TikTok vs Meta

TikTok and Meta both sell scrollable short video, but the attention contract is not the same. TikTok's For You feed is aggressively recommendation-driven — creative quality can outweigh account history in days. Meta's Feed and Reels blend social graph signals with interest targeting and years of advertiser density in core verticals.

Cheap CPM on TikTok often reflects newer auction depth in a geo or category, not a permanent arbitrage. Meta's CPM can look higher while delivering more predictable downstream conversion volume because of pixel maturity and catalog infrastructure.

TikTok rewards native-feeling UGC, fast hooks, and vertical 9:16 with safe zones for UI overlays. Spark Ads blur organic and paid distribution. Meta Reels accepts similar formats but still tolerates legacy feed assets and carousel commerce units that TikTok does not prioritize.

Placement philosophy: TikTok pushes in-feed and TopView video first; Shop and search placements layer on in commerce-heavy accounts. Meta spreads budget across Feed, Stories, Reels, and Advantage+ Shopping with broad automation defaults.

TikTok tends to win early-stage awareness tests for brands willing to produce high-velocity creative variants and tolerate noisier downstream attribution. Meta tends to win when you need retargeting depth, catalog ads, established pixel/CAPI plumbing, or B2C offers with proven creative systems.

Compare live spec counts above before launching — aspect ratios, max durations, and text-safe areas differ. A Reels export is not automatically a valid TikTok In-Feed unit.

Both platforms modeled conversions after privacy shifts, but implementation paths differ — Events API on Meta versus TikTok Pixel plus server events with different default attribution windows. Policy restrictions on finance, health, and political content are enforced differently; do not assume Meta-approved creative is TikTok-compliant.

Use the placement changelog and policy feeds to catch format sunsets on either side before quarterly budget locks.