"Facebook is dead, everyone moved to TikTok" — a phrase repeated every year since 2021, and every year Meta remains the largest paid traffic source in affiliate marketing. But the opposite, "TikTok is for kids, nobody deposits there", has long been untrue too. The truth is more boring: these are two different tools for different tasks, verticals and budgets. This comparison covers ten parameters on which they actually differ, with a verdict for each of the three main verticals: gambling, nutra, dating.
In Short: Comparison Table
| Parameter | Facebook / Meta Ads | TikTok Ads |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | Broader by age, higher purchasing power, all GEOs | Younger, more mobile, strong LatAm and Asia; not in India |
| Format | Image, video, carousel; feed, Stories, Reels | Vertical 9:16 video only |
| Moderation | AI moderation, asset linking, "inherited" bans | Stricter by category, checks audio and on-screen text |
| Gambling | Licensed with permission; grey — via agency accounts at high risk | Licensed in specific countries after approval; grey — almost only organic |
| Nutra | The vertical's main source, but strict on personal attributes and claims | Works on UGC format, less Tier-1 volume |
| Dating | Strict policies, mainstream dating with permission | Strict policies, lots of organic |
| Accounts | Personal, BM, agency; trust is earned | Self-serve weak for grey; agency with open categories |
| Optimisation | Advantage+, mature algorithm, pixel + CAPI | Smart Performance, younger, pixel + Events API |
| Creative fatigue | Days to weeks | Days: content ages faster |
| Entry threshold | Lower: can start from a personal account | Higher for restricted categories: agency required |
1. Audience and GEO
Meta is nearly the whole world and all ages; the paying 30+ audience that deposits and buys nutra exists in every GEO. TikTok is younger and more mobile, with uneven geography: very strong in Latin America, Southeast Asia, Turkey and parts of Africa; the app has been blocked in India since 2020, and its US status changed due to the divestiture law. If the offer targets Tier-1 and a 35+ audience — Meta by default. If it targets Brazil, Indonesia or the Philippines and a young audience — TikTok delivers cheaper and more.
2. Policies and Moderation
Both platforms treat gambling, finance and part of nutra as restricted categories, but differently. Meta's main risk is not an ad rejection but asset linking and a ban of the entire structure: pixel, domain, card, BM. TikTok's main risk is the category itself: without approval, gambling will not launch at all, and moderation also checks audio and on-screen text. In practice: on Meta it is more often "it passed, then everything got banned", on TikTok — "it did not pass the first time". Meta ban mechanics — in the 14 reasons guide; TikTok gambling rules — in the TikTok breakdown.
3. Accounts and Entry Threshold
On Meta you can start with a personal account and BM, earn trust and gradually raise limits — slower, but cheaper at entry. How that works — the trust guide. On TikTok a self-serve account is practically useless for restricted categories — you need an agency account with the category open for specific countries, meaning a deposit and fees from day one. Meta has agency accounts too, but there they are a way to scale; on TikTok they are a condition of entry. How they work and what to ask an agency — in the agency accounts guide, providers — in the catalog.
4. Creatives
Meta accepts everything: static, video, carousels; both "headline + image" and long videos work. TikTok is vertical video only, and the decision is made in the first 1–3 seconds; static and repackaged horizontal clips lose immediately. Fatigue on TikTok is faster: the algorithm saturates an audience in days. Production takeaway: on Meta you can live with a designer, on TikTok you need someone who shoots and edits for the platform — a separate cost line that is often not counted.
5. Algorithm and Optimisation
Meta's Advantage+ is a mature system: with correct events via pixel and CAPI it finds buyers faster and more consistently. TikTok is catching up, but its algorithm needs more data at the start, and without server-side events for the target action it optimises for cheap registrations. In both systems the rule is the same: without server-side tracking, optimisation is blind. How to set it up — Postbacks and S2S; how to structure Meta campaigns — Campaign Structure.
6. Test Cost
There is no direct "where is it cheaper" answer — CPM depends on GEO. But the cost structure differs. Meta: an account or BM, proxies and anti-detect, creatives, budget; a test can fit into hundreds of dollars. TikTok for restricted categories: agency deposit plus fees, video production, budget — a higher entry threshold, but lower CPM in LatAm and Asia. What to calculate is not CPM but the cost of the first target action including all infrastructure — Affiliate Math.
By Vertical: What Goes Where
Gambling
Meta is the main source of paid gambling traffic, but with the highest cost of error: a ban of the structure, not the ad. TikTok is a growing source for LatAm and Asia with a mandatory agency account and licensed offer; grey gambling there lives mostly on organic. If you have a licensed offer and an agency with open countries — TikTok in LatAm can be cheaper per FTD. If the offer is grey, both platforms will hit hard, but Meta gives more volume before the ban.
Nutra
Meta is nutra's home: a broad 35+ audience, many formats, but personal attribute and claims policies cut creatives hard. TikTok gives nutra the UGC format "I tried it — showing you", which converts great on the young, but Tier-1 volumes are smaller and "medical" claims are cut just the same. Start with Meta, test TikTok for LatAm and Asia.
Dating
Both platforms are strict: mainstream dating with permission, anything "adult" is off-policy. In practice dating on TikTok is mostly organic, not Ads; on Meta — paid traffic with permitted offers and careful creatives. On organic — a separate guide.
So What to Choose
Start with Meta if the test budget is limited, the offer targets Tier-1 or a 30+ audience, you have no video production and you need predictable volume. Go to TikTok if the GEO is LatAm or Asia, the audience is young, you have someone for vertical video, a licensed offer and an agency account. Run both when the funnel is found and the question is scale: the same economics rarely work identically on two platforms, and a second source is insurance against a ban on the first.
And one general rule: no platform has "died" or "killed" another. Funnels and approaches die, sources do not.
Forum Discussion
Both platforms change their terms every quarter. Who runs what now, where FTD is cheaper by specific GEO, what moderation looks like this week — in the Facebook section and the social networks section.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better for affiliate marketing — Facebook or TikTok?
Depends on vertical, GEO and budget. Meta — broader audience, lower entry threshold, mature algorithm; TikTok — cheaper in LatAm and Asia but requires vertical video and an agency account for restricted categories. For a start with a limited budget, Meta usually fits better.
Where is moderation easier — Facebook or TikTok?
On Meta an ad passes more easily, but the risk of a subsequent ban of the whole structure is higher; TikTok rejects more often upfront — especially restricted categories without approval — and checks audio and on-screen text.
Can you run gambling on TikTok Ads?
Only licensed operators in specific countries after approval, via an agency account with the category open. Otherwise no; grey gambling on TikTok lives mostly on organic traffic.
Where is traffic cheaper — Facebook or TikTok?
CPM depends on GEO: in Latin America and Asia TikTok is usually cheaper, in Tier-1 the difference is smaller. What to calculate is the cost of the target action including accounts, production and fees, not CPM.
Do you need an agency account for TikTok?
For restricted categories — gambling, finance, part of nutra — effectively yes: a self-serve account does not get the required approvals. For white verticals a regular account works.
Which creatives work on TikTok and which on Facebook?
Facebook accepts static, video and carousels; various formats work. TikTok — only vertical 9:16 video with action in the first seconds; static and horizontal clips lose. Fatigue on TikTok is faster.
Should you run both platforms at once?
Once the funnel is found — yes: a second source insures against a ban on the first and adds scale. At the start it is better to focus on one platform and bring the economics to positive.
