Meta recently launched Muse, an AI-powered agent app designed to assist users with tasks through conversational interaction. Since its release, Muse has been downloaded over 83,000 times on iOS in the United States, propelling it to the No. 2 position on the U.S. App Store charts. The app is currently only available in the U.S., with no official Android download figures yet.

While Muse’s early performance is notable, it falls short compared to other recent Meta app launches. For example, Threads achieved over 4.3 million downloads on its first day in the U.S., and Meta AI reached 108,000 downloads at launch. Muse also lags behind ChatGPT, which surpassed 500,000 U.S. installs within its first week, averaging roughly 83,300 downloads per day—double the pace Muse has taken to reach similar numbers.

On Android, Muse’s impact has been limited, ranking only No. 338 in the Productivity category on Google Play. Additionally, Muse is accessible via web and WhatsApp platforms, which are not included in these download metrics.

Meta views Muse as a significant investment in the emerging market of agentic AI—software agents that perform tasks autonomously on behalf of users. This initiative is part of Meta’s broader strategy to lead in consumer AI, a move comparable in ambition to its earlier rebranding to focus on the metaverse.

The competition in this space is intense, with companies like Google and Anthropic developing their own AI agents. Among consumer-focused agents, Meta’s Muse is competing closely with Instinct, a text-based AI assistant recently valued at $2.5 billion. Instinct has gained attention for its rapid feature rollout, including email integration, location sharing, and the creation of a social network where users’ AI agents communicate to coordinate activities.

Instinct’s approach to building a social graph based on real-world interactions may offer advantages over Meta’s traditional friend graph, which combines actual connections with followers. Recent Instinct updates also include integrations with Stripe and 1Password, enhancing its utility.

Muse’s launch timing may have influenced its initial adoption. It arrived shortly after Meta agreed to an $18 billion multistate settlement related to social media consumer harms, amid ongoing scrutiny over privacy and data practices. These factors could affect user willingness to share personal information required by the app.

As AI agents gain traction, Muse’s progress will be an important indicator of Meta’s ability to capture consumer interest in this evolving technology sector.