three elements: an adjective, a character, and a situation.
4.The result should say: ‘[Name]’s Vibe: [Generated Sentence]’.
5.Add a ‘Save to Share’ button that lets the user download the card as an image (using html2canvas) so they can share it on Instagram Stories.
The Content:
•Adjectives: A caffeinated, A slightly feral, A deeply soulful...
•Characters: fairy godmother, main character, overthinking poet...
•Situations: who lost their wand but found a really good playlist, currently negotiating with the universe over a matcha latte...
The Design: Make it look beautiful, modern, and soulful. Use a soft off-white background (#FAF9F6), dark grey text (#2D2D2D), and a warm caramel accent color (#D4A373). Use elegant serif fonts for headings and clean sans-serif for text. Include my brand name ‘BabicADesigns’ at the top.”
Step 3: Let Manus Work
Once you hit enter, Manus takes over. You can literally watch it create the project folder, write the React code, install the necessary libraries (like html2canvas for the image export), style it with CSS, and launch the server. If it encounters an error, it reads the error message and fixes it automatically.
Step 4: Share it with the world
Manus gives you a live link that you can immediately share with your audience. No complicated hosting setups required.
The Strategic Shift for your Business
Why does this matter for you as a Soulpreneur or Creator?
Because interactivity builds connection, and personalization drives virality.
Instead of just giving your audience another PDF to read, you can now give them an experience that they actually want to share with their friends.
•Are you a business coach? Build a “Pricing Confidence Calculator” that exports a beautiful summary of their new rates.
•Are you a spiritual guide? Build a “Daily Intention Generator” that creates a personalized graphic for their lock screen.
•Are you a copywriter? Build a “Hook Idea Spinner” that gives them 3 custom hooks based on their niche.
These tiny apps are incredible lead magnets. They are highly shareable, they provide instant gratification, and they position you as an innovative leader in your space.
The landscape of AI is shifting from generation (give me text) to action (build this for me). Manus makes that possible. And it’s incredibly fun.
Have you tried Manus yet? Or are you still loyal to ChatGPT? Let me know in the comments, and tell me what Vibe Card you drew today!
☕ The Soulful Tip Jar
If this little app made you smile today, or if my content helps you navigate the wild world of AI with a bit more ease and soul, you can now buy me a matcha (or a coffee).
No pressure, just a gentle invitation to support the free content I create for this community.
Stay soulful,
Anita