The verdict
For a small B2B team selling to identifiable roles or companies, I'd pick LinkedIn Ads, and I'd accept the higher cost per lead because fewer clicks are wasted. If you sell to consumers, such as an online shop or a local service, or you want to test demand quickly with a small budget, pick Meta Ads. If you are B2B and unsure, test Meta with a small, capped budget next to LinkedIn and compare the cost per qualified lead, not the cost per click. Meta is weaker for very narrow job titles.
Side by side
| 5 points compared | ||
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | ||
| Free plan | No | |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| MCP server | ||
| Reporting dashboards | Yes | Yes |
| Links |
Plans and pricing
LinkedIn Ads
Pricing not in our catalogue yet.
Meta Ads
Pricing not in our catalogue yet.
Who each is for
Choose LinkedIn Ads if…
Pick LinkedIn Ads if you can describe your buyer as a job title at a certain kind of company. It has four formats, from feed ads to messages sent through LinkedIn, and goals such as leads or event registrations. It needs ongoing attention to bids and audiences, so it is not set and forget. Work out what a lead is worth before you start, and set a test budget you can afford to lose. There is no published rate card, so you learn real prices by running a campaign.
Choose Meta Ads if…
Pick Meta Ads if your product appeals to a wide group and you want a predictable stream of enquiries or sales. It reaches people on four Meta properties from one campaign, supports click-to-message ads and has a Marketing API. You can start with a small budget and learn what a lead costs. Run each test for at least a week, and set up the Conversions API next to the pixel, because privacy changes have made attribution less exact than it used to be.
Other options worth a look
Automate bid management and creative testing across Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns using AI.
Automates bidding and budgets across Meta, Google Ads, TikTok and Snapchat with rule-based triggers.
Create, target and measure video advertising campaigns to reach audiences on the TikTok platform.
Runs paid campaigns on X, formerly Twitter, to reach audiences by interest, keyword and follower lookalikes.