Meta’s AI assistant, Muse, has become one of only twelve mobile applications to accumulate 10 million U.S. downloads within its initial 40 days of availability. Data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower indicates that Muse has garnered 10.9 million downloads since its September launch, with 10.2 million originating from the United States.
According to Sensor Tower’s Senior Insights Analyst Kara Lee, only eleven other applications have ever achieved such a significant post-launch milestone. The most recent app to do so was Meta’s Threads, in July 2023.
Lee observed that most apps reaching this scale were mobile games, such as Fortnite, PUBG Mobile, and Pokémon GO. Aside from Threads, Disney+ was the sole non-gaming application to join this exclusive group.
Meta’s success is attributed to its ability to promote its new applications across its extensive ecosystem, a strategy employed for both Threads and Muse. Threads leveraged Instagram’s social graph and integrated its content into both Facebook and Instagram. However, Muse benefits not only from Meta’s cross-promotion capabilities among its family of apps, which collectively serve 3.6 billion daily active users, but also from substantial advertising investments aimed at attracting new users.
Sensor Tower’s data reveals that Meta allocated 39% of its total advertising budget to market Muse in October, an increase from 23% in the previous month. Consequently, Muse has risen to become the 21st largest brand in the U.S. by advertising impressions this month, significantly up from its 73rd position in September.
While marketing is crucial, maintaining user engagement beyond the initial novelty is equally important. In this regard, Muse demonstrates superior retention rates compared to its AI counterparts like ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok.
Within the U.S., the app recorded a 30% retention rate after 7 days and a 23% retention rate after 14 days. In contrast, its competitors averaged a 19% 7-day retention rate and a 16% 14-day retention rate, according to the firm’s data.
Muse also achieved another notable milestone indicating active usage: its daily active users reached 2.5 million for the first time on October 16, marking a 15% week-over-week increase.
Meta’s newest AI application, designed to perform various tasks for users, has experienced remarkable success since its introduction. It quickly climbed to the No. 1 spot on the App Store and, at one point, even surpassed some of ChatGPT’s initial launch metrics. Its latest achievement further distinguishes it from rivals, as ChatGPT recorded 3.7 million U.S. downloads in its first 40 days, while Grok and Claude only saw 500,000 and 200,000 U.S. downloads, respectively, within the same timeframe.
Globally, ChatGPT outperformed Muse, reaching approximately 15 million worldwide downloads in its first 40 days. However, this comparison is not entirely equitable, as ChatGPT had a broader global presence. Muse is currently available only in the U.S. and Canada, whereas ChatGPT’s app attracted users from diverse markets including Japan, Brazil, and Germany. (Japan, for instance, contributed 25% of its global installs during its initial 40 days).
Since its launch, Muse has consistently held the No. 1 ranking on the U.S. App Store, with the sole exception of October 19, when streaming app Kick briefly took the lead. It has since regained the top position as of Tuesday. Muse has also maintained its No. 1 spot on Google Play for the past 30 days.