Meta Flexible Ads: When to Use Them (And When Not To)

Meta Flexible Ads are a single ad container holding up to 10 images and videos, where Meta's algorithm automatically selects the best format for each impression. Instead of choosing between single image, video, or carousel yourself, you upload multiple assets and let delivery match format to placement and user behavior. Available for Sales and App Promotion objectives only, Flexible Ads replaced Dynamic Creative for these campaign types in June 2024. The format simplifies campaign structure while giving the algorithm options to optimize delivery.

You have 47 creatives from last quarter's campaigns. Some are winners. Some never got enough spend to know. Now you need to launch a new campaign and you're staring at the same old question: do you create 47 separate ads and let the algorithm pick winners, or is there a smarter way?

Meta thinks there is. Flexible Ads let you dump up to 10 creatives into a single ad container and let the algorithm figure out which format works for each user. One person might see a carousel. Another sees a single image. Someone else gets your video. All from the same ad.

If you've been running Meta ads for a while, this probably sounds familiar. Dynamic Creative did something similar. But Meta deprecated Dynamic Creative for Sales and App Promotion objectives in June 2024, replacing it with Flexible Ads. This guide explains what actually changed, when Flexible Ads make sense for your workflow, and how to use them without losing visibility into what's working.

What Is Meta's Flexible Ad Format?

The Flexible Ad format is Meta's current approach to automated format optimization for Sales and App Promotion campaigns. Think of it as a container: you upload multiple creative assets, and Meta's delivery system automatically determines whether to show each user a single image, a video, or a carousel version of your ad.

Here's what makes it different from running separate ads:

Format optimization, not creative personalization. Flexible Ads optimize which format (image, video, carousel) gets shown. This is different from testing which specific creative performs best. Meta isn't trying to find your "winner" - it's matching format to placement and user behavior.

Automatic carousel generation. When you upload multiple static images, Meta automatically creates carousel variations. You don't build carousels manually. The system generates them from your image pool.

Single ad, multiple formats. Ten creatives in a Flexible Ad counts as one ad in your account. Ten separate ads count as ten. This matters if you're hitting ad account limits or want cleaner campaign structures.

The Technical Details

• Asset limit: Up to 10 images and/or videos per ad
• Objectives: Sales and App Promotion only
• Catalog support: Not available - you must toggle off "Use a Catalog" when creating the campaign
• Conversion locations: Website or App (not "Website and App" combined)

Flexible Ads vs Regular Ads: The Key Difference

With regular ads, you pick the format. You decide this ad is a carousel, that one is a video, this other one is a static image. Meta then optimizes delivery within your chosen format.

With Flexible Ads, Meta picks the format. You provide options. The algorithm decides carousel vs. video vs. single image based on placement requirements and predicted user response.

The tradeoff is control for automation. You lose granular format control. You gain simplified campaign structure and (theoretically) better format matching per impression.

Flexible Ads vs Dynamic Creative: What Actually Changed

If you used Dynamic Creative before June 2024, Flexible Ads will feel familiar. Both let you submit multiple creative elements and let Meta mix and match. But there are real differences worth understanding.

The biggest practical differences:

CTA testing is gone. Dynamic Creative let you test multiple call-to-action buttons. Flexible Ads only support one CTA per ad. If you need CTA testing, you'll need separate ads.

Carousel generation is automatic. Flexible Ads create carousel versions from your static images. You don't configure this. Meta just does it.

Reporting is broken. The "Breakdown by Dynamic Creative Element" feature that showed which specific image or video performed best? It doesn't work reliably for Flexible Ads. Meta hasn't fixed this despite months of advertiser complaints. More on workarounds below.

Dynamic Creative still exists for other objectives. If you're running Traffic, Leads, Awareness, or Engagement campaigns, you can still use Dynamic Creative. The deprecation only affected Sales and App Promotion.

When to Use Meta Flexible Ads (And When Not To)

Here's the practical decision framework. Flexible Ads aren't universally better or worse. They're a specific tool for specific situations.

Flexible Ads Work Best For:

Consolidation containers. You have 10 sale creatives for Black Friday. You don't need to know which specific image performs best. You just want to throw them all into one container and let Meta figure it out. This is the ideal Flexible Ads use case.

Winners consolidation. Take your top 5-10 performers from the past quarter and combine them into a single Flexible Ad. Give the algorithm options to rotate through. The goal isn't finding a new winner - it's giving proven creatives a unified container that stays fresh longer.

Low-maintenance evergreen campaigns. You want something running in the background without constant optimization attention. Upload diverse creatives, set your budget, and let it run. The algorithm rotates through formats automatically.

Fighting creative fatigue in small audiences. When you're targeting a narrow audience that sees your ads repeatedly, Flexible Ads give the algorithm 10 options instead of 1. More variety means slower fatigue.

Working around ad account limits. Meta has limits on how many ads you can run per page and per account. Ten creatives in a Flexible Ad = 1 ad slot. Ten separate ads = 10 slots. High-volume advertisers use Flexible Ads specifically to launch more creative volume without burning through account limits.

