Meta’s Muse Reaches 10 Million U.S. Downloads in 40 Days, Outpacing ChatGPT and AI Rivals
Muse reached 10.2 million U.S. downloads in 40 days, while retaining 30% of users after seven days versus 19% for ChatGPT, Claude and Grok. Meta devoted 39% of its October ad spend to the app, up from 23% in September.
Meta’s AI companion app Muse surpassed 10 million U.S. downloads within its first 40 days on the market, placing it among only a dozen mobile apps ever to reach that post-launch milestone, according to data published October 20, 2026, by market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.
Muse, which debuted in September 2026, recorded 10.9 million total downloads globally, with 10.2 million coming from the United States. The app is currently available only in the U.S. and Canada. Sensor Tower Senior Insights Analyst Kara Lee noted that only 11 other apps have previously hit this threshold, with Meta’s own Threads — launched in July 2023 — being the most recent. Other members of the group are largely mobile games, including Fortnite, PUBG Mobile, and Pokémon GO, with Disney+ as the only other non-game app to qualify.
Meta has leaned heavily on its existing platform reach and paid advertising to drive Muse’s growth. The company allocated 39% of its total ad spend to Muse in October 2026, up from 23% in September, pushing the app to rank as the 21st largest U.S. brand by advertising impressions, compared to 73rd the prior month. Meta’s family of apps currently reaches 3.6 billion daily active users.
Beyond downloads, Muse is retaining users at higher rates than competing AI apps. In the U.S., Muse posted a 30% seven-day retention rate and a 23% fourteen-day retention rate. ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok averaged 19% and 16% over those same periods, respectively. Daily active users reached 2.5 million on October 16, a 15% week-over-week increase.
Muse’s download figures also outpace those of its AI competitors at launch. ChatGPT saw 3.7 million U.S. downloads in its first 40 days; Grok recorded 500,000 and Claude 200,000. ChatGPT did exceed Muse globally — reaching roughly 15 million downloads in the same window — though that comparison is complicated by ChatGPT’s availability in additional markets, including Japan, Brazil, and Germany.
Muse has held the No. 1 position on the U.S. App Store for all but one day since launch — October 19, when streaming app Kick briefly displaced it — and has ranked first on Google Play for the past 30 days.