Reddit ads vs Google Ads and Meta Ads: how they compare
Google and Meta take most of the world's digital advertising budgets. They are powerful and mature, and they are also crowded and expensive in many categories. Reddit is not a replacement for either. It does a different job, and understanding that job is how you decide where your next dollar should go.
What each platform is best at
Google Ads captures existing demand. Somebody types what they want, and you appear. Nothing matches search for people who are ready to buy right now. The limits are price, since popular keywords are costly, and the fact that search cannot create demand for something people do not yet know to look for.
Meta Ads creates demand at scale. Facebook and Instagram reach enormous audiences and are excellent at visual, impulse-friendly products. Targeting relies heavily on the platform's algorithm.
Reddit reaches people while they research. It sits between the two. People on Reddit are not typing a purchase query, and they are not idly scrolling either. They are reading about a subject they care about, often comparing options. Community targeting puts you in that conversation.
Intent
Search intent is the strongest. Reddit's is next: people in a relevant community are interested in the category and frequently in the middle of a decision. Meta's is the weakest on average, though its scale makes up for it.
An important detail: many Google searches now end with the word "reddit", and Reddit threads rank prominently in search results. People leave Google to read Reddit before buying. Advertising there reaches them at that step.
Cost
In many categories, cost per click on Reddit is below search, and often below Meta for specialised audiences. The difference is largest in competitive B2B and software markets. See our full article on the cost of Reddit ads.
Creative
Search ads are a few lines of text. Meta rewards polished visuals. Reddit rewards ads that read like genuine posts, which means the ad copy must be written specifically for it. Creative that works on Meta rarely works on Reddit unchanged.
Targeting control
On Meta, targeting has become increasingly automated. On Reddit you still choose exactly which communities see your ad, which many advertisers appreciate. You know where your money went and why.
Measurement
All three offer pixels and server-side tracking. Google's and Meta's systems are more mature. Reddit's has improved quickly, and with the Reddit Pixel and Conversions API set up properly it gives reliable data. Compare the platforms using your own analytics, with the same definition of a conversion.
How to combine them
A sensible plan uses each for what it does best:
- Reddit to reach people while they research, and to build familiarity in the communities that shape opinion.
- Search to catch them when they look for your brand or category.
- Meta and Reddit retargeting to bring visitors back.
Companies often notice that after starting on Reddit, branded searches rise and search campaigns convert better. The channels help each other.
When Reddit should come first
- Your search keywords are too expensive.
- Your product is new and nobody searches for it yet.
- Your buyers are specialists who gather in communities.
- Meta's broad audiences have stopped scaling for you.
When it should not
If you need immediate local customers, or sell an impulse product to a mass audience, start with search or Meta. We explain more in our article on when Reddit is the wrong channel.
How we help
Team of Monkeys focuses on Reddit and works happily alongside whoever runs your other channels. The campaigns we run deliver click-through and conversion rates that lead the industry, across multiple industries, and they tend to lift the other channels as well.
We will not tell you to move money to Reddit if it is doing better elsewhere. If we do not think your product will succeed on Reddit, you will hear it before you spend any money. Our goal is repeat business, and that only comes from results that keep you happy.
Common questions
Are Reddit ads better than Facebook ads?
For specialist, research-driven purchases, often yes. For mass-market visual products, Meta's scale is hard to beat. Many advertisers use both.
Should I stop Google Ads and move to Reddit?
Rarely. Keep what is profitable and add Reddit as a new source of demand. Then compare the cost per customer.
Want to know if Reddit will work for your product?
Team of Monkeys is a Reddit advertising agency that plans, writes, launches and manages campaigns with click-through and conversion rates that lead the industry, across many industries. If we do not think your product will succeed on Reddit, we will tell you before you spend any money. Our goal is repeat business, and we only earn that when you are consistently happy with the results. See our simple pricing or book a 30 minute call.