Meta Muse tops US stores as download estimates and OpenClaw claims diverge

Meta’s Muse, launched Sept. 8 in the US and Canada, leads app charts, but sources disagree on downloads and whether it copies OpenClaw.

Meta’s consumer AI agent Muse, launched September 8 and limited to the United States and Canada, reached No. 1 on the U.S. App Store on September 18 and Google Play on September 19. Download estimates disagree: Sensor Tower puts installs above 3.4 million, Apptopia at 4.3 million, and Appfigures at about 2.3 million in a September 25 report, after earlier estimating about 2.8 million overall and 1.8 million U.S. and Canada iOS downloads in the first 12 days versus 1.3 million for ChatGPT. Daily-user figures also vary—Appfigures estimated about 642,000 U.S. daily users versus 231,000 for early ChatGPT, while The Verge cited Apptopia at 600,000; The Decoder separately said Muse drew 500,000 users in its first week. Nat Friedman of Meta Superintelligence Labs said Muse was built from scratch but “heavily inspired” by open-source agent OpenClaw; The Verge and The Decoder report shared filenames such as SOUL.md, which critics call a copy or wrapper. TechCrunch said daily users rose 27% after Meta Connect, house ads were about 6% of impressions through September 19, and more than 95% of Muse users also use Facebook and 63% use Instagram. The Verge also said a researcher flagged a Muse zero-day that could hijack the agent, that about 15% of OpenClaw skills contained malicious instructions, and that messaging agent Instinct—tied in the piece to a roughly $2.5 billion fundraising valuation—follows a similar assistant pattern; Meta has not published official figures.

• Muse launched September 8, 2026, only in the U.S. and Canada, as a standalone app and via WhatsApp.
• It reached No. 1 on the U.S. App Store on September 18 and Google Play on September 19.
• Install estimates disagree: Sensor Tower more than 3.4 million, Apptopia 4.3 million, Appfigures about 2.3 million; earlier Appfigures figures were about 2.8 million overall and 1.8 million U.S./Canada iOS downloads in 12 days versus 1.3…
• U.S. daily-user estimates differ: Appfigures about 642,000 (231,000 for early ChatGPT; 359,000 iOS-only) versus Apptopia about 600,000; The Decoder said 500,000 users in week one. Daily users rose 27% after Meta Connect.
• More than 95% of Muse users also use Facebook and 63% use Instagram; house ads were about 6% of impressions through September 19. Meta has not published official figures.
• Nat Friedman of Meta Superintelligence Labs said Muse was built from scratch but “heavily inspired” by OpenClaw; reports cite shared files such as SOUL.md.
• Announced features include avatar video chat, Mac computer-use, a dedicated email address, more connectors, and smart-glasses plans.
• The Verge said a researcher flagged a Muse zero-day that could hijack the agent and that about 15% of OpenClaw skills contained malicious instructions.