Compare paid platforms head-to-head
The Paid Media dashboard rolls every connected ad platform into one view, so you can compare spend, ROAS, and CPA across Meta, Google, TikTok, and the rest on a single screen. Ignyte IQ shows each platform’s platform-reported numbers — every platform’s own attribution model and lookback window — so a fair comparison means accounting for those differences, not just reading the ROAS column top to bottom.
Before you start
Section titled “Before you start”- The ad platforms you want to compare are connected (Settings → Integrations), each showing Connected in the Data panel.
- You know which metric drives the decision — ROAS for efficiency, Spend for scale, CPA for acquisition cost.
Step-by-step
Section titled “Step-by-step”- Open Explore → Acquisition → Paid Media.
- Set the date range to a complete period (e.g. Last 7 days or Last 30 days) so no platform is judged on a partial day.
- Use the Platforms tab below the trend chart. Sort by Spend to see scale; sort by ROAS or CPA to see efficiency.
- Read every platform against the same metric and date range — that’s what keeps the spend and revenue comparison apples-to-apples.
- When a platform looks unusually strong or weak, open its dashboard in Marketing → <platform> to check whether an attribution-window difference explains the gap.
Reading attribution differences
Section titled “Reading attribution differences”Each platform credits conversions under its own attribution window, so “ROAS” doesn’t mean exactly the same thing on every row:
- Meta defaults to 7-day click + 1-day view — a wide window that includes view-through, which credits more conversions and tends to show higher ROAS. If a narrower window (such as 7-day click or 1-day click) is configured in Meta Ads Manager, the numbers tighten. See Facebook attribution windows.
- Google Ads defaults to last-click over a longer click window and reports no view-through, so its ROAS is often more conservative than Meta’s for the same true performance.
- TikTok defaults to 7-day click + 1-day view, similar to Meta.
A platform with a wider, view-through-inclusive window will usually look more efficient than one with a strict click-only window — even at identical true performance. Confirm each platform’s configured window before concluding one is “winning.”
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”- One platform’s ROAS looks implausibly high — it likely has a wide, view-through-inclusive attribution window. Check the configured window in that platform’s ad manager before reallocating budget.
- A platform is missing from the comparison — confirm it’s connected and synced via the Data panel; the Paid Media rollup only includes connected platforms.