Muse explained

Muse Spark explained: Meta’s AI model, version by version

Muse is the agent; Muse Spark is the AI model family underneath it. Here’s what each version added, where you can use it, what it costs developers, and how it compares, all from Meta’s own posts unless labeled otherwise.

By Published Updated Facts checked 2026-10-15

Quick answer

Muse Spark is Meta’s family of AI models, built by Meta Superintelligence Labs. It powers both Meta AI and the Muse personal agent. Meta released the first version on April 8, 2026, then 1.1 (July 9), 1.2 (August 5) and 1.3 (September 2). You can use it free through Meta AI and Muse, and developers can pay for it through the Meta Model API and the Muse Code coding agent. Its weights aren’t open.

How we checked

Per MetaVersion details come from Meta’s newsroom, Meta AI Research posts and Meta’s developer docs, checked October 1, 2026. Benchmark rankings are from Artificial Analysis, an independent evaluator, and are labeled. We haven’t run our own model benchmarks. See how we label evidence.

Muse, Muse Spark and the rest of the “Muse” family

Meta uses the “Muse” name for several things, which is confusing. Here’s how they fit together:

Muse
The personal AI agent app (launched September 8, 2026). It runs on Muse Spark.5
Muse Wonder, Muse Wonder Full
Meta’s most capable models, released October 12, 2026, built on Muse Spark’s groundwork. On the Model API and Muse Code now; coming to the Muse app for subscribers first. Muse Wonder.
Muse Spark
The model family that powers Meta AI and Muse.1
Muse Code
A terminal coding agent for developers, powered by Muse Spark (beta since August 5, 2026).3 See Muse Code explained.
Muse Glimmer
A separate, open-weight model small enough to run on one computer (August 10, 2026).6 See Muse Glimmer explained.
Muse Voice Transcribe
A real-time speech-to-text model (September 1, 2026) on the Meta Model API, in Meta AI for Mac dictation and in Muse Code. See Muse Voice Transcribe explained.
Muse Image, Muse Video
Meta’s image and video generation models (July 7, 2026).8 See how to use Muse Image.

Muse Spark is to the Muse app roughly what an engine is to a car. For how the two Meta products built on it differ, see Muse vs Meta AI.

Every Muse Spark version

Muse Spark releases, per Meta (as of 2026-10-06)
VersionReleasedWhat Meta says changed
Muse SparkApril 8, 2026The first model from Meta Superintelligence Labs, “purpose-built for Meta’s products.” Instant and Thinking modes; strong multimodal perception; API in private preview for select partners.1
Muse Spark 1.1July 9, 2026Built for agentic tasks: big gains in tool use, computer use, coding and multimodal understanding; manages a 1 million token context window. Launched the Meta Model API in public preview. Available in Thinking mode in the Meta AI app and on meta.ai.2
Muse Spark 1.2August 5, 2026Released with Muse Code (beta), Meta’s terminal coding agent, which can run multiple persistent subagents.3
Muse Spark 1.3September 2, 2026Better at agentic and coding tasks and longer-horizon work; asks clarifying questions and confirms before consequential actions. Meta says it used about 20% fewer tool calls and 25% fewer tokens than 1.2 on coding workflows. “Max reasoning” available on Muse Code and the Meta Model API.4

Per MetaIs there a 1.4? Not officially: on October 6, 2026, Meta’s developer model catalog listed muse-spark-1.3 as “the latest version.”11 ReportedA muse-spark-1.4-contributor identifier was spotted on a third-party model-tracking site on September 24, which Meta hasn’t confirmed. We’ll add 1.4 to the table when Meta announces it.

Which version does the Muse app use?

Meta hasn’t said. The launch announcement says Muse is “powered by Muse Spark, Meta’s most capable model to date” without naming a version.5 The 1.3 announcement lists only Muse Code and the Meta Model API as places to use it.4 Meta AI is documented separately: Meta says Muse Spark 1.1 runs in its Thinking mode.2

Where you can use Muse Spark

  • Meta AI (free): in the Meta AI app and on meta.ai, plus Meta’s other apps.12
  • Muse: Meta’s personal agent, with a free plan and paid plans ($20 or $100 a month). Available in the US and Canada. See Muse pricing and availability.
  • Meta Model API (developers, paid per token): models muse-spark-1.1, 1.2 and 1.3.7
  • Muse Code (developers): a terminal coding agent for macOS and Linux.3

Meta Model API prices

Per 1 million tokens, from Meta’s developer docs (checked 2026-10-01)
TierModelsInputOutput
StandardMuse Spark 1.1, 1.2, 1.3$1.25$4.25
ContributorMuse Spark 1.2, 1.3$0.10$0.20

Per MetaThe Contributor tier is cheaper because you pay with your data. Meta’s docs say Contributor gives Meta “permission to use your prompts and completions to train future Meta models”; on Standard, they’re not used for training.7 Don’t send personal or confidential data on the Contributor tier.

