Meta's mobile AI agent app, Muse, is spreading across mobile app stores faster than expected. According to market research firm Sensor Tower, the app had been downloaded more than 5 million times as of September 30. Reuters reports that Meta launched Muse on September 8 — just over three weeks earlier. That pace exceeds the early numbers of the most popular AI apps of recent years: by comparison, ChatGPT averaged 24% daily growth in its first ten days after launch. The app offers a free basic tier along with $20 and $100 monthly plans for intensive users.
Download pace
Most downloads were accumulated in the first two weeks after the app's release. According to TechCrunch, between September 8 and 17 Muse was downloaded at an average daily growth rate of 55% — meaning each day added more than one and a half times the new downloads of the day before. That pace is more than double ChatGPT's 24% average daily growth during its launch period. The Claude and Grok apps, launched around the same time, saw their download growth slow instead — their launches did not spark the same sharp interest as Muse's.
As of September 25, analytics firms gave the following estimates: Sensor Tower — more than 3.4 million, Apptopia — 4.3 million (2.6 million of them on iOS devices), Appfigures — about 2.3 million; with an almost even split between iOS and Android. Five days later, on September 30, Sensor Tower updated its estimate: the 5 million mark had been crossed. So downloads grew noticeably between September 25 and 30 as well — the growth was not limited to the first week.
Between September 8 and 17, Muse was downloaded at an average daily growth rate of 55%; in the first 10 days after ChatGPT's release, that figure was 24%. Claude and Grok saw their download growth slow during their launch periods. — TechCrunch
Store leadership
The growth pace was also reflected in app store rankings. According to TechCrunch, on September 18 — ten days after launch — Muse climbed to the top of the most-downloaded apps chart in the US App Store. The next day, September 19, the app also took the lead on Google Play. Muse thus reached first place on both of the largest mobile platforms — iOS and Android — one after another. As of the article's publication, Muse was still holding first place on both platforms, so the leadership did not prove to be a one-day event.
The timeline of events is as follows: launch on September 8, first place in the US App Store on September 18, first place on Google Play on September 19, analyst estimates of millions of downloads on September 25, and the crossing of the 5 million mark on September 30. Each successive milestone came just days after the previous one — evidence of unflagging interest in the app.
Prices and plans
As noted in Reuters' Breakingviews commentary, Meta launched Muse on September 8. The app runs on a free basic tier; on top of that, two paid plans are offered as usage grows — $20 or $100 per month. In other words, the more intensively a user engages with the app, the higher the tier they can move to. This pricing structure aims to give the app broad free distribution while earning revenue from the most active users: core features are open to everyone, heavy usage is paid. Having two paid tiers beyond the free one gives users a choice — ordinary use stays free, while heavy users can pick the plan that fits their needs.
Discrepancies in estimates
It is notable that the three firms' figures for the same metric differ substantially: for September 25, the range ran from 2.3 to 4.3 million. The highest estimate (Apptopia — 4.3 million) is nearly double the lowest (Appfigures — 2.3 million). Such a spread shows that app analytics firms count downloads differently — each relies on its own data sources and estimation methods. Still, all three estimates confirm one conclusion: Muse reached millions of downloads within weeks of launch, and the figure kept growing — the 5 million estimate on September 30 confirms it.
