Meta AI
Free assistant in Meta's apps; your chats can shape your ads. No score yet: Meta doesn't say which model runs now.
Should you use it?
Pick it if
People who already use WhatsApp or Meta's other apps and want quick answers or images there, at no cost.
Best for: WhatsApp, Instagram or Facebook users who want quick free answers there (AI apps Top 20)
Skip it if
You'd rather your chats didn't shape the ads you see on Meta's apps.
You give up: Your chats can shape the ads you see, with no switch described to stop it
The short version
- What this is
- Meta's free AI assistant in the Meta AI app, on meta.ai and in WhatsApp, for chat, images and video; Meta One plans add more image and video creation.
- Why it matters
- It comes free in apps you may already use, but since 16 Dec 2025 Meta uses your AI chats to choose the ads you see, and it doesn't say which model answers you now.
- Free for everyday use; Meta One Core $7.99/month and Premium $19.99/month add more image and video creation s1.
- Since 16 Dec 2025, Meta uses your Meta AI chats to personalize ads, except sensitive topics such as health s2.
- Meta last named the app's model in July 2026 (Muse Spark 1.1) and has released newer models since s3 s5.
Good at
Our take
Meta AI is Meta's assistant. Meta says it is "free for everyday use" s1, and it runs in the Meta AI app and on meta.ai, with WhatsApp also named s2 s3. Meta One plans add more: Core, at $7.99 a month, lets you "generate more images and videos with Meta AI", and Premium, at $19.99 a month, gives "the most room to create content" s1. Meta says those images and videos are "powered by Muse models" but doesn't name the chat model s1.
We can't score it yet. Our rule scores an app on the model each plan uses, as the maker documents it. In July, Meta said Muse Spark 1.1 "powers the Meta AI app and meta.ai" s3. Meta has released newer models since, including Muse Wonder on 12 October s5, and doesn't say which one the app runs today. Meta has also launched Muse, a separate personal agent in the US, and doesn't say how it relates to Meta AI s4.
On your chats: since 16 December 2025, in most regions, Meta uses your Meta AI conversations to personalize the content and ads you see. It says chats about topics such as health, religion or politics are not used for ads s2. The post points to Ads Preferences to adjust what you see, but describes no switch to stop this s2. We could not read Meta's help pages on whether your chats train its models s6, so we can't tell you the default.
Not scored yet
This is a First look: the call above comes from the maker's own pages, so there is no score yet. When Meta names the model the Meta AI app runs on each plan, on its own pages, or when an independent test of the current app from the last 90 days is published.
WritingImagesVideo
New to this? What the scores and labels mean
- 0 to 100
- Our score for one job, like writing or coding, compared with everything else out today. 100 is the best available today. For AI models we build it from public data, such as Arena's blind votes and Epoch AI's independent tests; apps and tools are scored on our own checklist. The same tool can score differently for different jobs, and where two likely ranges overlap, we call it a tie.
- Our verdict
- Use it: a top choice for most people. Worth trying: good, and worth a go. Depends: good for some people or one kind of job. Wait: too early to tell, or not out for everyone yet. Skip: something else does the job better.
- First look
- Just released. We say what it is and whether to bother, and give it a score once public results exist.
- No score yet
- None of the public sources we use covers it yet, or the only evidence is from a source whose numbers we can't use, so we describe it in words instead.
- Best buy
- Nothing cheaper scores as well for that job.
- Best free
- The best score for that job that costs nothing, through a free plan or by running on your own computer.
- Pay as you go
- No monthly plan: you pay for each use, usually through a developer account.
- Checked
- The day we last confirmed the score and the price against the sources. Prices change often, so check the date.
- AI model
- The engine underneath, like GPT or Claude. You use it through an app or, if you code, directly.
- Open source
- Free to download and run on your own computer, so nothing leaves your machine.
Alternatives
Better or cheaper for writing, from our scores, then the ones we'd also look at. The same kind of product comes first.
- Gemini appTop scoredApp70$19.99 a monthScores 70 in writing, first in our ranking; $19.99 a month. Scores 70 for writing on Google AI Pro, on our checklist. Side by side
- ClaudeApp70$20 a monthScores 80 for coding and research on our checklist; its free plan runs Sonnet 5.5. Side by side
- ChatGPT (GPT-6)App50$20 a monthScores 70 for agents and coding on Plus, on our checklist. Side by side
Evidence
Everything behind the call and the scores, folded so the page stays short. Spotted a wrong price, score or link? Report a mistake.
How we scored this
Reviews are drafted with help from AI models, including Anthropic's Claude. Model scores come only from outside leaderboards and independent evaluations, by a written rule.
No one paid for this review or gave us free access, and we earn nothing if you sign up. How we score
Sources 6
- s1Meta: Introducing Meta One
- s2Meta: Improving your recommendations on our apps with AI at Meta
- s3Meta: Meta AI doesn't just think, it acts
- s4Meta: Introducing Muse, a personal AI agent
- s5Meta: Introducing Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full
- s6Meta Help Center: Manage your information on Meta AI and Vibes (no readable text)
Something here out of date or wrong? Report a mistake and we will check it against the source.
History 1 change
Every change to a rating, the price or our call, with the reason. Scores are against what exists on the day, so they drift down as better things ship. Older entries come from before we moved to scores.
- First look. Not rated: Meta does not say which model the Meta AI app runs today. Released date is when Meta said Muse Spark 1.1 powers the app; Meta AI itself is older.
Use it well 3 guides on this site
Pages on this site that help with the jobs above.