Meta’s Muse AI App Beats ChatGPT on Early Downloads, Shares Jump 11%

Meta’s new personal AI agent Muse has climbed to the top of the US app charts, giving investors an early sign of consumer demand for the company’s push into agentic AI. Meta shares rose 11.4% on Nasdaq on September 21—the company’s biggest one-day gain since April 2025.

Muse ranked first among free apps on both Apple’s US App Store and Google Play as of September 21, beating ChatGPT.

The AI assistant, which is restricted to users aged 18 and above, crossed 902,000 downloads within six days of its launch, according to Sensor Tower data cited by Bloomberg. The figure is higher than the 773,000 downloads Meta’s standalone Meta AI app recorded during the equivalent period after its launch.

Early adoption has also extended beyond app stores. Data from app intelligence firm Apptopia showed that Muse had reached 2.8 million global installs in its first 12 days, as cited by TechCrunch.

In the US and Canada, Muse recorded 1.8 million iOS downloads during its first 12 days, compared to 1.3 million for ChatGPT over the same period. Its estimated daily active users in the US also stood above ChatGPT’s at the equivalent point after launch.

Muse is different from Meta’s earlier AI assistant because it is built to carry out multi-step tasks rather than simply answer questions. Users can ask it to send emails, book travel, manage appointments, shop online, and complete other tasks across the web.

It can also use information from Meta services such as Instagram and Facebook Marketplace, alongside third-party services including Gmail, Google Calendar, and OpenTable.

The assistant is powered by Meta’s Muse Spark model and runs inside a dedicated virtual machine called Muse Secure VM. Meta says a separate Sentinel system reviews actions before the agent can access the internet, while users retain control over which services Muse can access. The company also plans to introduce a Confidential VM later this year that will prevent Meta itself from accessing users’ data and conversations.

Muse is available for free with usage limits, while Meta offers paid plans priced at $20 and $100 a month for users requiring higher usage limits. The company has also introduced API pricing for enterprise developers.

The personal AI agent is not currently available in India.

The app’s early momentum has strengthened the investment case around Meta’s large AI spending. Meta is expected to spend between $130 billion and $145 billion on capital expenditure this year, much of it directed towards data centres and AI infrastructure. 

However, Muse has already hit a major roadblock. Amazon blocked the agent from accessing its shopping platform, saying Meta had not received permission to let Muse browse Amazon, access customer accounts, or process transactions. Amazon also objected to Muse not identifying itself as an AI agent when accessing the site.

Meta’s launch has also faced scrutiny over safety. Reuters reported earlier this month that internal testing had identified problems involving access to sensitive personal data, prompting Meta to delay the product’s release from April. Meta said that it had improved Muse’s security and privacy protections.