Meta’s AI companion app Muse has quickly become a standout success following its September launch, reaching over 10.9 million downloads worldwide, with 10.2 million in the U.S. within its first 40 days. This achievement places Muse in an elite group of only 12 apps to hit the 10 million U.S. downloads milestone so rapidly, joining notable names like Meta’s Threads and popular mobile games such as Fortnite and Pokémon GO. Meta’s scale and marketing muscle, leveraging its vast network of 3.6 billion daily active users across its platforms, have been key to this rapid adoption.

The company has ramped up advertising investment for Muse, dedicating 39% of its ad budget to the app in October, a significant increase from 23% the previous month. This strategic focus on promotion has catapulted Muse into the top 25 most advertised brands in the U.S., climbing from 73rd place in September. Despite the aggressive marketing push, Muse’s success isn’t just in downloads; it is showing stronger user retention than key AI rivals such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok, with a 30% retention rate after one week and 23% after two weeks.

Muse’s daily active user count reached 2.5 million on October 16, marking a 15% weekly growth, underscoring the app's engagement and staying power. The app’s ability to quickly capture and maintain user interest enabled it to claim the No. 1 spot on the U.S. App Store consistently since launch, aside from a brief lapse on one day in October. It has also held the top position on Google Play over the past month, illustrating strong cross-platform success.

Comparatively, Muse outpaced early U.S. downloads of ChatGPT’s app, which reached 3.7 million in 40 days, while Grok and Claude lagged far behind with several hundred thousand installs. However, ChatGPT holds a global edge with approximately 15 million worldwide installs in the same timeframe, boosted by broader international availability. Muse currently serves primarily the U.S. and Canadian markets but looks well-positioned to continue growing as Meta expands its AI footprint and integrates Muse more deeply into its ecosystem.