Why does the TikTok Ads algorithm work differently from Meta?

To know how to adjust campaigns to the medium, first, you need to understand the algorithm’s operation, which is largely responsible for the effectiveness of the ad creative.

Meta Ads is based on the relevance indicator, which measures whether a given piece of content fits the user. This algorithm relies on:

• Years of first-party data,
• Social signals (social graph),
• Accurate identity graph, providing information about the user,
• Cross-platform behaviors (the algorithm analyzes user behavior on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp).

Conclusion? Meta knows perfectly well who the user is before showing them an ad.

TikTok works on discoverability; it analyzes whether the content is engaging and immersive enough to show it further. The difference between TikTok and Meta is that TikTok does not profile users as deeply as Meta. Instead of matching the ad to the person, it first evaluates:

• quality of the creative,
• rate of engagement (velocity),
• watch time, i.e., how long users watch the material,
• completion rate,
• organic interactions, likes, comments, saves, shares.

If the content qualifies in the eyes of the algorithm as worth showing further, the system will aggressively scale it for the next few hours, sometimes even a few days.

That is precisely why, on TikTok, you have a higher chance of generating viral content, whereas Meta will deliver stable conversions.

If you still treat TikTok as an app for teenagers where people just dance, come out from under the rock. But seriously, TikTok, due to its specific algorithm and promotion of immersive content, gains recognition among all age groups. It shows high engagement, with many users spending several hours a day in the app.

Instead of Google, users often turn to TikTok for their searches, which is why we talk about the Social Search phenomenon.

The user:

• will see a product on TikTok,
• will watch a few reviews and check opinions,
• will search for alternatives,
• until finally, they buy the product.

And all this in one app! Therefore, TikTok’s algorithm works differently:

• It evaluates context,
• It analyzes intent,
• It builds recommendations based on what the user is watching here and now.

We move smoothly to the issue of shopping. TikTok Made Me Buy It was a trend for some time, in which users recorded videos showing which products they bought, with reviews and recommendations right on TikTok. This medium, unlike any other, is effective at creating a purchasing need. Besides that, on TikTok, you can do this at a relatively low cost. How?

• You launch an engaging ad creative, for example, featuring a known and valued creator,
• Then other users buy the product and add their own reviews as well, organically,
• In this way, a viral with thousands of views and many organic materials can be created.

The mechanism works like an engine testing the viral potential of a given material:

• The first 2 seconds are the most important. Do you manage to catch and hold the user’s attention, or will they scroll further?
• If the video has high CTR and watch time, the system will boost it to subsequent users.
• If not, the campaign “dies” after a few hours.

TikTok cannot save a weak creative. Here, creativity and a visual hook at the beginning to maintain attention will be particularly important.

Meta can “save” even an average creative, thanks to:

• good conversion signals,
• first-party data,
• lookalike audiences,
• remarketing.

Meta can find users for whom the ad will be a good fit based on data, even if the message itself isn’t particularly engaging.

TikTok works fast!

• 2 – 4h – in this time, the first assessment of campaign performance by the algorithm appears,
• 12 – 24h – the algorithm decides on scaling,
• 48 – 72h – the campaign will already be established.

And how does this look in the case of Meta?

• Slower learning and “warming up” of the campaign,
• Greater stability,
• Better long-term results with good signals.

To put it most simply:

TikTok = instant performance.

Meta = systematic performance.

For the TikTok algorithm, the basis is engagement and attention retention. Therefore, your creatives for this medium should include:

• fast and dynamic cuts,
• native formats,
• expressive emotions,
• social proof in the creative itself, showing the product based on experience.

And on Meta Ads, the following works better:

• Aesthetic content, visually attractive,
• Simple messages with a concrete point,
• Data analysis from previous campaigns and checking what works.

Ads on TikTok often achieve higher ROAS than television ads, and the budgets are, of course, many times lower! All thanks to the mechanics of short video, viral potential, and the mentioned trust. Users prefer to trust an “ordinary” person, like themselves, in a recommendation context rather than a “lady from a TV commercial.”

How should the budget floor look for Meta, and how for TikTok Ads?

• For TikTok campaigns, a larger number of creatives will be needed. From 3 to 5 unique materials will be required per ad group. This means you must plan a larger budget than for Meta at the stage of creating visual materials for ads.
• On TikTok, a budget for quick tests will be useful as well. We already mentioned how quickly TikTok verifies materials, it is worth testing this and not getting discouraged if one of the materials doesn’t become viral.
• In turn, Meta, given its data background, can prepare more accurate campaign effectiveness estimates for us. Therefore, it is worth budgeting for a longer-lasting, stable campaign, and on TikTok, try, test, until you achieve a viral!

Write to us! We will conduct an audit of your campaigns and ad creatives, which will show:

• If your creatives are “TikTok-ready”,
• If Meta has enough conversion signals,
• If the budget reaches the Budget Floor, or if it is too low,
• Where are you losing money in the funnel,
• How to scale both channels without chaos and randomness.

In 2026, the winner isn’t the one who spends the most, but the one who understands algorithms and uses the budget effectively!

TikTok Ads work differently from Meta Ads because of the different algorithms on which the platforms operate. Users consume content differently on both platforms. Meta focuses more on data and analysis, while TikTok focuses more on engagement and virality.

In 2026, the brands that win will be those that combine both channels. TikTok will be excellent for creating demand and driving purchasing intent, and Meta can help finalize sales.