Meta’s smart assistant Muse recorded more than 5 million downloads in just 22 days since its launch in the United States and Canada, achieving a record growth pace that outperformed the early days of ChatGPT and Claude. Meta supported this rise with intensive advertising campaigns that captured a major share of its networks.
- A record start outperforming chat giants
- Continuous store leadership backed by unprecedented advertising
- Business model and friction with competing companies
- Frequently asked questions
A record start outperforming chat giants
The “Muse” intelligent agent application by Meta Platforms surpassed the milestone of 5 million downloads on Wednesday, according to estimated data from app intelligence platform Sensor Tower. The app took just 22 days to reach this historic figure since its initial rollout on September 8, achieving a much faster growth rate than popular platforms such as ChatGPT, Grok, and Claude in their early stages, despite being limited so far to the US and Canadian markets only.
Sensor Tower statistics indicate that ChatGPT took 56 days to reach 5 million mobile downloads, while Grok needed 103 days, and Claude took a full 492 days. Kara Lee, a senior analyst at the platform, explained that part of this difference is due to the fact that Claude and Grok launched exclusively on iOS in their first weeks, whereas Meta launched Muse simultaneously on the App Store and Google Play. Additionally, the emergence of ChatGPT in late 2022 as the first consumer generative platform explains its more measured start back then compared to the current market maturity.
Continuous store leadership backed by unprecedented advertising
Muse continues to top the free apps charts on both the Apple and Google stores in the US market, with 9to5Mac confirming that it held the number one spot in the US Apple App Store for 12 consecutive days. The app offers a comprehensive intelligent agent experience, handling various daily tasks including web browsing, email sending, purchasing, form filling, and booking travel details.
Historically, Sensor Tower notes that only 23 apps in the history of the US App Store managed to break the 5 million download mark within 22 days of launch, with video games representing about 85% of them, such as Fortnite and Pokémon GO. The list of non-gaming apps achieving this feat is limited to three giant entertainment and social platforms: Disney+ (20 million), HBO Max (18 million), and Meta’s own Threads app, which approached 14 million downloads.
Meta’s promotional machine played a crucial role in this momentum; the company increased Muse’s ad spend budgets on September 16, and downloads jumped by 73% compared to the previous day. Between September 14 and 27, Muse captured about 50% of Meta’s total internal ad impressions, cutting into the promotion shares for Facebook and WhatsApp, making it one of the top 15 most advertised brands in the United States.
Business model and friction with competing companies
The app is available in a basic free version for users, with advanced monthly subscription packages for pro users priced at $20 or $100. Meta plans to take a small commission from purchases completed by the agent for its users in the future. Despite its digital success, the app faced operational hurdles; American Banker reported that Amazon blocked Muse’s activity on its platforms, citing unauthorized access and security concerns regarding shopper credentials.
Leaks reported by Reuters also revealed that Muse tested a “human assistant” feature, in which external contractors are tasked with making certain phone calls on behalf of users to complete complex reservations. National Public Radio (NPR) warned that the app could radically change the internet experience, but it will require gathering massive amounts of sensitive data. This comes amid an accelerated race in which OpenAI launched its agent platform Dots, whose CFO Sarah Fryer told CNBC would soon be available to the consumer public.
Frequently asked questions
Question: How many days did Meta’s Muse take to surpass 5 million downloads?
Answer: The app took only 22 days to reach this figure in the US and Canadian markets.
Question: What are the daily tasks and services performed by the Muse AI agent?
Answer: Muse browses the web, sends emails, makes purchases, fills out data and forms, and completes hotel and flight bookings.
Question: Why did Amazon block the Muse app on its e-commerce platform?
Answer: Amazon blocked the app citing unauthorized access attempts and security concerns related to protecting customer account credentials.
