Skip to main content

Why Facebook Account-Level and Post-Level Data Don't Match

Why post-level totals for Facebook, including 3-second video views, differ from account-level totals and Meta Business Suite.

Written by Nicole Soria

If you compare Facebook data in Measure Studio against Meta Business Suite, you may see that the sum of your post-level data (for example, a Post Group) is lower than the account-level total. This is expected.

Meta reports account-level and post-level data separately, and the two never add up cleanly, even inside Meta's own tools. Exporting post data from Meta Business Suite and summing it in a spreadsheet gives the same result.

Which data to use

For a total across your whole Page, such as all 3-second video views in a quarter, use account-level metrics. Account-level data in Measure Studio matches Meta Business Suite exactly or very closely. For example, the account-level metric Views - 3s - Total matches Meta's 3-second views for the same period.

Use post-level data and Post Groups to compare individual posts or a specific set of posts with each other. Don't use them to rebuild an account total.

Why the numbers differ

  1. Different metrics. The Views metric on a post counts a view as soon as the content appears on screen. 3-second views is a separate metric. Check that you are comparing the same metric on both sides.

  2. Different scope. A Post Group only includes the posts in that group. Account-level data covers everything on your Page, including posts that aren't in the group.

  3. Deduplication. Post metrics are counted separately for each post. If one person watches three of your videos, that is one view on each post. At the account level, Meta can deduplicate certain views across the same period.

  4. Lifetime vs. date range. Post-level figures can include views that happened outside the date range you selected. Account-level data uses a strict cutoff. If a video posted last month earns views this month, those views count toward this month's account total, but won't appear if you only sum posts published this month.

  5. Deleted or hidden content. If a video, Reel, or Story was deleted, expired, or hidden, it no longer appears in your post list. Views it earned before removal stay in the account-level total.

  6. Shared and crossposted videos. Views on shared or crossposted versions of your video can be credited to your Page's account-level analytics, while your post list only shows views on the original post.

Related articles

If you have additional questions, contact our support team at support@measure.studio.

Did this answer your question?