Meta’s Muse passes 5 million downloads amid major advertising push

Meta’s AI assistant Muse has passed 5 million downloads, according to a projection by Sensor Tower Senior Insights Analyst Kara Lee. The app is available on iOS and Android in the US and Canada.

Muse has held the top spot among free apps on the US App Store for 12 straight days. Meta launched it in the US three weeks ago, and it soon overtook ChatGPT.

Muse outpaced other AI apps

Sensor Tower says Muse reached 5 million downloads faster than ChatGPT, Grok and Claude. Those apps took 56, 103 and 492 days, respectively, to reach the same milestone.

Muse is an agentic AI assistant that can browse the web and perform tasks for users, including sending emails, shopping, filling out forms and booking travel. Claude and Grok were iOS-only during their first five days, while Muse launched on both major mobile platforms.

Meta’s advertising supported growth

Sensor Tower linked Muse’s rapid adoption partly to Meta’s advertising campaign. The firm says Meta began increasing ad spending on September 16, 2026, followed by a 73% day-over-day jump in downloads.

From September 14 through September 27, Muse accounted for as much as 50% of Meta’s daily house-ad impressions. Facebook and WhatsApp gave up share during the same period. Muse also ranked among the 15 brands with the most advertising impressions in the US during the week of September 21–27.

Only 23 apps matched the pace

Sensor Tower estimates that only 23 apps have exceeded 5 million US downloads within 22 days of launch. About 85% were mobile games, including Fortnite, Pokémon GO and Candy Crush.

The firm identified Disney+, HBO Max and Threads as non-gaming examples, with approximately 20 million, 18 million and 14 million downloads, respectively, during the same period.