Two questions usually come up together when a business is planning where ad spend goes.
Should this be running on TikTok instead of, or alongside, another platform, and what are competitors already doing that’s working.
Neither question has a single universal answer. Both depend on where the audience actually is and what’s already proven, not guessed at.
This guide covers how to think through the platform decision, then how to actually research what’s running before committing budget to it.
Table of Contents
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Key Takeaways
- Platform comparisons should be decided by audience stage and intent, not by which platform has the lower headline CPM.
- TikTok’s Commercial Content Library shows advertiser identity, reach ranges, and targeting summaries for ads that ran in the EEA, Switzerland, and the UK, per TikTok’s own documentation.
- The library does not show ad creative, spend ranges, or exact impression counts, only estimated reach and targeting data.
- Competitive research is most useful for spotting structural patterns, hooks, pacing, offers, not for copying a specific ad outright.
- Influencer content and paid ads aren’t competing budgets; boosted creator content through Spark Ads is a proven middle path.
Quick Answer
There’s no platform that wins outright. TikTok tends to fit discovery and awareness stages best, while platforms like Instagram often carry more purchase-ready intent once a viewer already knows what they want. The right call depends on funnel stage, budget, and what a business is actually trying to move: reach, engagement, or a direct sale. Competitor research works the same way: use TikTok’s own Commercial Content Library and Creative Center first, since they’re free and official, then bring in a paid third-party tool only if deeper historical or cross-platform data is genuinely needed.
At a Glance
- Best for cost-efficient reach and engagement: TikTok, backed by the CPM and engagement data below.
- Best for audiences already close to purchase: Facebook or Instagram, both carry more purchase-ready intent per user.
- Best for keyword-based intent: none of the three; that’s what TikTok Search Ads and Google Ads are for instead.
- Best starting point if budget is tight: TikTok, since its minimum is a fixed, known number rather than open-ended guidance.
- Best for free competitor research: TikTok’s own Commercial Content Library and Creative Center, no paid tool required to start.
Choosing Between TikTok and Other Ad Platforms
The instinct to compare platforms by cost alone misses the point.
A lower CPM on one platform doesn’t automatically mean a better result, since the two platforms often reach people at different points in their decision.
TikTok’s audience is generally earlier in the funnel: still discovering, not yet actively shopping.
That makes it a strong fit for awareness and consideration campaigns, especially with native, unpolished creative.
TikTok Ads vs. Facebook Ads breaks down the full comparison, including audience size, budget minimums, and targeting differences between the two.
| Metric | TikTok | Facebook / Meta |
| US audience | 200M+ Americans (TikTok newsroom) | 3.07B Facebook-only users worldwide (Meta, Dec 2023 disclosure) |
| Combined Meta platforms | N/A | 3.56B Family Daily Active People (Meta, Q1 2026) |
| Average CPM | Not publicly disclosed by TikTok as a universal figure | $14.19 median (Triple Whale, 2025 analysis of ~35,000 ecommerce brands) |
| Minimum budget | $50/day campaign, $20/day ad group (TikTok official) | No hard minimum; Meta recommends budgeting for 7+ days of delivery |
TikTok vs. Instagram advertising covers the same kind of breakdown against Instagram specifically, including where each platform tends to convert better.
| Metric | TikTok | |
| Monthly active users | ~1.99B (Statista) | ~2B (Statista) |
| Average CPM | $6.21 (Gupta Media, June 2025) | No single published figure; Instagram “tends to cost more per impression,” per the comparison above |
| Engagement rate | 3.70% in 2025 (Socialinsider) | 0.48% in 2025 (Socialinsider) |
The pattern across both comparisons repeats: TikTok wins on cost-efficient reach and engagement, while the comparison platform often carries an audience already closer to purchase.
Two notes worth flagging on these numbers. TikTok doesn’t publish one universal CPM, so the $6.21 figure above comes from a third-party tracker, not TikTok itself.
The US-specific TikTok audience figure also isn’t directly comparable to Instagram’s global monthly active user count. Each linked comparison explains its own figures in full.
Where TikTok Fits in a Multi-Platform Funnel
Most businesses running paid social aren’t actually choosing one platform over another; they’re deciding where each platform sits in the funnel.
TikTok’s ads funnel covers how to structure TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU stages specifically on TikTok.
That structure matters here because it shapes what TikTok should be doing versus what a platform used for retargeting or direct response should handle instead.
A common setup uses TikTok for the top of the funnel, awareness and discovery.
Warm traffic then hands off to a platform with stronger purchase-intent signals for the close.
How to Research What Competitors Are Running
Before building a competing campaign, it’s worth seeing what’s already live, and more importantly, what’s stayed live.
An ad that’s been running for weeks or months is a signal, not a guess. Advertisers don’t keep paying for creative that loses money.
TikTok’s Commercial Content Library
Per TikTok’s own documentation, the Commercial Content Library shows advertiser identity, a link to their verified account, estimated reach ranges, targeting summaries, and first and last shown dates.
It does not show the actual ad creative, spend ranges, or exact impression counts, only estimated user ranges and targeting criteria.
Coverage is currently limited to ads shown in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the UK, which matters if a business is researching a purely US-facing competitor.
How to use the TikTok Ad Library to spy on competitors covers the actual search workflow and how to read what the data is telling you.
Beyond TikTok’s Own Tools
TikTok’s Creative Center and Commercial Content Library are free and official, which makes them the right starting point.
Third-party tools go further for specific needs, like historical creative archives, cross-platform comparison, or the actual ad footage the official library doesn’t show.
TikTok competitor spy tools cover when a paid third-party tool is worth adding on top of TikTok’s own free options.
Influencers or Ads: A False Choice
Competitor research often surfaces another pattern fast: a lot of what’s winning isn’t a produced ad at all; it’s boosted creator content.
TikTok influencers vs. TikTok ads covers this directly, and the conclusion holds up against what shows in competitor research too.
Creator content tends to earn more engagement than brand-made content.
The strongest pattern isn’t picking one over the other; it’s briefing a creator, then running the resulting content as a Spark Ad once it’s proven organically.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TikTok cheaper than Facebook or Instagram ads?
Often on a pure CPM basis, yes, but cost per result depends on funnel stage and audience intent, not just the sticker price. A cheaper impression on an audience with no purchase intent yet can still cost more per actual sale.
Can I see a competitor’s exact ad spend on TikTok?
No. TikTok’s Commercial Content Library shows estimated reach ranges and targeting data, not exact spend figures or impression counts. Spend estimates require a third-party tool, and even those are modeled estimates, not TikTok-confirmed numbers.
Does the TikTok Ad Library cover US advertisers?
Coverage is currently limited to ads shown in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the UK. A US-only competitor’s ads may not appear in the official library at all.
Should a small business run TikTok Ads or work with influencers instead?
Neither is strictly better, and many brands use both. A common approach is briefing a creator for authentic content first, then boosting whatever performs organically through Spark Ads.
How do I know if a competitor’s ad is actually working?
Longevity is the strongest public signal available. Advertisers stop paying for creative that isn’t converting, so an ad still running weeks or months later is a reasonable sign it’s profitable.
Wrapping Up
Platform choice and competitor research answer related questions: where the budget should go, and what’s already proven to work once it gets there.
Match the platform to the funnel stage instead of the lowest CPM, and use TikTok’s own free research tools before paying for a third-party one.
From here, the comparison and research guides linked throughout this page cover each platform pairing and each research method in full detail.
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