Meta's Muse hits 10.2 million US downloads as ChatGPT downloads decline
Key Facts
Meta's Muse app has recorded 10.2 million downloads in the United States since its launch in September, according to Sensor Tower estimates cited by TechCrunch in its report published on October 20, 2026. Global downloads reached 10.9 million, with the US market accounting for most of the uptake of the new assistant since its release. Muse's growth coincided with a decline in US downloads of the ChatGPT app, according to estimates from the app tracking firm. 9to5Mac cited Sensor Tower as saying US downloads of the rival app fell 25% over the last 30 days. The comparison was with the previous 30 days, while the Muse figures cover cumulative downloads since its September launch.
On continued app usage, Sensor Tower said Muse's US user retention rate stood at 23% after 14 days from download. The firm compared that level with a 17% retention rate for Claude at launch, over the same period after download. Sensor Tower published the comparison on its official account, saying Muse's rate was "higher than Claude," which maintained that rate at launch. Meta's assistant targets users aged 18 and older, according to the product launch description reported by the Associated Press. The daily tasks it was introduced to help with include scheduling and shopping, as part of its use as an AI-powered personal assistant.
During testing of the assistant's services, Meta temporarily pulled back a feature involving phone calls, according to a Reuters report published on September 22, 2026. The company had been testing calls carried out by human contractors as part of the new service. An official at Meta's AI labs acknowledged shortcomings in disclosure when testing of these calls began. The official described starting the test without appropriate disclosures as "a lapse," according to the agency. She added that the company had "pulled back this feature" for now, referring to the temporary suspension of testing after acknowledging the disclosure problem concerning the role of human contractors.
Alongside the assistant's growth, Meta expanded its technology and commercial offerings linked to the Muse suite during October. The Muse Wonder suite included paid subscription tiers, according to a report published by Investing on October 13, 2026. The report put the price of one tier at $20 a month, compared with $100 a month for the higher tier mentioned in the suite. On October 15, Reuters reported that Meta had released an open-weight version of its Muse Spark model, aimed at coding and AI agents. The release was part of an expansion of developer access to the company's technology, alongside the paid subscription offerings announced as part of the Muse Wonder suite.
In the stock market, META shares closed at $694.25 in the October 20, 2026 session, according to EL7 data. Reuters had reported that Meta shares rose about 4% in afternoon trading on October 12, the day the Muse Wonder models were announced. That followed gains in September, in the weeks after the assistant's launch. In a report dated September 24, the agency said the stock rose more than 3% during Thursday's session. It added that the rise followed a gain of nearly 24% since Muse's launch on September 8, with the gains tracked by the agency covering the period from the app's release through the session covered by its report.
Meta plans to use the Muse Wonder model to power its personal assistant, according to a company announcement reported by Reuters on October 12, 2026. The company said the model would power the Muse assistant "soon," with availability starting for subscribers. The expansion comes as analysts estimate a sharp increase in the company's capital spending in the September quarter. According to Visible Alpha data cited by Reuters in its report dated October 20, 2026, analysts estimated that capital spending had more than doubled. Their estimate stood at $41.68 billion for the quarter, ahead of Meta's upcoming quarterly earnings announcement.