Has a new "killer app" for AI emerged? How popular is Meta Muse?
Meta's AI personal agent application Muse, launched less than two weeks ago, has already surpassed ChatGPT's performance in two key metrics: downloads and daily active users, sparking strong market expectations for whether AI agents can truly reach the masses.
Muse garnered 730,000 downloads in just five days after its launch, and its cumulative downloads surpassed 2.8 million within 12 days . Last Friday, it topped the US iOS free app charts, surpassing ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude, and SpaceX AI's Grok. Boosted by this, Meta's stock price surged over 11% on Monday, and Wells Fargo subsequently raised its target price to $796.
Market analysts believe that Muse's explosive growth signifies that AI agent applications are rapidly penetrating from developers and tech enthusiasts to ordinary consumers. According to CNBC, Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon stated, "Until now, most agent applications haven't truly been geared towards the average person. Now, with the emergence of agent applications like Meta Muse, they may be gaining the potential for wider adoption."
Download data: Completely surpasses ChatGPT's performance during the same period.
According to TechCrunch, data from market intelligence firm Apptopia shows that in the US and Canadian markets, where comparable data is available, Muse achieved 1.8 million iOS downloads in its first 12 days, surpassing ChatGPT's 1.3 million downloads during the same period .
Data from another analytics firm, Sensor Tower, shows that Muse recorded 730,000 downloads in about five days after its launch, and had accumulated more than 2.5 million downloads as of Monday, with iOS and Android platforms contributing about 1.5 million and 1.1 million downloads respectively.
In comparison, Claude and Grok had 400,000 and 200,000 downloads respectively during the same 13-day window. ChatGPT recorded 3.1 million downloads in the same time window, still leading Muse, but it should be noted that the two apps have different platform release strategies—ChatGPT was only launched globally on iOS at the time, while Muse is currently only released on both iOS and Android platforms in the United States and Canada.
Daily active user data is equally impressive. Apptopia data shows that Muse's daily active users on US mobile devices have reached 642,000, far exceeding ChatGPT's 231,000 during the same period; even comparing only the iOS platform, Muse's daily active users of 359,000 surpass ChatGPT.
Product Positioning: An AI Agent Portal for General Users
Meta positions Muse as an AI-powered personal agent tool for ordinary consumers, with core functions including performing tasks across networks, such as filling out electronic forms and organizing email inboxes . It aims to empower users to manage and manage powerful digital assistants. Powered by Meta's Muse Spark AI model suite, the application represents a significant step by CEO Mark Zuckerberg in his major foray into the AI agent market.
In terms of business model, Muse offers a free basic version, while also offering two subscription plans: $20 and $100 per month, opening up an AI monetization path for Meta that is different from its core online advertising business.
Meta possesses a significant platform advantage in user acquisition. According to Apptopia data, over 95% of Muse users are also Facebook users, and 63% are Instagram users . Muse also supports integration with WhatsApp. Meta previously used a similar cross-platform user acquisition strategy to propel Threads to 500 million users, and Muse is expected to replicate this path.
Ecosystem Game: Amazon Blocks, Shopify Joins Hands
Muse's rapid expansion has sparked significant ecosystem friction in the e-commerce sector. Amazon announced it was blocking Muse's access to its shopping website , citing privacy and security risks. Amazon stated that Meta did not inform Muse beforehand that it would be accessing its platform, and pointed out that the proxy bypassed the personalization features built into the Amazon shopping experience and was suspected of capturing and storing user credentials and scraping account data.
"We believe that third-party apps that make purchases on behalf of customers from other merchants should operate in a transparent and open manner, and respect the service provider's decision on whether to participate," an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement.
In contrast, Shopify has chosen to partner with Meta. Shopify CEO Tobias Lütke announced on Monday that Shopify will collaborate with Muse to enable proxy checkout functionality within the platform's stores. This partnership provides significant support for Muse's expansion into e-commerce scenarios.
Risks and concerns: Can the hype continue?
Despite Muse's strong start, the market remains skeptical about its ability to maintain its momentum. Previously, OpenAI's Sora and Meta's own Vibes AI video tool both experienced initial download surges upon release, but failed to sustain their phenomenal success.
At the same time, Muse's rise also faces broader industry pressures. Concerns about AI security and cybersecurity risks have been troubling the tech industry recently, and Meta itself has just agreed to pay approximately $17 billion to settle allegations by several state attorneys general that Facebook and Instagram have caused potential harm to children and teenagers.
Muse's heavy reliance on user personal data has also raised concerns. Stacy Rasgon pointed out, "They (users) care about security, but I'm not sure how much they care about privacy." This issue may become a potential threat to Muse's long-term development.
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