Meta Ads vs TikTok Ads: which is better for UK e-commerce?

If you sell products online in the UK, Meta and TikTok are your two biggest paid social options. But they have very different strengths. Here's how to choose — or better, how to use both.

Cost comparison

TikTok's average CPM in the UK is £3–£8, compared to Meta's £6–£12. TikTok's CPC averages £0.30–£0.80 vs Meta's £0.50–£1.50. On raw reach, TikTok is cheaper — but cheaper clicks only matter if they convert. Meta typically has higher conversion rates for e-commerce (2–5%) vs TikTok (0.5–2% for cold traffic), which narrows the CPA gap considerably.

Where each platform shines

Meta excels at retargeting and warm audiences. Its Pixel-based retargeting, lookalike audiences, and product catalogue ads (Dynamic Ads for Retail) are mature and reliable. For e-commerce brands with existing customer data, Meta is still the best remarketing platform. TikTok excels at discovery — getting your product in front of people who've never heard of you, at a lower cost than Meta prospecting.

Creative requirements

Meta accepts polished, branded creative. TikTok demands native, UGC-style content. If you only have the budget to produce one type of creative, Meta is more forgiving. TikTok requires a different creative skillset — vertical, raw, fast-paced — that many e-commerce brands struggle to produce at scale.

Best products for each platform

Meta wins for: high-AOV products (£40+), products that need detailed specs or reviews, retargeting existing traffic, and audiences over 35. TikTok wins for: impulse-buy products under £30, visually surprising products, products that demonstrate well on video, and audiences under 35.

How to use both

Run TikTok for cold prospecting (cheap discovery), and Meta for retargeting and conversion. The typical setup: TikTok drives initial awareness at low CPM, Meta retargets the same audience with dynamic product ads, and Google captures the branded search that follows. Track all three in one dashboard to see the full funnel.

AdPulse unifies Meta, TikTok and Google in one view with auto-computed ROAS and CPA per platform — so you always know which one is actually driving sales. Start free.