Meta's new Muse AI app reached 10.2 million U.S. downloads within 40 days of its September 2026 launch, making it one of only 12 apps to hit that threshold. Meta supported this rapid expansion by dedicating 39% of its October advertising spend to Muse and marketing across its 3.6 billion daily active users. While limited to the U.S. and Canada, Muse achieved higher early retention rates and faster domestic download growth than rival AI assistants including ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok.
Record-breaking download pace
- ▪Meta's Muse AI app reached 10 million downloads in the United States and Canada within its first 35 days on the market, according to Sensor Tower.
- ▪Meta's Muse AI app achieved 10.2 million U.S. downloads and 10.9 million total downloads within its first 40 days of launch in September 2026.
- ▪Sensor Tower data indicates that Meta's Threads in July 2023 was the most recent app before Muse to hit 10 million U.S. downloads in 40 days.
- ▪Meta's Muse AI app is one of only 12 mobile apps to ever reach 10 million U.S. downloads within 40 days of release.
Download comparison with competing AI apps
- ▪OpenAI's ChatGPT generated around 15 million global downloads in its first 40 days, outpacing Meta's Muse due to availability in international markets like Japan, Brazil, and Germany.
- ▪OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude, and SpaceXSI's Grok each required more than 100 days to reach 10 million total downloads.
- ▪OpenAI's ChatGPT recorded 3.7 million U.S. downloads in its first 40 days, while Grok had 500,000 and Claude had 200,000 U.S. downloads in that period.
User retention rates
- ▪Competing AI apps ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok averaged a 19% 7-day retention rate and a 16% 14-day retention rate among U.S. users.
- ▪Meta's Muse AI app achieved a 30% 7-day retention rate and a 23% 14-day retention rate among U.S. users following its launch.
Advertising spend and reach
- ▪Meta's Muse AI app rose to become the 21st largest brand in the U.S. by advertising impressions in October 2026, up from 73rd in September 2026.
- ▪Meta allocated 39% of its total advertising spend to market Muse in October 2026, up from 23% in September 2026, according to Sensor Tower.
Cross-promotion across Meta platforms
- ▪Meta previously scaled its Threads app by building on Instagram's social graph and integrating Threads content directly into Facebook and Instagram.
- ▪Meta leverages its family of apps, which serves 3.6 billion daily active users, to promote Meta's Muse AI agent across its existing platforms.
Story comments
Loading comments…