Skip Flexible Ads When:

You need to find a winner. Flexible Ads are not for creative testing. You can't reliably see which specific image or video drives results. If your goal is "which of these 10 creatives performs best?", use separate ads or A/B testing.

You have specific format requirements. Some brands need precise control over how creatives display. If your guidelines require specific image presentations or you can't accept auto-generated carousels, use single-format ads with placement customization.

You're running catalog or DPA campaigns. Flexible Ads don't work with product catalogs. Stick with standard catalog ad formats.

You need detailed creative-level reporting. If stakeholders require reports showing "Image A got 2.3% CTR while Image B got 1.8%", Flexible Ads can't deliver that data reliably right now.

Why Flexible Ads Are Getting Attention

Flexible Ads have gained traction among performance advertisers, particularly for consolidation workflows. Here's what practitioners are saying:

The consolidation approach works. Multiple advertisers report that taking top-performing creatives from separate ads and consolidating them into a single Flexible Ad actually increases overall spend and extends creative lifespan. The theory: instead of fragmenting performance data across 10 ads, you're consolidating it into one ad with more signals for the algorithm.

The ad account limits benefit is real. This often gets overlooked in feature discussions. If you're managing high-volume campaigns and hitting Meta's limits on ads per page or per account, Flexible Ads let you pack 10 creatives into a single ad slot. For agencies managing multiple clients or e-commerce brands with dozens of product variations, this is a meaningful operational benefit.

Honest take on performance claims. It's unclear whether Flexible Ads actually optimize delivery differently than 10 separate ads in the same ad set. Meta's delivery system is a black box. We can't verify that Flexible Ads get preferential treatment or smarter format matching. What we can verify: the consolidation benefit is real, the account limits benefit is real, and many practitioners report positive results. Whether that's due to format optimization or simply data consolidation, the outcome often works in advertisers' favor.

How to Create Meta Flexible Ads in Ads Manager

Setting up Flexible Ads requires specific campaign configuration. Here's the step-by-step process:

Prerequisites

Before you start, verify these requirements:

• Campaign objective is Sales or App Promotion
• "Use a Catalog" is toggled OFF (if using Sales objective)
• Conversion location is Website or App (not "Website and App")
• Creative source is manual upload, not catalog

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Create your campaign

In Ads Manager, click Create and select either Sales or App Promotion objective. In the Campaign details, make sure "Use a Catalog" is OFF.

2. Configure the ad set

At the ad set level, select Website or App as your conversion location. Note that "Website and App" combined does not support Flexible Ads.

3. Select Flexible format

At the ad level, under Ad Setup > Format, select Flexible. You'll see Meta's description: "We'll show your ad in the format we predict may perform best."

4. Upload your media

Click "Add Media" and upload or select up to 10 images and/or videos. You can mix image and video formats. Click "Add Media" again if you need to add both types.

5. Edit media if needed

Click "Edit" on your uploaded media to crop images or trim videos. A useful tip: trim videos to 15 seconds or less so they qualify for all placements including Stories and Reels.

6. Add text and destination

Configure your primary text, headline, and description. You can use Text Variations here if desired (this is separate from the Flexible format feature). Set your destination URL and single CTA button.

7. Preview variations

Use the Advanced Preview to see how your ad will render across different formats (single image, video, carousel) and placements. This is informational only - you can't selectively disable specific variations.

8. Publish

Review everything and publish. The ad goes live with Meta automatically selecting which format version to show each user.

Pro Tips for Setup

Include multiple aspect ratios. Upload 1:1, 4:5, and 9:16 versions of your creatives for better placement coverage. Meta will match the right ratio to each placement.

Check auto-generated carousels in preview. Sometimes the carousel combinations look strange. If something displays poorly, swap out that creative for one that works better universally.

Keep video lengths reasonable. 15-second videos qualify for the widest placement range. Longer videos may get excluded from certain placements.

The Reporting Problem (And Workarounds)

The biggest frustration with Flexible Ads is broken reporting. The "Breakdown by Dynamic Creative Element" option that should show individual image and video performance doesn't work reliably.

Why This Matters Less Than You Think

Jon Loomer puts it directly: "If you have a need to uncover a winning ad creative, Flexible Ads are not the way you should use." He's right. The entire point of Flexible Ads is to give the algorithm options and let it optimize. You're not running a creative test. You're running an optimization container.

If you accept that framing, the missing breakdown is annoying but not campaign-breaking. You care about overall Flexible Ad performance, not which specific image got 0.3% more clicks.

Practical Workarounds

Check engagement via Page Inbox. Go to your Facebook Page > Inbox to see which ad variations are generating comments and engagement. This isn't precise performance data, but it shows which creatives users interact with most.

Use engagement as a proxy. More comments and shares typically correlate with more delivery. If one creative in your Flexible Ad is generating visible engagement, it's likely getting disproportionate impressions.

For actual creative testing, use separate ads. If you need to know "Image A vs Image B", don't use Flexible Ads. Create two separate ads and compare performance directly.

