Getting to Know Muse AI, Meta's App That Overtook ChatGPT on the US App Store

When ChatGPT was officially released in November 2022, OpenAI took about five days to gather one million users, a record that was then considered extraordinarily fast for a consumer app. 

Muse AI, the personal assistant app by Meta, has just broken that record from another angle: in just 12 days since its September 8, 2026 release, Muse AI managed to overtake ChatGPT as the number one free app on the US App Store. 

The adoption speed of Meta's Muse AI is not just about bragging rights over rankings; its impact was immediately felt in the stock market: Meta shares surged more than 11% in a day as soon as the news spread. So, what is Muse AI and what made this Meta AI app so quickly displace the old player?

Key Takeaways

• Muse AI, Meta's personal assistant app released on September 8, 2026, overtook ChatGPT as the number one free app on the US App Store in just 12 days.
• Muse AI's launch drove Meta shares up more than 11% in a day, the largest daily gain since April 2025.
• Muse AI is openly acknowledged to be inspired by OpenClaw, an open-source AI agent, and was briefly blocked by Amazon for allegedly violating their platform's terms of use.

What Is Muse AI and What Features Does It Offer?

Muse AI is a personal AI agent made by Meta Superintelligence Lab that runs on the "Muse Spark" model. 

Unlike conventional chatbots that only reply to text messages, Muse AI is designed to actually execute tasks on behalf of its user, from managing email and calendars, booking travel, shopping online, to negotiating insurance or internet bills through automated phone calls to customer service.

According to Fox Business, users can choose which apps Muse AI is allowed to access and revoke that permission at any time through settings. 

As for its business model, Muse AI is offered for free with a premium subscription option priced at US$20 or US$100 per month depending on usage intensity, opening a new revenue stream for Meta beyond the advertising business that has long been its main backbone.

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Muse AI vs ChatGPT: Who Was Adopted Faster?

Data compiled by analytics firms Sensor Tower and Apptopia, as reported by CNBC and The Motley Fool, shows Muse AI's adoption speed is indeed unusual. In just the first five days, the app was installed 730,000 times. 

In the first 12 days, iOS downloads in the United States and Canada reached 1.8 million, beating ChatGPT's 1.3 million in the equivalent period at its time. When combined with Android, Muse AI's total downloads reached 2.8 million.

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Daily user engagement was also far apart: Muse AI recorded 642,000 daily active users in its first 12 days, compared with ChatGPT's 231,000 at launch. The app also earned a rating of 4.9 out of 5 on the App Store with more than 36,000 reviews. 

The peak occurred on Friday, September 18, when Muse AI officially displaced ChatGPT from the number one free app position on the US App Store, also outperforming Gemini, Claude, and even Meta's own Meta AI app.

One of the driving factors is Meta's user base, which has reached 3.6 billion accounts across Facebook and Instagram, enabling cross-promotion of Muse AI at a much lower market education cost than competitors who have to build a user base from scratch.

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Impact on Meta Shares and Industry Reaction

The market responded quickly. Meta shares jumped 11.4% on Monday, September 21, 2026, the largest one-day gain since April 2025. Wells Fargo immediately raised its price target for Meta shares from US$640 to US$796. 

Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon told CNBC that so far most agentic AI tools have not been designed for ordinary users, and Muse AI appears to be a real effort to change that pattern. 

Separately, Truist analyst Youssef Squali was reported to project that Muse AI could contribute significant additional revenue for Meta through 2030, although the exact figure still needs further confirmation from official research reports.

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Industry reaction itself is divided. Amazon immediately blocked Muse AI's shopping feature on grounds of violating their platform's terms of use, the same pattern Amazon previously applied to Perplexity's shopping agent. 

Conversely, Shopify, through CEO Tobias Lütke, announced full integration with Muse AI, enabling automated shopping and checkout through Shop Pay at their merchant stores.

One thing also widely discussed by the developer community: Muse AI is openly acknowledged to be inspired by OpenClaw, a popular open-source AI agent. 

Nat Friedman, head of product at Meta Superintelligence Lab and former GitHub CEO, openly acknowledged this and gave direct credit to OpenClaw's creator, Peter Steinberger, for the architectural design that inspired Muse AI.

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Conclusion

Muse AI proves that the adoption speed of an AI app is not solely about who came first, but who has the largest distribution ecosystem to reach users. 

With a base of 3.6 billion Facebook and Instagram accounts, Meta managed to overtake ChatGPT in a short time while driving its shares up by double digits in a day. 

However, behind this euphoria, there are two sides worth noting: conflicts of interest with e-commerce giants like Amazon, and the open admission that its technological foundation is heavily inspired by the open-source project OpenClaw. 

How Muse AI maintains this momentum going forward will greatly determine whether this initial surge lasts or is merely launch euphoria.

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FAQ

What is Muse AI? 

Muse AI is a personal AI agent made by Meta that can execute real tasks such as managing email, booking travel, shopping, and negotiating bills, not just replying to chats like an ordinary chatbot.

Why could Muse AI overtake ChatGPT on the App Store? 

Muse AI benefits from Meta's user base of 3.6 billion accounts across Facebook and Instagram, enabling much faster cross-promotion than apps that have to build a user base from scratch.

Is Muse AI free? 

Muse AI can be used for free, but Meta also offers a premium subscription priced at US$20 or US$100 per month depending on usage intensity.

Is Muse AI inspired by OpenClaw? 

Yes, Meta Superintelligence Lab head of product Nat Friedman openly acknowledged that Muse AI is heavily inspired by the open-source AI agent OpenClaw and gave credit to its creator, Peter Steinberger.