TikTok Is Half the Cost of Meta for Social Ads — and France Leads on ROAS
A Metricool 2026 study finds TikTok is roughly half the cost of Meta for social ads — cost per lead of $2.69 versus $6.00 — yet 91% of advertisers still run Meta only, with France posting the strongest returns of any market.
The Numbers Behind the Channel Gap
A Metricool 2026 Social Ads study, released the week of 22 September, found TikTok markedly cheaper than Meta for driving traffic and leads. Cost per lead came in at $2.69 on TikTok versus $6.00 on Meta, and cost per click at $0.03 versus $0.07.
Yet 91.51% of the analysed accounts advertise exclusively on Meta. France stood out with the strongest returns in the study, a ROAS of 5.01 against a 4.57 global average — ahead of Germany (3.00) and the US (2.42). The sample spanned 628,969 campaigns and 44,355 advertisers.
Why French Advertisers Over-Index on Meta
The headline tension is clear: French advertisers are getting strong returns but concentrating almost all spend on one platform. That is a familiar comfort trap — sticking with the known channel and its mature tooling rather than testing cheaper acquisition elsewhere.
With TikTok delivering leads at less than half the cost, the opportunity cost of Meta-only strategies is real. The data suggests many French brands are leaving efficient performance on the table.
What Marketers Should Do
The framework is simple: test, don't switch. Nobody is arguing brands abandon Meta, where France's returns are strong; the point is to run a controlled TikTok test and measure incremental cost per lead against Meta.
Our view: channel concentration is a hidden risk as much as an inefficiency. Diversifying even a slice of budget into a cheaper channel both lowers blended acquisition cost and reduces dependence on a single platform's algorithm and pricing.
Quick FAQ
How much cheaper is TikTok than Meta for social ads?
Metricool's 2026 study found a cost per lead of $2.69 on TikTok versus $6.00 on Meta, and cost per click of $0.03 versus $0.07.
How do French advertisers compare on returns?
France posted the study's strongest ROAS at 5.01, above the 4.57 global average and ahead of Germany (3.00) and the US (2.42), yet most advertisers still run Meta only.
French advertisers are getting great returns — and concentrating almost all of it on one platform. When TikTok delivers leads at half Meta's cost, running Meta-only isn't loyalty, it's an unmanaged risk. Test a slice of budget and let the numbers decide. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
French advertisers' Meta concentration is both an efficiency loss and a risk — a controlled TikTok test could lower blended acquisition cost.
Is your social spend concentrated on one platform out of results, or just out of habit?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Stratégies and CB News (Metricool 2026 Social Ads study).
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
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