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Technology · Analytics

Facebook Pixel

facebook.com

The Meta Pixel (listed here as Facebook Pixel) is a piece of JavaScript that you add to your website. It tracks website activity and sends it to Meta so the ads you run on Facebook and Instagram can be optimized and measured.[1]

An advanced tracking and analytics tool for Facebook advertisers. The Facebook Pixel collects data about website visitors' actions, enabling businesses to measure ad effectiveness, optimize campaigns, create targeted audiences, and track conversions across devices, ultimately improving ROI on Facebook advertising efforts.

Facebook Pixel belongs toAnalyticscategory.

What it is

A JavaScript code snippet added to your website[1]

Standard events

Pre-built tracking for 17 standard events[1]

Install options

Manual code, a partner integration or Google Tag Manager[1]

Audiences

Build custom and lookalike audiences from website visitors[1]

468websites

use it — 18.3% of the 2,555 websites we scanned in the last 12 months

#2of 133

tools in its category seen in our scans (we recognize 430)

158public pages

on UptimeCard — open any of them to see how that site is doing

In short: the tracking code for Facebook and Instagram ads. It needs a Meta ad account and sends visitor actions to Meta, so check your consent setup first.[1]

20.52% of all websites we track run Facebook Pixel▼ 0.04 points since 20 Sep

Should you use Facebook Pixel?

The 10-second version, from the vendor’s own pages and what we see in our scans

Facebook Pixel fits if…

  • You run ads on Facebook or Instagram and want to measure conversions[1]
  • You want to retarget visitors or build lookalike audiences[1]

Look elsewhere if…

  • You advertise on LinkedIn instead[2]LinkedIn has its own tag for conversions and retargeting.
The pixel sends actions from your site to Meta, so your privacy notice and consent setup must cover it[1]
Meta suggests pairing the pixel with its Conversions API for better event coverage[1]

Meta Pixel next to two other ad tags

Tracking code for advertisers on other networks. Statements come from each vendor's own page; website counts are ours.

Facebook PixelLinkedin Insight TagGoogle Ads Conversion Tracking
What the vendor says
What it isJavaScript codeadded to your website[1]A code snippetadded to your website[2]A Google taga code snippet in your site[3]
Install through a tag managerYesthrough Google Tag Manager[1]Yesmany tag managers[2]Not stated on this help page
What we see in our scans
Websites running it46818.3% of 2,555 scanned sites43517% of 2,555 scanned sites1405.5% of 2,555 scanned sites
Typical page load time4.7 s139 public sites4.4 s264 public sites4.3 s✓48 public sites
Typical page weight3.4 MBtypical home page3.4 MBtypical home page2.9 MB✓typical home page
Security grade B or better24%10 of 41 graded sites score B or better35%✓25 of 72 graded sites score B or better19%3 of 16 graded sites score B or better

Only what each vendor page states.

  • Linkedin Insight Tag: LinkedIn's tag for conversions, retargeting and audience insight[2]
  • Google Ads Conversion Tracking: Google's tag that records conversions from your Google ads[3]

Choose Facebook Pixel if…

  • Your ads run on Facebook and Instagram[1]

Choose Linkedin Insight Tag if…

  • Your ads run on LinkedIn[2]

Choose Google Ads Conversion Tracking if…

  • Your ads run on Google Search or the Google Display Network[3]
  • You also want to count phone calls that come from your ads[3]

How Facebook Pixel sites protect themselves

Share of the 468 sites we scanned that run each protection

HSTS67% · 311 sites

HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) informs browsers that the site should only be accessed using HTTPS

reCAPTCHA25% · 117 sites

reCAPTCHA is a free service from Google that helps protect websites from spam and abuse

Cloudflare Bot Management14% · 63 sites

Cloudflare bot management solution identifies and mitigates automated traffic to protect websites from bad bots

Protections add up, they do not replace each other: a site can run all of them.

What sites use Facebook Pixel for

An estimate from UptimeCard's technology map of 146 public sites

Runs the whole site142 sites

accredible.com · aplos.com · appfigures.com

Runs the marketing site2 sites

jazzhr.com · starkbank.com

Hosts help, docs or support content1 sites

dronedeploy.com

Runs a shop or catalog1 sites

tamara.co

Rough guide, not a measurement: each description is written automatically from the site’s technology stack and the site has not confirmed it. A site is counted once, in the first group its description fits (shop, help and docs, blog, marketing site; otherwise the whole site). Descriptions that only guess (“likely”, “may”) are left out.

At a glance

UptimeCard's own scans and tests of 2,555 websites · refreshed weekly

How Facebook Pixel sites scoreout of 100 · hover or tap a score for details

48PerformancePooraverage site: 5088AccessibilityGoodaverage site: 8979Best practicesFairaverage site: 9392SEOGoodaverage site: 92

Page load time

Loads about 10% slower than the average site

Facebook Pixel sites
4.7 s
All sites
4.3 s

Most Facebook Pixel sites load in 3.4–6.5 s. Home page weight: 3.4 MB vs 3.3 MB for all sites. 139 public sites measured.

