Meta launched Muse in September and quickly deployed the full weight of its consumer ecosystem behind it. Sensor Tower counted 10.9 million downloads in the app’s first 40 days, including 10.2 million in the US — a threshold reached by only 11 other mobile apps in that timeframe. Meta also sharply raised its advertising push, directing 39% of total ad spending to Muse in October.¹

The promotion produced more than a fleeting chart-topper, at least so far. Muse reached 2.5 million daily active users on October 16, while its seven-day retention rate stood at 30%, ahead of the 19% average reported for ChatGPT, Claude and Grok. The app’s head start is partly structural: Meta can advertise to a family of services with 3.6 billion daily active users.¹

By Meta’s third-quarter earnings call, Zuckerberg said more than 10 million people in the US and Canada had set up Muse. Shopping had become its clearest commercial proof point: more than a quarter of users were making purchases through the app, with an average order above $200. The company’s plan is to keep Muse free for most people, then take fees from commerce while offering paid capabilities to heavier users.²

Meta sees a wider role ahead. Users are connecting email and calendars for productivity tasks; Muse is due on Meta’s smart glasses next month; and Zuckerberg has described a future “Muse network” in which agents interact with friends, family and businesses. Meta says safeguards including a Secure VM — and a planned Confidential VM that would block even Meta from viewing content — are designed to support that expansion.³

But greater utility requires deeper access, and that is where the growth story meets Meta’s old liability. Forrester analyst Kate Winick warned that “the more information Muse has, the more effective it can be, and overall trust in Meta remains low.” She argued that users may still accept the bargain if the experience remains compelling — a calculation Meta is now betting its AI future on.²