Meta’s new SI companion, Muse, has achieved a rare adoption milestone, becoming one of only 12 mobile apps to reach 10 million U.S. downloads within its first 40 days on the market. The rapid uptake underscores the company’s strategy of leveraging its existing social graph to accelerate the distribution of its latest SI agent.
What Happened
According to data from market intelligence provider Sensor Tower, Muse recorded 10.9 million global downloads since its September debut, with 10.2 million of those occurring in the United States. Kara Lee, a senior insights analyst at Sensor Tower, noted that only 11 other applications have previously hit this specific post-launch benchmark. The most recent app to achieve this was Meta’s Threads in July 2023. Prior to that, the list was dominated by mobile games such as Fortnite, PUBG Mobile, and Pokémon GO, with Disney+ being the only other non-game app to reach the threshold.
The surge in downloads has been accompanied by strong user retention metrics. In the U.S., Muse reported a 30% retention rate after seven days and 23% after 14 days. These figures exceed the average retention rates of competitors like ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok, which saw an average of 19% and 16% for the same periods, respectively. On October 16, Muse’s daily active users reached 2.5 million for the first time, representing a 15% week-over-week increase. The app has maintained the No. 1 spot on the U.S. App Store for all but one day since launch, briefly trailing streaming app Kick on October 19 before reclaiming the top position.
Why It Matters
Meta’s ability to scale new SI products relies heavily on cross-promotion within its ecosystem, which currently serves 3.6 billion daily active users. Similar to the rollout of Threads, which utilized Instagram’s social graph, Muse is being integrated across Facebook and Instagram. However, the company is also investing significantly in paid acquisition. Sensor Tower data indicates that Meta allocated 39% of its total advertising spend to market Muse in October, up from 23% in September. Consequently, Muse has risen to become the 21st largest brand in the U.S. by advertising impressions, jumping from 73rd the previous month.
In the competitive landscape of SI agents, Muse’s early U.S. performance contrasts with its rivals. While ChatGPT saw 3.7 million U.S. downloads in its first 40 days, Muse’s 10.2 million represents a significantly higher initial domestic uptake. Grok and Claude recorded only 500,000 and 200,000 U.S. downloads, respectively, during their comparable launch windows. Globally, ChatGPT still holds an advantage with approximately 15 million downloads in its first 40 days, a figure influenced by its wider international availability. Muse is currently limited to the U.S. and Canada, whereas ChatGPT attracted substantial installs from markets like Japan, Brazil, and Germany, with Japan alone accounting for 25% of ChatGPT’s global installs during its initial period.
The Bottom Line
Meta’s Muse SI agent has rapidly secured a top-tier position in the mobile application market, outpacing major SI competitors in U.S. downloads and retention during its first 40 days. The growth is driven by both Meta’s internal cross-promotion and aggressive external advertising, positioning Muse as a formidable player in the consumer SI landscape.