Meta Pixel, Conversions API or both? What to use?

We recommend using Pixel for tracking page views and Able CDP for other conversions, especially those that occur server-side.

The reason for this is that, for page views, all information about the visitor is already available in the browser. The benefit of using server-side tracking for page views is minimal for most websites (with some exceptions in regulated industries like healthcare). Additionally, using Pixel provides the benefit of setting a browser cookie to persistently identify the visitor. Able tracks this cookie and uses it with the Conversions API, in addition to the click ID.

For all other conversions, using Able's server-side tracking is advantageous, as it can send additional details that were recorded earlier and may not be present in the browser (or the conversion may occur entirely outside the browser, such as a subscription activation or lead qualification).

Using both methods for the same conversion event can be error-prone. First, you would need to ensure that each event sent to both Pixel and the server-side has the same event ID and consistently manage how these IDs are assigned—which isn’t always practical. Second, and perhaps more importantly, Meta does not have a deterministic method for choosing which version of an event to use when deduplicating. This becomes especially relevant when a conversion is made by a known user, but the browser no longer has the original cookies, making it difficult for Meta to attribute the conversion. In such cases, Able can still track and send the original click and browser ID. However, there is no guarantee that Meta will prefer this over the browser-side event, potentially leading to data loss and misattributed conversions.

We also recommend checking out the following related blog posts on our website:

• https://www.ablecdp.com/blog/two-reasons-why-your-facebook-conversions-api-integration-doesnt-work
• https://www.ablecdp.com/blog/know-about-conversion-apis