Softwr

Social Media · head to head

Facebook vs X

Facebook logo

Facebook

Social Media

Meta's social network app, free to use and monetised entirely through targeted advertising

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
X logo

X

Social Media

The renamed and restructured Twitter, now merged into Elon Musks xAI, with paid verification and metered API access

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Facebook there is no paid ad-free tier for personal accounts, so using it at all means being profiled for advertising targeting, including in markets where Meta has introduced a paid subscription for reduced ads on Instagram and Facebook in the EU, not globally.; X verification no longer signals identity or notability, only a paid subscription, so users cannot rely on the blue check the way they could before 2023.
  • They diverge on capability: Facebook covers News Feed, X covers Posts and reposts.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Facebook and X actually diverge.

Attributes where Facebook and X differ
AttributeFacebookX
Pricing modelFree, funded entirely by targeted advertisingFree to use, paid X Premium tiers and metered developer API

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (iOS, Android, Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Social Media).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Facebook

  • News Feed
  • Marketplace
  • Groups
  • Events
  • Reels and Watch
  • Ad preference controls

Only in X

  • Posts and reposts
  • X Premium
  • Grok integration
  • Spaces
  • Direct messages
  • Creator monetisation

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Facebook

  • Staying connected with a broad network of friends and family through a shared feednot X
  • Buying and selling locally through Marketplacenot X
  • Joining Groups organised around a specific interest, neighbourhood or eventnot X
  • Following Pages for local businesses, public figures or organisationsnot X

X

  • A brand or public figure needing verified status and reduced ads, now purchased rather than earned editoriallynot Facebook
  • A developer building a bot or analytics tool who needs to budget for paid API tiers rather than assume free accessnot Facebook
  • A researcher who previously used the free academic API and now needs to evaluate whether the paid tier is affordablenot Facebook
  • An advertiser assessing brand safety given content moderation changes since the 2022 acquisitionnot Facebook

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Facebook

  • There is no paid ad-free tier for personal accounts, so using it at all means being profiled for advertising targeting, including in markets where Meta has introduced a paid subscription for reduced ads on Instagram and Facebook in the EU, not globally.
  • The default feed is algorithmically ranked for engagement rather than shown chronologically, which shapes what content a user sees in ways that are not fully transparent.
  • Cross-app and off-platform tracking through Meta's advertising tools means behaviour on other websites and apps can inform the ads and targeting shown inside Facebook.
  • Group and Marketplace content moderation is inconsistent at Facebook's scale, and scams on Marketplace and misinformation in Groups are recurring, documented problems.
  • Younger user growth has shifted to other platforms in many markets, so Facebook's core demographic skews older than some competing social apps, which matters if the goal is reaching a younger audience.

X

  • Verification no longer signals identity or notability, only a paid subscription, so users cannot rely on the blue check the way they could before 2023.
  • API access for developers moved from largely free to a paid tier structure, and the free tier is restrictive enough that most third-party apps and bots have shut down or moved elsewhere.
  • Advertiser spend has been volatile since the ownership change, with several major advertisers pausing campaigns over content moderation concerns, which affects the reliability of ad-supported reach.
  • The 2025 merger into xAI folds the platforms user data and infrastructure into an AI company, which is a materially different data relationship than existed under the previous corporate structure.
  • Content moderation policy has shifted significantly since 2022, and organisations with brand safety requirements need to reassess the platform rather than assume Twitter-era policies still apply.

Pricing, plan by plan

Facebook

Free
  • FreeFree
    • No subscription tier for personal accounts
    • Ad supported

X

Free
  • BasicFree
    • Ad-supported feed, posting, following, direct messages
  • Premium$8/month
    • Verification badge, edit posts, reduced ads, longer posts, revenue share eligibility
  • Premium+$40/month
    • Largest reply prioritisation, ad-free timeline, higher usage limits

Which should you pick?

Choose Facebook if

  • You need news feed.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want marketplace.
Facebook review

Choose X if

  • You need posts and reposts.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want x premium.
X review

Questions people ask

Is Facebook or X better?
Neither clearly leads. Facebook starts at Free and X at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Facebook or X?
Facebook starts at Free and X at Free.
Does Facebook or X run on more platforms?
Both run on iOS, Android, Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Facebook for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Facebook best used for?
Facebook is most often used for staying connected with a broad network of friends and family through a shared feed, buying and selling locally through marketplace, joining groups organised around a specific interest, neighbourhood or event, following pages for local businesses, public figures or organisations. Of those, staying connected with a broad network of friends and family through a shared feed and buying and selling locally through marketplace are not what X is typically brought in for.
What can Facebook do that X cannot?
Facebook covers News Feed, Marketplace, Groups, Events. X covers Posts and reposts, X Premium, Grok integration, Spaces.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Facebook: Does Facebook have a paid ad-free version?

In the EU, Meta has offered a paid subscription for reduced ads on Facebook and Instagram; outside the EU there is generally no ad-free personal tier.

X: Is X the same company as Twitter?

It is the renamed and restructured successor. Twitter Inc became X Corp after Musks 2022 acquisition, and X Corp itself was merged into xAI in March 2025.

Facebook: How does Facebook make money if it is free?

Entirely through advertising, targeted using data about in-app behaviour and, via Meta's broader advertising tools, activity on other websites and apps.

X: Is verification still free?

No. Verification is now part of the paid X Premium subscription, not a free editorial mark of notability.

Facebook: Is the feed shown in chronological order?

Not by default; it is algorithmically ranked, though a chronological "Most Recent" feed option exists and can be selected manually.

X: Can I still use the API for free?

A limited free tier exists but is restrictive; meaningful volume access requires a paid tier, priced well above the old free and standard API access.

Share

Related pages

More on Facebook

More on X

Keep looking

Other head to heads