Meta's AI App Muse Tops 3.4 Million Downloads After Launch

By Thursday, an AI app that did not exist two and a half weeks earlier was sitting at the top of both the U.S. App Store and Google Play, a perch it has not given up since first claiming it on September 18 and 19. The app, called Muse, is Meta's newest bet in the crowded field of AI chat and image tools, and the numbers behind its rise are moving fast enough that market-tracking firms are revising their estimates almost daily.

Muse launched September 8 and had reached 2.5 million downloads by the start of this week, according to Sensor Tower, a market intelligence firm cited by TechCrunch. By Thursday that figure had climbed to more than 3.4 million. Sensor Tower cautioned that its estimates lag real-world adoption and do not yet fully capture the boost Muse got from this week's Meta Connect conference.

How many people have actually downloaded Muse?

Estimates vary by firm. Apptopia puts total downloads at 4.3 million, with 2.6 million of those on iOS. Appfigures, a third tracking firm, estimates roughly 2.3 million installs as of Thursday, split almost evenly between iOS and Android. All three firms agree on the trend even where the totals diverge: Muse is currently available only in the U.S. and Canada, yet it is drawing installs at a pace that outstrips most recent AI app launches.

What did Meta announce for Muse at Meta Connect?

At this week's developer conference, Meta detailed a slate of upcoming features for the app, including video chat with the Muse avatar, support for computer use on Mac, a dedicated email address for the assistant, additional partners and connectors, and eventual integration with Meta's smart glasses. Sensor Tower recorded a 27% jump in daily active users the day after the conference wrapped.

How does Muse's growth compare with ChatGPT, Claude and Grok?

Muse averaged 55% day-over-day download growth during its first ten days on the app stores, according to Sensor Tower's figures reported by TechCrunch. That compares with 24% average day-over-day growth for ChatGPT over its own first ten days. Downloads for Claude and Grok, by contrast, declined during their respective launch windows — a comparison Sensor Tower's data makes directly.

Is Meta pushing Muse through Facebook and Instagram?

Much of the early traction looks organic, but Muse is also benefiting from the same kind of cross-platform promotion to existing Facebook and Instagram users that helped Meta's Threads app reach 500 million monthly active users. Connor Hayes, Meta's head of Threads, told Business Insider that the company's marketing approach for Muse differs from how it built Threads, which relies on user-generated posts rather than an AI companion product.

What happens next likely depends on whether the download curve holds once the Meta Connect afterglow fades and the app's availability, still limited to two countries, expands. For now, Muse holds the top ranking on both major U.S. app stores, a position TechCrunch's reporting notes it has not relinquished since mid-September.