Frequency cap
- Also called Frequency capping
- Updated October 28, 2026
A frequency cap is a Meta frequency control that sets the most times one person should see your ad within a period you choose, such as 2 impressions every 7 days. Meta's pages differ on whether that is a strict limit for each person or an average. Either way it favors reach over repetition, and the average frequency usually lands below the number you set.
How does Meta define a frequency cap?
Meta's About frequency controls for auction page says a cap "limits the maximum number of times your ad is shown to each person, helping you prioritize broad reach", and that it is "ideal when you don't have a specific frequency goal and want to prioritize broad reach."
The reservation version of the page puts the purpose another way: a cap is "ideal when your goal is to avoid reaching the same people too many times and to prioritize broad reach over your frequency distribution."
Frequency cap vs target frequency: what's the difference?
Target frequency aims at a number; a cap only limits it. Meta's pages show the two outcomes differently:
| Frequency cap | Target frequency | |
|---|---|---|
| What you set | "the maximum number of times you want people to see your ads" | "the average number of times per week you want people to see your ads" |
| Where the average lands | "expected to be lower than the frequency cap you set" | "closer to one impression every 7 days" on a target of one |
| Delivery over time | "high delivery of ads in the beginning and at the end of the campaign" | "an even distribution of frequency" |
| Minimum campaign length (reservation) | "No minimum" | "Minimum 7 days" |
The first and last rows come from Meta's choosing your frequency controls table, the middle ones from its examples and the reservation page. In the reservation example, both set to one impression every 7 days, the cap "may deliver a higher percentage of reach", while target frequency "may produce an average weekly frequency that's closer to one impression every 7 days."
The choosing page also describes a cap as "the maximum number of times, on average, a person will be shown your ad within a set period of time." The auction page reads as a hard limit: with a cap of 2 per 7 days "a person will see no more than 2 impressions from the entire campaign during that period". The two phrasings don't match, and Meta doesn't reconcile them.
When can you set a frequency cap?
More often than target frequency. Meta's auction page says target frequency "is not currently available when using the ad recall lift, 2-second continuous video views, or post engagement performance goals. Frequency cap remains available for these goals." The auction page states no budget, bid or length conditions for a cap.
Where it applies depends on one switch. With Advantage+ campaign budget on, "Campaign-level frequency controls apply across all ad sets within the campaign", so a person in two ad sets still gets the campaign's limit. With it off, the settings "apply to individual ad sets". Meta adds that the two levels "can't be used at the same time." No level reaches across campaigns: Meta's example counts impressions "from the entire campaign".
What it means for your ads
- Pick a cap when the job is reach. If people need to see a message a set number of times, target frequency is built for that.
- Count your other campaigns yourself. A cap of 2 in each of three campaigns still allows 6 impressions a person.
- Treat a cap as a guardrail against flooding. It does nothing for an ad people have already tired of; creative fatigue needs new creative.
Common mistakes
- Expecting the cap to be the frequency you'll see in reporting. Meta expects frequency to land below it.
- Looking for the cap at the ad set level with Advantage+ campaign budget on. With that switch on, the control lives at the campaign level.
Sources
- About frequency controls for auction — Meta Business Help Center (accessed October 28, 2026)
- About frequency controls for reservation — Meta Business Help Center (accessed October 28, 2026)
- Choosing your frequency controls for a reservation campaign — Meta Business Help Center (accessed October 28, 2026)
Meta revises these pages without notice, so check the source before relying on any of it.
Terrads plans a new video ad scene by scene from your product photos, for when a capped campaign has reached its audience and needs something new to show them.