Meta's new AI-powered personal assistant app, Muse, has been live for less than two weeks and has already surpassed the early performance of ChatGPT on two crucial fronts—download numbers and daily active users. This rapid start has sparked significant market enthusiasm about whether AI agents can finally bridge the gap to mainstream adoption.
Within just five days of its launch, Muse recorded 730,000 downloads, accumulating over 2.8 million total downloads within 12 days. It claimed the top spot on the US iOS free app chart last Friday, overtaking ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude, and Grok from SpaceX AI. Riding this wave of momentum, Meta's stock surged more than 11% on Monday, prompting Wells Fargo to raise its price target to $796.
Market analysts believe that Muse's explosive growth signals a shift, as AI agent applications begin to accelerate their move from developers and tech enthusiasts to everyday consumers. According to reports, Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon commented, "So far, most agent-like use cases haven't really been for the average person. Now with apps like Meta Muse emerging, perhaps we are seeing the potential for broader adoption taking shape."
Download Data: Outperforming ChatGPT's Early Trajectory
Data from market intelligence firm Apptopia, as reported by TechCrunch, shows that in a like-for-like comparison within the US and Canadian markets, Muse recorded 1.8 million iOS downloads in its first 12 days, surpassing the 1.3 million ChatGPT achieved in the same period. Another analytics firm, Sensor Tower, reports that Muse logged 730,000 downloads in its first five days, with cumulative downloads exceeding 2.5 million by Monday, split between roughly 1.5 million on iOS and 1.1 million on Android.
For context, Claude and Grok each saw around 400,000 and 200,000 downloads, respectively, over a comparable 13-day window. ChatGPT, during the same timeframe, recorded 3.1 million downloads and still leads Muse, but it's important to note differences in platform release strategies. ChatGPT initially launched globally on iOS only, whereas Muse is currently available on both iOS and Android, but exclusively in the US and Canada.
Daily active user metrics are equally impressive. Apptopia data indicates that Muse has reached 642,000 daily active mobile users in the US, significantly higher than ChatGPT's 231,000 during the same stage. Even when comparing iOS alone, Muse's daily active users outpace ChatGPT with 359,000 versus the latter's count.
Product Positioning: An AI Agent Gateway for the General Public
Meta positions Muse as an AI personal agent tool for everyday consumers. Its core functionality involves executing tasks across the web, such as filling out electronic forms and organizing email inboxes, all designed to let users manage and direct a powerful digital assistant. The app is powered by Meta's Muse Spark series of AI models and represents a major push by CEO Mark Zuckerberg into the AI agent market.
On the business model front, Muse offers a free basic tier alongside two subscription options priced at $20 and $100 per month. This creates a new monetization path for Meta, diversifying beyond its core online advertising business. Meta also benefits from a substantial platform advantage in user acquisition. According to Apptopia data, more than 95% of Muse users are also Facebook users, and 63% are Instagram users. Additionally, Muse supports integration with WhatsApp. Meta previously used a similar cross-platform strategy to drive Threads to 500 million users, and Muse is well-positioned to replicate that playbook.
Ecosystem Dynamics: Amazon Blocks, Shopify Embraces
Muse's rapid expansion is already creating friction within the e-commerce ecosystem. Amazon has blocked Muse from accessing its shopping site, citing privacy and security risks. Amazon stated that Meta did not inform them in advance about Muse's access intentions, noting that the agent bypassed the personalized features built into the Amazon shopping experience and appeared to capture and store user credentials and scrape account data.
"We believe third-party applications acting on behalf of customers to make purchases at other merchants should operate transparently and respect service providers' decisions about participation," an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement. In contrast, Shopify has chosen to collaborate with Meta. Shopify CEO Tobias Lütke announced on Monday that Shopify will work with Muse, allowing agent-based checkout functionality within its platform stores. This partnership provides significant validation for Muse's practical application in e-commerce scenarios.
Risks and Concerns: Can the Momentum Last?
Despite Muse's strong start, questions remain about its ability to sustain this level of interest. Historically, OpenAI's Sora and Meta's own Vibes AI video tool both sparked initial download surges upon launch but ultimately failed to achieve lasting, phenomenon-level status. Meanwhile, Muse's rise also occurs against a backdrop of broader industry pressures. Concerns over AI safety and cybersecurity risks continue to weigh heavily on the tech sector. Adding to this, Meta recently agreed to pay approximately $17 billion to settle a lawsuit with multiple state attorneys general over allegations that Facebook and Instagram caused potential harm to children and teenagers.
Muse's heavy reliance on personal user data is another point of concern. Stacy Rasgon noted, "They care about security, but I'm not sure how much they care about privacy." This issue could pose a long-term challenge for Muse's sustained development.
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