Meta’s AI companion Muse has reached 10.9 million downloads in its first 40 days, including 10.2 million in the United States, according to TechCrunch’s reporting on Sensor Tower data. That puts the app in a small group of mobile launches that have crossed 10 million U.S. downloads this quickly.
The milestone is notable because the group is dominated by games. Fortnite, PUBG Mobile and Pokémon GO are among the other apps to reach the mark. Meta’s Threads was the most recent non-game example before Muse, while Disney+ is the only other non-game app identified in the comparison.
Meta is buying attention and borrowing distribution
Muse’s early scale is not simply a product story. It is also a distribution story.
Meta can promote Muse across a family of services reaching 3.6 billion daily active users. That gives the app an unusually large launch surface, much as Threads benefited from its connection to Instagram’s social graph and later integration across Meta’s platforms.
Meta is also putting significant paid media behind the launch. Sensor Tower data cited by TechCrunch shows that Muse accounted for 39% of Meta’s total advertising spend in October, up from 23% the previous month. The app rose from 73rd to 21st among U.S. brands by advertising impressions over the same period.
That combination matters. Meta is not waiting for an AI product to find an audience through novelty alone. It is using owned distribution and paid reach to make Muse part of the everyday app environment.
The harder test is whether people return
Downloads only measure the first decision. Muse’s more interesting number may be retention.
The app recorded 30% retention after seven days and 23% after 14 days in the United States, compared with average rates of 19% and 16% for ChatGPT, Claude and Grok, according to the reported Sensor Tower figures. Muse also reached 2.5 million daily active users on October 16, a 15% week-over-week increase.
The comparison needs context. Muse is currently available in the United States and Canada, while ChatGPT launched across a broader international audience. Muse’s early advantage therefore does not prove it has built the stronger global AI product.
It does show what happens when an AI app combines a strong launch budget with platform-native distribution and a reason for users to return. For Meta, the strategic opportunity is bigger than another standalone app. Muse could become a way to turn the company’s enormous reach into repeated AI behavior.