Meta's AI companion Muse hits 10 million US downloads in 40 days

Sensor Tower data puts the app in an exclusive club alongside Threads and Disney+

By LineZotpaper

Published20 October 2026

Read Time2 min

Sources2 outlets

Meta's AI companion Muse has reached 10 million US downloads within 40 days of its September debut, a milestone only a dozen mobile apps have ever achieved, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. The app is also showing stronger early retention than AI rivals ChatGPT, Claude and Grok.

Sensor Tower data shows Muse has recorded 10.9 million downloads since launching in September, 10.2 million of them in the United States. Only 11 other apps have reached that scale in their first 40 days, said Kara Lee, Senior Insights Analyst at Sensor Tower. The most recent was Meta's Threads in July 2023, and the club is otherwise mostly mobile games such as Fortnite, PUBG Mobile and Pokémon GO, with Disney+ the only other non-game app on the list.

Meta has driven adoption by promoting Muse across its family of services, which the company says has 3.6 billion daily active users, and by increasing its advertising push. Sensor Tower estimates Meta allocated 39% of its total US advertising spend to Muse in October, up from 23% in September, lifting the app from the 73rd to the 21st largest US brand by advertising impressions this month.

Early engagement also looks strong. Muse had a 30% retention rate after seven days in the US and 23% after 14 days, compared with an average of 19% and 16% for ChatGPT, Claude and Grok. Daily active users reached 2.5 million for the first time on October 16, up 15% week over week.

Muse has held the No. 1 spot on the US App Store since launch, apart from October 19 when streaming app Kick briefly overtook it, and has been top of Google Play for the past 30 days. The launch has outpaced rivals: ChatGPT saw 3.7 million US downloads in its first 40 days, while Grok and Claude saw 500,000 and 200,000. Globally, ChatGPT was larger at roughly 15 million downloads, aided by a wider launch that included Japan, Brazil and Germany, whereas Muse is currently available only in the US and Canada.

Analysis

Why This Matters

Muse is an early sign of how AI assistant adoption is being driven by distribution and marketing as much as by the underlying technology.
Meta's entry into the AI companion race puts pressure on ChatGPT, Claude and Grok to hold users as the market shifts from novelty to everyday utility.
The gap between strong early downloads and long-term retention will shape whether AI apps become durable platforms or short-lived fads.

Background

Meta owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, and has a track record of scaling new apps by cross-promoting them to its existing user base, as it did with Threads. Muse is part of a wave of AI companions and agents launched by major technology companies over the past two years, competing with chatbots from OpenAI, Anthropic and xAI. The category has seen rapid adoption but also questions about how many users keep coming back after the initial excitement fades.

Key Perspectives

Meta: Positions Muse as an AI agent that can handle tasks on users' behalf, and is investing heavily in advertising and cross-promotion across its apps to establish it as a leading consumer AI product.

Competitors: OpenAI, Anthropic and xAI face a well-funded rival with unmatched distribution, though ChatGPT's earlier global launch gave it a head start in international markets where Muse is not yet available.

Analysts and skeptics: Sensor Tower's data shows promising early retention, but the real test is whether marketing-driven downloads convert into lasting daily habits once advertising intensity and novelty fade.

What to Watch

Whether Muse's retention rates stay above rivals' after the first month of usage.
An international rollout, since the app is currently limited to the US and Canada while competitors operate worldwide.
Meta's advertising allocation and whether Muse can hold its No. 1 App Store ranking as spending normalises.

Sources

Meta’s Muse hits 10M U.S. downloads in 40 days, a milestone reached by only 11 other apps · AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch
Meta’s Muse hits 10M U.S. downloads in 40 days, a milestone reached by only 11 other apps · TechCrunch

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 9 supported.

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SupportedMuse reached 10 million US downloads within its first 40 days.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “Meta’s AI companion, Muse, is now one of only a dozen mobile apps to have reached 10 million U.S. downloads in its first 40 days on the market.”
SupportedMuse is in an exclusive club alongside Threads and Disney+.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “Besides Threads, Disney+ was the only other non-game app to make it into the exclusive club.”
SupportedSensor Tower data puts Muse at 10.9 million downloads overall, including 10.2 million in the US.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “Muse has seen 10.9 million downloads since its September debut, 10.2 million of which were in the United States.”
SupportedOnly 11 other apps reached this scale in their first 40 days, according to Sensor Tower analyst Kara Lee.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “Only 11 other apps to date have reached this type of post-launch milestone, said Sensor Tower’s Senior Insights Analyst Kara Lee.”
Partly supportedMeta’s family of services has 3.6 billion daily active users, a figure the company says it has.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “Muse isn’t only benefiting from Meta’s ability to market the AI agent across its family of apps, which today includes 3.6 billion daily active users”
Partly supportedSensor Tower estimates Meta put 39% of its total US advertising spend toward Muse in October, up from 23% in September.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “Per Sensor Tower’s data, Meta has allocated 39% of its total advertising spend to market Muse in October, up from 23% last month.”
Partly supportedThe increase in ad spending lifted Muse from 73rd to 21st among US brands by advertising impressions.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “In addition, Muse now ranks as the 21st largest brand in the U.S. by advertising impressions this month, up from 73rd in September.”
SupportedMuse’s US seven-day and 14-day retention rates were 30% and 23%, compared with rivals’ averages of 19% and 16%.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “In the U.S., the app had a 30% retention rate after 7 days and a 23% retention rate after 14 days. By comparison, its rivals saw an average of a 19% 7-day retention rate and a 16% 14-day retention rate”
SupportedMuse’s daily active users reached 2.5 million for the first time on October 16, up 15% week over week.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “Its daily active users reached 2.5 million for the first time on October 16, a 15% week-over-week increase.”
SupportedMuse held the No. 1 US App Store rank on every day since launch except October 19, when Kick briefly overtook it.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “Since launching, Muse has retained its No. 1 rank on the U.S. App Store for all days except October 19, when streaming app Kick briefly beat it out.”
SupportedIn their first 40 days, ChatGPT had 3.7 million US downloads, while Grok and Claude had 500,000 and 200,000.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “ChatGPT saw 3.7 million U.S. downloads in its first 40 days on the market. Grok and Claude saw only 500,000 and 200,000 U.S. downloads, respectively, in their first 40 days.”
SupportedChatGPT had around 15 million global downloads in its first 40 days, with a wider market reach than Muse, which was available only in the US and Canada.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “Globally, ChatGPT beat out Muse, having scaled to around 15 million global downloads in its first 40 days. But this isn’t a fair comparison, as ChatGPT benefited from a wider reach. Muse is only available in the U.S. and Canada for now”