Building Meta Flexible Ads at Scale

Creating one Flexible Ad in Ads Manager is straightforward. Creating 10 or 20 across multiple ad sets and campaigns? That's hours of repetitive clicking.

The Manual Pain

Each Flexible Ad requires:

• Selecting up to 10 assets from your library
• Organizing them into groups (if using that feature)
• Configuring text variations
• Setting up destination URLs
• Previewing to catch display issues

Multiply by 15 ad sets across 3 campaigns. Then do it again for another client. The per-ad setup time adds up fast.

The Bulk Approach

Tools like Ads Uploader solve this with dedicated Flexible Ads builders:

Visual asset selection. See your entire media library in a filterable grid. Click to add assets directly to Flexible Ad groups.

Auto-grouping. Instead of manually dragging 30 assets into three groups, use automatic grouping based on asset type (separate image and video groups) or custom logic.

Batch creation. Configure text, URLs, and settings once, then create multiple Flexible Ads across ad sets with a single action.

API publishing. Skip the Ads Manager interface entirely. Flexible Ads publish directly via Meta's API, going live immediately or paused for review.

The workflow shift: 30 minutes of clicking in Ads Manager becomes 2-3 minutes in a purpose-built interface. For agencies managing multiple accounts or brands running seasonal campaigns with dozens of creative variations, this is the difference between viable and impractical.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the flexible ad format in Meta?

Flexible Ads are a single ad container holding up to 10 images and videos where Meta automatically selects whether to show users a single image, video, or carousel format. Available for Sales and App Promotion objectives only, they replaced Dynamic Creative for these campaign types in June 2024.

How do you create flexible ads in Meta Ads Manager?

Create a Sales or App Promotion campaign with "Use a Catalog" toggled off. At the ad level, select Flexible under Format. Upload up to 10 images and/or videos, add your text and destination URL, then publish. Meta handles format selection automatically.

What's the difference between flexible ads and dynamic creative?

Dynamic Creative tests different element combinations (images, text, CTAs) and is available for objectives other than Sales/App Promotion. Flexible Ads optimize format selection (single image vs video vs carousel), auto-generate carousel versions, and only support a single CTA. Dynamic Creative offers reporting breakdowns; Flexible Ads currently do not.

Can you use flexible ads with a product catalog?

No. Flexible Ads require manual creative uploads. If you're using the Sales objective with a product catalog, you must toggle off "Use a Catalog" to access the Flexible format option.

How many images can you use in flexible ads?

Up to 10 images and videos per Flexible Ad. You can mix formats freely - some images and some videos - and Meta will automatically select which to show each user based on placement and predicted response.

What objectives support flexible ads?

Only Sales and App Promotion campaign objectives support Flexible Ads. For Traffic, Leads, Awareness, Engagement, and other objectives, use Dynamic Creative or standard single-format ads.

How do you see which creative performs best in flexible ads?

Currently, you can't reliably see individual asset performance in Flexible Ads. The breakdown feature is broken. Workarounds include checking engagement in your Page Inbox or using engagement metrics as a proxy. For actual creative testing, use separate ads instead.

Are flexible ads better than regular ads?

It depends on your goal. Flexible Ads are better for consolidation workflows, fighting fatigue in small audiences, and working around ad account limits. Regular ads are better when you need specific format control, detailed creative-level reporting, or CTA testing.

Do flexible ads preserve social proof when duplicated?

Reports from practitioners suggest that duplicating Flexible Ads across ad sets may preserve social proof (likes, comments, shares) similar to post ID duplication. This isn't officially documented, but multiple advertisers have observed shared engagement across duplicated Flexible Ads.

Can I use flexible ads for lead generation campaigns?

No. Flexible Ads are only available for Sales and App Promotion objectives. For Lead Generation campaigns, use Dynamic Creative if you want automated creative optimization, or create separate ads for each format you want to test.

Conclusion

Flexible Ads aren't complicated once you understand their purpose. They're consolidation containers, not testing frameworks. You give Meta options. Meta picks formats. You get simpler campaign structures and potentially better format matching per impression.

When Flexible Ads make sense:

• Consolidating multiple creatives into one manageable ad
• Building "winners containers" from proven performers
• Fighting fatigue in smaller audiences
• Staying under ad account limits while maximizing creative volume
• Setting up low-maintenance evergreen campaigns

When to skip them:

• Finding winning creatives (use separate ads)
• Catalog/DPA campaigns (not supported)
• Needing detailed creative-level reporting (currently broken)
• Testing different CTAs (only one per ad)

The reporting limitation is real and frustrating. But if you approach Flexible Ads as optimization containers rather than testing grounds, the missing data matters less than you'd expect.

Ready to test? Start with a winners container. Take your top 5-10 performing creatives from the past month and consolidate them into a single Flexible Ad. Let it run for a week alongside your existing separate ads. Compare total performance and creative lifespan. Most advertisers who try this approach don't go back.

For those running high-volume campaigns across multiple accounts, bulk ad launching tools like Ads Uploader eliminate the manual overhead of building Flexible Ads at scale. Configure once, create many, launch via API. The efficiency gain compounds quickly when you're managing dozens of campaigns.