How good is it? Benchmarks

Per MetaMeta’s 1.3 announcement compares it with OpenAI’s GPT 5.6 Sol and Anthropic’s Opus 5 in a scorecard covering agent, coding, instruction-following and long-context tests.4 Vendor benchmarks are chosen by the vendor, so an independent view helps.

ReportedOn Artificial Analysis’s Intelligence Index (September 2, 2026):9

  • Muse Spark 1.3 (xhigh), the version available now, scored 61, tied with GPT-5.6 Sol (max), Grok 4.6 (high) and Claude Opus 5 (high).
  • Muse Spark 1.3 (max), in limited preview for Meta’s partners, scored 62.
  • Three models scored higher than the xhigh version: Claude Fable 5.1 (max, 66), Claude Opus 5 (max, 63) and Claude Fable 5 (max, 62).
  • Artificial Analysis rated the xhigh version as cheap to run for its level: about $0.55 per index task, against roughly $0.95 for peers.

These rankings shift every few weeks as new models launch. They measure the model, not the Muse app, whose results also depend on its tools, connectors and settings.

A note on safety testing

Per MetaOn August 14, 2026, Meta disclosed an incident from a third-party cybersecurity evaluation of a pre-release version of Muse Spark 1.1. The test ran with safeguards removed. A misconfiguration gave the model open internet access and a real website’s name instead of a fictional target, and the model exploited a vulnerability on that real site, accessing information and changing its database.10 Meta says the evaluation ran on the evaluator’s infrastructure. This was a pre-release model tested without the safeguards Meta uses in production, but it shows why those safeguards matter. For Muse’s protections, see Is Muse safe?

Is Muse Spark open source?

No. Meta’s 1.3 post lists “the Muse Spark open weights release” on its roadmap, with no date.4 Meta’s open model today is Muse Glimmer: a 30-billion-parameter model built for local agents, small enough to run on a Mac or PC with a single consumer GPU, with weights on Hugging Face under the Apache 2.0 license.6

Sources

  1. Introducing Muse Spark Meta Newsroom · Apr 8, 2026
  2. Introducing Muse Spark 1.1 Meta AI Research · Jul 9, 2026
  3. Introducing Muse Code and Muse Spark 1.2 Meta AI Research · Aug 5, 2026
  4. Introducing Muse Spark 1.3 Meta AI Research · Sept 2, 2026
  5. Introducing Muse Meta Newsroom · Sept 8, 2026
  6. Introducing Muse Glimmer Meta AI Research · Aug 10, 2026
  7. Pricing and rate limits Meta Model API docs · checked Oct 1, 2026
  8. Introducing Muse Image and Muse Video Meta AI · Jul 7, 2026
  9. Muse Spark 1.3: Meta reaches the frontier Artificial Analysis · Sept 2, 2026 · independent
  10. Addressing an issue involving a third-party cyber evaluation of Muse Spark 1.1 Meta AI Research · Aug 14, 2026
  11. Model catalog Meta Model API docs · checked Oct 6, 2026

Last checked: 2026-10-15. Meta ships new Muse Spark versions roughly monthly. Spotted a change? Tell us.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Muse Spark 1.4?

Not officially. On October 6, 2026, Meta’s model catalog listed Muse Spark 1.3 as the latest version. A muse-spark-1.4 identifier was reported on a third-party site on September 24, but Meta hasn’t announced it.11

What is Muse Spark?

Muse Spark is a family of AI models from Meta Superintelligence Labs, first released on April 8, 2026. It powers Meta AI and Meta’s Muse personal agent. The latest version is Muse Spark 1.3, released September 2, 2026.14

Is Muse Spark the same as Muse?

No. Muse is Meta’s personal agent app; Muse Spark is the model family it runs on. Meta says Muse is powered by Muse Spark but hasn’t said which version the app uses.5

Is Muse Spark free?

You can use it for free through Meta AI, where Muse Spark 1.1 runs in Thinking mode, and through Muse’s free plan, which has a usage limit. Developers pay per token through the Meta Model API, from $1.25 per million input tokens.27

Is Muse Spark open source?

No. Muse Spark’s weights aren’t public. Meta lists an open-weights release on its roadmap without a date. Its open model is Muse Glimmer, a separate 30-billion-parameter model released under the Apache 2.0 license on August 10, 2026.46

Is Muse Spark better than ChatGPT?

It depends on the task. On Artificial Analysis’s independent Intelligence Index, Muse Spark 1.3 (xhigh) scored 61, tied with OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 Sol (max), with a few Claude models higher. Benchmarks change with every release, so check the date.9