Meta's 'Muse' Surpasses 2.5 Million Downloads Two Weeks After Launch, Overtaking ChatGPT on iOS

Meta's personal AI agent app Muse has shown strong growth, overtaking ChatGPT in the US iOS free app rankings about two weeks after its September 8 launch. According to Sensor Tower data, the app recorded 730,000 downloads in the first five days after launch, with cumulative downloads surpassing 2.5 million as of Monday.

By platform, approximately 1.5 million downloads came from iOS and 1.1 million from Android. In a cumulative download comparison over the first 13 days after launch, Muse significantly outperformed Claude (400,000 downloads) and Grok (200,000 downloads). However, ChatGPT still recorded the highest number of downloads at 3.1 million during the same period, making long-term trends that account for differences in platform launch timing noteworthy.

Market Response and Revenue Model

Muse is based on Meta's Muse Spark AI model and functions as a digital assistant that performs tasks such as filling out electronic forms and organizing emails across the web. While existing agent technologies have been developer-centric, Muse is evaluated as the first large-scale case targeting the general public. Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon analyzed that this potential for mass adoption could change the market landscape.

The revenue model involves the app itself being free, but charging a monthly subscription fee of $20 or $100 based on usage. This is interpreted as an attempt by Meta to diversify from its existing online advertising-centric business into AI agent-based revenue sources. Driven by these expectations, Meta's stock price surged by more than 11% on Monday, and Wells Fargo raised its price target to $796.

Risks and Competitor Responses

Behind the rapid growth lie privacy and security concerns. Amazon blocked Muse's access to shopping sites, citing risks such as bypassing personalization features and storing customer credentials. In contrast, Shopify took a cooperative stance by announcing through CEO Tobias Lütke that it had signed a partnership with Meta to allow agentic checkout on its online stores.

Experts point to the possibility of a decline after initial explosive popularity, similar to OpenAI's Sora or Meta's Vibes AI, and privacy issues arising from data collection as long-term risks.