Do multi-advertiser ads put my ads next to competitors on Meta, and how do I opt out?
Yes, they can. With multi-advertiser ads on, Meta can show your ad in one unit with other businesses' ads, which Meta says "may or may not be related," and its help shows no way to block a competitor. Meta opts ads in unless you opt out. To opt out, uncheck Multi-advertiser ads under Ad setup at the ad level in Ads Manager, or change many ads at once from the Ads tab. For B2B lead ads, off is the safer default: your instant form can appear next to other businesses' forms.
As of November 2026.
Leave it on vs. turn it off in Ads Manager vs. turn it off through the API
Multi-advertiser ads is a checkbox on each ad. There is no setting on Meta's help page to choose which other advertisers appear, so your real choice is on or off, and where you set it.
| Leave it on (the default) | Turn it off in Ads Manager | Turn it off through the API | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What happens to your ad | It can show in an ad unit with other businesses' ads on Facebook Feed, Video on Facebook, Facebook Stories, Facebook Reels, Instagram Feed and Instagram Reels. Meta may resize or crop your creative to fit | It runs as a normal ad in your chosen placements | Same as turning it off in Ads Manager |
| Lead ads (instant forms) | Your form can appear alongside other businesses' forms, and the page after someone submits can show ads for other businesses. Meta says this is being introduced gradually | Your form is left out of the shared unit | Same as turning it off in Ads Manager |
| Who it covers | New ads unless you opt out. Meta says existing ads may be turned on automatically unless you opted them out, and ads made by boosting a post are opted in by default | One ad at a time, or a group of ads with bulk edit | Each ad creative you create with the opt-out value |
| Where you set it | Nothing to do | Ad level, Ad setup, Multi-advertiser ads box; or the Ads tab, the arrow next to Edit, Multi-advertiser ads | contextual_multi_ads with enroll_status set to OPT_OUT on the ad creative |
| Main limit | Meta's help shows no way to pick or block the other advertisers, and Jon Loomer says you can't see these results on their own | Meta's help shows no account-wide switch, so check every new and duplicated ad | Ads created on or after August 19, 2024 without enroll_status are opted in. The creative update call accepts only name, status, labels and account, so set it when you create the creative |
Meta describes an ad unit as "a container that displays multiple ads, usually on the same page." On Instagram, tapping an ad in the unit opens it full size in Feed or Reels, and people can keep scrolling through more ads. On Facebook, a tap goes straight to the advertiser's destination.
Meta doesn't publish results figures for the feature on its help page. It only says the goal is "reaching more people looking to go deeper in their shopping journey."
When leaving it on is the right pick
- You sell a low-cost, self-serve product. If people buy your tool the way they buy a consumer app, sitting in a unit of similar products may not hurt. Meta pitches the feature for people who are still shopping.
- You care more about reach than control. Jon Loomer, a digital marketing consultant who writes about Meta ads, says he mostly opts in and leaves it on. He assumes it makes up "a very small percentage of your overall views" and asks, "Is your preference that your competitor appears in multi-advertiser ads without you?"
- You're not running instant forms. The form-next-to-form risk below doesn't apply to ads that send people to your website.
When turning it off in Ads Manager is the right pick
- You run lead ads with instant forms. Meta says your form can "appear alongside instant forms created by other businesses," and after someone submits, the next page "will surface ads featuring relevant products and services" so they can fill in more forms. For a B2B demo or quote form, that can invite the same person to send their details to another business, possibly a competitor, right after.
- You don't want your brand beside unrelated or rival ads. Meta says the ads in a unit may or may not be related, and its help page describes no way to choose them.
- You want clean placement reports. Jon Loomer notes that multi-advertiser delivery is mixed into normal delivery in placement breakdowns, so you "won't be able to isolate the performance of your ad." Turning it off removes the question.
- You have many live ads. Use the bulk edit from the Ads tab instead of opening each ad.
When turning it off through the API is the right pick
- You launch ads with scripts, bulk upload tools or a partner platform. Meta's developer docs say the
enroll_statusfield must beOPT_INorOPT_OUT, and ads created on or after August 19, 2024 that leave it out are opted in by default. Ask your tool's vendor whether it sendsOPT_OUT. If it doesn't, every ad it creates is in. - You want the choice set before an ad ever runs. Set it when you create the creative, since Meta's creative update call doesn't list this field.
How do I opt out of multi-advertiser ads step by step?
For one ad, as you create or edit it:
- Create or open the ad in Ads Manager.
- At the ad set level, go to Placements. Advantage+ placements is selected by default, but you can pick placements manually.
- At the ad level, go to Ad setup and uncheck the box next to Multi-advertiser ads.
- Click Publish. Meta reviews the ad and tells you when it's approved.
For many ads at once:
- Go to the Ads tab in Ads Manager and select the ads.
- Click the arrow next to the Edit button in the toolbar and choose Multi-advertiser ads.
- Check or uncheck the box next to Edit all selected ads.
Meta says ads made by boosting a post from your Facebook Page or Instagram profile are opted in by default, and its help page doesn't show an opt-out in the boost flow. Build lead ads in Ads Manager instead, where you can see the box.
For Meta's AI edits to your creative, which this box doesn't cover, see how to turn off Meta's AI edits to your ads.
What Meta doesn't say
- How it picks the other ads. Meta's help page doesn't say how it chooses them or mention competitors at all.
- What opting out does to cost. Meta gives no cost or results figures on its help page.
- Whether other ads can still follow yours. Jon Loomer assumes that opting out also keeps a multi-advertiser carousel from appearing below your ad, but calls it "not a confident assumption." Meta's help page doesn't say.
- A way to report on it. Meta's help page doesn't cover reporting, and Jon Loomer says you can't separate these results.
- An account-wide switch. Meta's help page and API docs only describe the setting per ad or per creative.
If any of these matter for your brand, opting out is the only control Meta documents.
Sources
- About multi-advertiser ads (Meta Help Center, Instagram), checked November 2, 2026
- Multi-advertiser Ads (Meta Marketing API), checked November 2, 2026
- Ad Creative reference, contextual_multi_ads and updating (Meta Marketing API), checked November 2, 2026
- How Multi-Advertiser Ads Work (Jon Loomer Digital, updated March 1, 2025), checked November 2, 2026
