Meta’s Muse AI App Outperforms ChatGPT in Early Adoption, Signaling Potential for Next Major Hit

New data indicates that Meta’s recently launched artificial intelligence application, Muse, is demonstrating significantly stronger early adoption rates than OpenAI’s ChatGPT in key markets, suggesting its potential to become Meta’s next major success. According to the latest estimates released by market intelligence provider Apptopia, Muse has surpassed ChatGPT in mobile downloads during its initial 12 days on the market within the crucial U.S. and Canada regions. This robust performance also extends to daily active users, where Muse has registered higher engagement figures compared to ChatGPT at a similar stage post-launch.

The comparison between these two prominent AI applications has been challenging until now due to their distinct launch strategies. ChatGPT initially rolled out globally but was exclusively available on iOS devices. In contrast, Muse launched simultaneously across both Apple’s App Store and Google Play for Android devices, though its availability was limited to the U.S. and Canada. To facilitate a more direct and accurate "apples-to-apples" comparison, Apptopia meticulously analyzed data focusing solely on iOS downloads within the U.S. and Canada markets for both applications during their respective first 12 days following debut.

Under this refined comparative methodology, Muse recorded an impressive 1.8 million downloads, significantly outpacing ChatGPT’s 1.3 million downloads in the same timeframe and geographic scope. This 38% lead highlights a rapid user acquisition trajectory for Meta’s AI offering. Expanding beyond this specific comparison, Apptopia reported that Muse garnered a total of 2.8 million global installs within its first 12 days, demonstrating broad initial reach despite its regional launch focus. The app’s momentum has shown no signs of stagnation; it quickly ascended from its initial position as the No. 2 overall app on the U.S. App Store immediately after launch to claim the No. 1 spot, as reported by Business Insider. This rise positioned Muse above ChatGPT in the app store rankings. Separately, analytics firm Appfigures also noted Muse’s swift achievement of over 1 million downloads early in its lifecycle.

Beyond downloads, user engagement metrics further underscore Muse’s strong start. Apptopia’s data reveals that Muse’s daily active users (DAUs) in the U.S. mobile app market are considerably higher than those recorded by ChatGPT at a comparable point after its launch. Muse registered 642,000 daily active users, substantially surpassing ChatGPT’s 231,000 DAUs during its equivalent early period. Acknowledging Muse’s cross-platform availability (iOS and Android) versus ChatGPT’s initial iOS-only launch, Apptopia further narrowed its DAU comparison to iOS devices alone. Even within this segment, Muse maintained a significant lead with 359,000 daily active users on iOS, still exceeding ChatGPT’s figures from that initial time frame.

It is important to note that Apptopia, as a market intelligence provider, furnishes third-party estimates for app downloads and active users, and does not possess direct access to Meta’s proprietary internal data. Nevertheless, even if these figures represent a general "ballpark" perspective, they strongly indicate that Muse possesses a substantial opportunity to emerge as Meta’s next flagship application. This early performance suggests a compelling market reception for Meta’s strategic foray into personal AI agents.

Meta has a well-established and highly effective cross-promotion strategy, a key factor that analysts believe could propel Muse to similar heights. The company successfully leveraged this approach with the launch of Instagram’s Threads, which rapidly amassed over 500 million monthly users. This impressive growth was largely attributed to extensive marketing campaigns and deep integrations within Meta’s colossal platforms, including Instagram and Facebook. Muse is anticipated to benefit from a similar, if not more aggressive, promotional push, given its inherent design to connect seamlessly with both Facebook and Instagram. Furthermore, its functionality within WhatsApp could provide an additional significant boost to its user base.

While Apptopia’s visibility does not extend to Meta’s internal cross-promotion efforts or specific advertising expenditures, its data reveals a substantial overlap in user bases. Over 95% of Muse’s current users are also active Facebook users, and 63% are active Instagram users. This existing ecosystem connectivity provides a fertile ground for rapid user acquisition and engagement, allowing Meta to tap directly into its vast network of billions of users. The strategic positioning of Muse as a personal AI agent, deeply integrated into the social fabric of Meta’s platforms, differentiates it from more standalone AI applications and could foster a more natural and embedded user experience.

Meta’s broader AI strategy has been increasingly prominent, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg consistently emphasizing the company’s commitment to advancing artificial intelligence across its product suite. Muse represents a tangible manifestation of this commitment, designed not just as a standalone AI chatbot but as an intelligent agent capable of augmenting user interactions across Meta’s family of apps. This integration strategy aims to make AI a seamless and indispensable part of the daily digital lives of its users, from content creation and communication to information retrieval and personalized assistance. The early success of Muse provides validation for this integrated AI approach.

Meta has been contacted for comment regarding Muse’s early adoption figures but has not yet released any public data or official statements on the matter. The consistent outperformance against a widely recognized and impactful AI application like ChatGPT, even within specific comparative parameters, offers a compelling narrative for Muse’s potential. As Meta continues to invest heavily in AI research and development, Muse’s strong debut positions it as a critical component in the company’s long-term vision for an AI-powered future, further solidifying its competitive standing in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence landscape.

Correction: An earlier version of this article referenced the analytics firm Appfigures as a source for data from Apptopia. This has been fixed.

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Sarah has worked as a reporter for TechCrunch since August 2011. She joined the company after having previously spent over three years at ReadWriteWeb. Prior to her work as a reporter, Sarah worked in I.T. across a number of industries, including banking, retail and software.

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