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Meta ad revenue projected to overtake Google in 2026
The forecast points to Meta growing ad sales by 24.1% in 2026, versus 11.9% for Google, with Meta’s 2025 ad growth at 22.1% year over year.
Meta Platforms’ advertising business is projected to surpass Alphabet subsidiary Google’s ad sales for the first time in 2026, according to a view cited by MarketBeat Ratings. The shift reflects changing ad demand toward highly targeted, visual placements that rely less on text-based search queries.
MarketBeat Ratings points to Meta’s faster ad growth as evidence of the trend. In 2025, Meta grew ad sales 22.1% year over year, compared with 17% for Google Search and 9% for YouTube ads.
For 2026, the cited EMARKETER forecast projects Meta ad growth of 24.1%, more than double Google’s 11.9%. It also estimates full year 2026 ad revenue of $243.46 billion for Meta, compared with $239.54 billion for Google.
The analysis attributes Meta’s performance to AI-powered tools that improve ad targeting and creative, including Advantage+, AI-generated ad creative, and its automation stack. It also cites engagement gains, including Reels watch time rising 30% year over year in Q4 2025.