Understanding how much to run ads on Facebook starts with knowing the platform's minimum requirements. Whether you are testing the waters with a small budget or planning a larger campaign, Meta has specific spending thresholds you need to meet before your ads can run.
This guide covers the minimum budget requirements for Facebook advertising in 2026, recommended budgets by campaign goal, and strategies for getting results even with limited spend.
Meta enforces minimum spending amounts to ensure the platform can effectively optimize your ad delivery. Here are the current requirements:
According to Meta's official documentation, the minimum daily budget depends on your billing currency and optimization goal:
| Optimization Type | Minimum Daily Budget |
|---|---|
| Impressions | $1/day |
| Clicks, Likes, Video Views | $1/day |
| Conversions, App Installs | $5/day |
| Low-frequency events | $40/day |
For most advertisers optimizing for conversions, the practical minimum is $5 per day per ad set.
When using Advantage Campaign Budget (formerly CBO), Meta requires higher minimums. Industry testing shows you need at least $50 per day at the campaign level for CBO to distribute budget effectively across ad sets.
If you prefer lifetime budgets over daily budgets:
Your optimal budget depends heavily on what you want to achieve. Here are recommended starting budgets based on campaign objectives:
Recommended minimum: $10-20/day
For awareness campaigns, you pay for impressions rather than actions. Lower budgets can still generate meaningful reach because you are not waiting for specific conversion events.
Recommended minimum: $10-15/day
Traffic optimization is relatively efficient, with average CPCs ranging from $0.50 to $2.00. A $10/day budget can drive 5-20 clicks depending on your industry and targeting.
Recommended minimum: $20-50/day
Lead campaigns require more budget because you need sufficient data for Meta to optimize. According to Meta's best practices, campaigns should generate at least 50 conversion events per week to exit the learning phase.
Budget formula: Target Cost Per Lead x 50 / 7 days = Minimum daily budget
If your target CPL is $10, you need at least $71/day ($10 x 50 / 7).
Recommended minimum: $50-100/day
Conversion campaigns have the highest budget requirements because:
For ecommerce, experienced advertisers recommend budgeting at least 2-3x your target CPA daily to gather enough data for optimization.
When testing new audiences or creative with limited budget, use Ad Set Budget Optimization (ABO) rather than CBO. ABO lets you:
Smaller budgets perform better with focused targeting:
A $20/day budget targeting one city will outperform the same budget spread across a country.
When budget is tight, reduce the number of things you test simultaneously:
Every campaign enters a learning phase where Meta gathers data. During this period:
With a $20/day budget and $10 CPA, expect 2-3 weeks to exit learning phase.
Rather than thinking about daily minimums, calculate what you can spend weekly:
Once you find winning combinations, scale gradually to maintain performance.
Increase budgets by no more than 20% every 3-4 days. Sudden increases can:
Only increase budget when:
Vertical scaling: Increase budget on existing campaigns (follow 20% rule)
Horizontal scaling: Duplicate winning ad sets to new audiences or create new campaigns
Horizontal scaling often works better for smaller budgets because you are not overwhelming a single audience.
The technical minimum is $1/day for impression or click-based campaigns. However, for conversion-focused campaigns, Meta requires $5/day minimum. Practically, most advertisers need $10-20/day minimum to see meaningful results.
Yes, but results will be limited. A $5/day budget works best for simple objectives like video views, page engagement, or very targeted local awareness campaigns. For lead generation or sales, you will likely need at least $20-50/day to gather enough data for optimization.
Plan for at least 7-14 days before evaluating campaign performance. Meta's learning phase requires approximately 50 optimization events, which takes time with smaller budgets. Avoid making changes during the first week unless something is clearly broken.
Need help planning your Facebook ads budget? Contact us for a free consultation. Our team can help you determine the right budget for your goals and build campaigns that maximize every dollar. Get a free consultation
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