Where are they hosted?

Mostly Cloudflare and Amazon Web Services

  • Cloudflare34%
  • Amazon Web Services26%
  • Fastly8%
  • Google Cloud4%
  • Other29%
United States 51%Canada 28%Netherlands 3%

Who uses it?

Technology and Software is the biggest group

Technology and Software50%
Business Services1.4× avg17%
Educational Resources1.4× avg7%
Software as a Service (SaaS)6%

Share of 158 classified public sites. “× average” compares with all 961 public sites.

Browser-security check

24% of graded sites pass

10of 41 score B or better

Rates each site’s own security settings, not Facebook Pixel. 41 public sites graded so far.

How Facebook Pixel sites are built

Closest partners. The number says how many times more often the tool runs on Facebook Pixel sites than on an average website. Hover a partner for its share of sites.

TikTok Pixel5×Reddit Ads4×Twitter Ads4×Hotjar3×Microsoft Advertising3×Microsoft Clarity3×DoubleClick Floodlight3×Linkedin Insight Tag2×HubSpot Analytics2×

Stacks we see most. Tools that tend to run together with Facebook Pixel on the same websites. The percentage is the share of all 468 Facebook Pixel sites that run the whole stack.

9 stacks · swipe, drag or use the arrows
#1

Facebook Pixel + Google Analytics + Microsoft Advertising + DoubleClick Floodlight + Piwik PRO Core

12.8%60 of 468 sites
#2

Facebook Pixel + Google Tag Manager + Linkedin Insight Tag + Microsoft Advertising + Piwik PRO Core

12.6%59 of 468 sites
#3

Facebook Pixel + Google Analytics + Linkedin Insight Tag + Microsoft Advertising + Reddit Ads

11.3%53 of 468 sites
#4

Facebook Pixel + Google Analytics + Linkedin Insight Tag + DoubleClick Floodlight + HubSpot

9.2%43 of 468 sites
#5

Facebook Pixel + Google Tag Manager + Linkedin Insight Tag + jsDelivr + DoubleClick Floodlight

8.8%41 of 468 sites
#6

Facebook Pixel + Google Tag Manager + Microsoft Advertising + DoubleClick Floodlight + Reddit Ads

7.1%33 of 468 sites
#7

Facebook Pixel + Google Tag Manager + Reddit Ads + HubSpot + Piwik PRO Core

4.1%19 of 468 sites
#8

Facebook Pixel + Google Analytics + jsDelivr + Reddit Ads + Piwik PRO Core

3.6%17 of 468 sites
#9

Facebook Pixel + TikTok Pixel + Sentry

2.4%11 of 468 sites

Usually installed alongside

The bigger the bubble, the more of the 468 Facebook Pixel sites also run the tool. Colour shows what the tool does. Hover or tap a bubble for details.

Google Analytics92%Linkedin Insight Tag42%Microsoft Clarity25%Google Tag Manager86%Microsoft Advertising39%DoubleClick Floodlight25%Reddit Ads23%HubSpot20%Cart Functionality14%
AnalyticsTag managerAdvertisingMarketingOnline store

Similar tools in its category

Analytics: 430 tools known, 133 seen in our scans

Cloudflare Browser Insights218 sitesAlternativeDatadog87 sitesAlternativeAdobe Analytics73 sitesAlternativeSite Kit66 sitesAlternativeMatomo Analytics41 sitesAlternativeDynatrace36 sitesAlternativeChartbeat36 sitesAlternativeGoogle Analytics1,368 sitesUsed togetherLinkedin Insight Tag435 sitesUsed togetherMicrosoft Clarity234 sitesUsed togetherPiwik PRO Core181 sitesUsed together

How websites combine Facebook Pixel with other tools

Relationships found on the websites that use it, from the same map status pages show.

Complements another tool 69Integrates with another 57Needs another tool 9Overlaps with another 7

Questions about Facebook Pixel

What is the Meta Pixel?
A piece of JavaScript you add to your website to track website activity and optimize your advertising performance.[1]
What do I need before I install it?
An active Meta business account and ad account, a website where you can add code, and a basic understanding of website management or developer help.[1]
How do I install it?
Create the pixel in Events Manager, then choose manual code, a partner integration or a tag manager.[1]
How can I check that it works?
Meta points to its Pixel Helper Chrome extension for checking the setup.[1]
How many websites use Facebook Pixel?
We found Facebook Pixel on 468 of the 2,555 websites we scanned in the last 12 months (18.3%). 158 of them have a public status page.
What is Facebook Pixel often used with?
Among the websites we scan, Facebook Pixel is often found alongside Google Analytics (92.1% of its sites), Google Tag Manager (86.3% of its sites), Linkedin Insight Tag (42.3% of its sites).
What are the alternatives to Facebook Pixel?
Other analytics tools we recognize include Google Analytics, Linkedin Insight Tag, Microsoft Clarity, Cloudflare Browser Insights.

Is your website built with Facebook Pixel?

UptimeCard checks it around the clock, tells you the minute it stops answering, and gives your visitors a status page.

Monitor my site freeCreate a status page