Google Ads vs Meta Ads for e-commerce: which one generates more real profit?

Why can't you compare Meta's ROAS with Google's?

Meta and Google use different attribution models, different windows and methodologies that favor their own numbers. When Google tells you 3x ROAS, it's counting conversions by its own rules. When Meta says 4x, it's counting by its rules. The problem is that the same sale can show up in both — and be correctly attributed in neither.

Meta uses a 7-day click and 1-day view attribution window. Google uses last-click by default, although it has data-driven attribution models. Neither tells you the same thing, and neither tells you the truth about how much real money each peso invested left you.

The result is that you add up each platform's "results" and think you're winning. But when you check the bank, the numbers don't add up. That's not an accounting error — it's a measurement problem.

When does Meta Ads make sense for e-commerce in Argentina?

Meta is the dominant platform for e-commerce in Argentina. It works especially well when:

• You sell products with a strong visual component: fashion, home, beauty, accessories.
• You need to build demand: there's no active search for your product because people don't know it exists.
• You retarget traffic that already visited your store.
• You work with lookalike audiences of your best customers.
• Your average ticket is in the $15,000 to $80,000 ARS range — Meta's conversion sweet spot.

Meta's problem isn't that it doesn't work. The problem is that its reports overstate the impact — between 30% and 50% of what it attributes are sales that would have happened anyway. You can read more about this in the article on real Meta Ads attribution.

When does Google Ads make sense for e-commerce in Argentina?

Google works best when there's active purchase intent. Your customers already know they want something and are searching for it. In that scenario:

• Google Shopping captures the person searching for exactly your product.
• Performance Max can be effective if you have a well-structured product feed.
• Search works for brand terms or products with a proper name.
• For categories with heavy search competition (electronics, appliances, tech), Google can have a better CPL than Meta.

Google's advantage over Meta is that the purchase intent already exists — you're not creating it. The downside: in Argentina, cost per click in competitive categories on Google can be more expensive than on Meta. And Google's attribution isn't perfect either — last-click is still the default model in many accounts.

How does Escalafy calculate the real ROAS of each ad channel?

Escalafy connects your Meta Ads account, your Google Ads account and your store (Tiendanube or Shopify) in a single system. Instead of showing the ROAS each platform reports, it calculates real ROAS or Blended ROAS: how much you made net, after all costs, for every peso invested in each channel.

What you see in the Escalafy dashboard:

• Sales attributable to Meta Ads vs. sales attributable to Google Ads vs. organic.
• Total spend per channel and net profit generated by that channel.
• Real Meta ROAS (not the one Meta reports) and real Google ROAS (not the one Google reports).
• Which campaigns within each channel are profitable and which are burning cash.
• How much it costs to acquire a real customer on each channel, with every cost included.

You can see more about how real ROAS works in how to calculate your store's real Blended ROAS and in Escalafy's real ROAS feature.

Should you run Google Ads and Meta Ads at the same time?

In most cases, yes — but with budget allocated by real profitability, not by the ROAS each platform reports. The typical funnel that works for e-commerce in Argentina:

• Meta Ads: demand generation, awareness, retargeting to visitors and past customers.
• Google Shopping/Search: capturing active intent — the person who already knows they want your product.
• Blended ROAS as the referee: budget goes where real profit is highest, without relying on any platform's self-reporting.

The key isn't picking one — it's knowing how much each one leaves you after all costs. Without that, you're investing blind. You can learn more about evaluating whether Meta Ads is profitable in this article on the real profitability of Meta Ads.

Frequently asked questions about Google Ads vs Meta Ads for e-commerce in Argentina

Is it true that Meta Ads has better ROAS than Google for e-commerce in Argentina?

It depends on the product, the margin, the ticket and the category. Meta has more volume and a lower cost of entry in many categories. But Meta significantly overstates its conversions. The ROAS Meta shows is usually 30% to 50% higher than real ROAS. There's no universal answer — you have to measure with clean data.

Can I trust the ROAS Google Ads shows me?

Not completely. Google measures with its own attribution models, which by default are last-click or data-driven — but without crossing against the rest of your channels. A sale can show up in Google AND in Meta at the same time. Google's ROAS is a good trend signal, but to make investment decisions you need Blended ROAS with all your real costs.

What if my budget is limited: do I prioritize Meta or Google?

With a tight budget, the priority is the channel where your real ROAS (measured with all costs, not self-reported) is highest. For new products with no active search, Meta usually wins. For products with existing search demand, Google Shopping can be more efficient. The only way to know for sure is to measure it with your store's real data, not with the platforms' reports.

How do I know which share of my sales comes from each channel?

Multi-channel attribution is one of the hardest problems in e-commerce. Tools like Google Attribution or Conversion Lift from Meta for Business help, but they have their limits. The most practical approach for e-commerce in Argentina is to use Blended ROAS as your main metric: total sales divided by total ad spend — and complement it with channel shut-off tests to measure real incrementality.

Does Escalafy integrate Google Ads and Meta Ads at the same time?

Yes. Escalafy connects Meta Ads, Google Ads, Tiendanube, Shopify and Mercado Libre in a single dashboard. We calculate each channel's real ROAS with the same cost data — not each platform's reports. That way you can compare Google vs. Meta by the same yardstick and make decisions based on real profit, not inflated metrics.