Meta Muse outpaces ChatGPT’s early mobile launch with strong adoption

Estimates from Apptopia indicate that Meta’s AI app Muse is seeing faster early mobile adoption than ChatGPT did after its launch. The comparison shows that Muse has more downloads and daily active users, though the two apps had different launch conditions when they entered the market.

Meta’s newest AI assistant, Muse, is off to a strong start, with third-party data showing that Muse’s first 12 days of mobile adoption outperformed ChatGPT’s in the same time frame after its mobile debut. The comparison is for the US and Canada, according to app intelligence firm Apptopia.

The figures are not directly from Meta or from OpenAI. Apptopia tracks app downloads and user activity, but Meta has not publicly shared any early adoption figures for Muse. Different launch strategies further complicate the comparison.

Key highlights

• 1.8M downloads: Muse reportedly beats ChatGPT’s 1.3M early downloads.
• 642K daily users: Muse shows higher early daily activity.
• Meta advantage: Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp integrations may aid growth.
  

Meta Muse records higher early download figures than ChatGPT

To level the playing field, Apptopia analysed iOS performance in the US and Canada for the first 12 days on mobile for each app. Muse was estimated to have 1.8 million downloads, compared with 1.3 million for ChatGPT over the same time period.

The overall footprint of the launch was different. ChatGPT launched globally on iOS first, while Muse launched in the US and Canada across iOS and Android. Thus, Apptopia limited its comparison to iOS in those two markets.

According to Apptopia, Muse has also seen around 2.8 million global installs in its first 12 days. The app shot to number one on the US App Store shortly after launch, up from number two, while another analytics firm, Appfigures, had previously estimated Muse had surpassed one million downloads.

Muse also shows higher daily active users early on

Estimates from Apptopia suggest that Muse is also gaining more daily active users than ChatGPT was at a similar point in time. Muse had an estimated 642,000 daily active users in the US, compared to 231,000 for ChatGPT during its comparable early period.

Muse, which is iOS-only, still managed to log an estimated 359,000 daily active users in the same period, outpacing ChatGPT.

Another distribution benefit could be Meta’s existing social platforms. According to Apptopia data, over 95% of Muse users were Facebook users and 63% were Instagram users. Muse also works over WhatsApp, providing Meta with multiple established channels to push its AI assistant through.

But these figures are still estimates, not official company data. That said, Muse’s early performance will take a longer time window to determine whether its early momentum translates into sustained usage.

Meta’s social ecosystem could drive Muse’s growth further

Muse could benefit from Meta’s existing social platforms. More than 95% of the users on Muse also use Facebook, and 63% use Instagram, estimates Apptopia. Its integration with WhatsApp could also be another distribution channel, helping Meta stay on people’s radar as Muse adoption matures past its launch window.