How to Choose Between ABO and CBO for Scaling?

One of the biggest confusions advertisers face in 2025 is whether to use ABO (Ad Set Budget Optimization) or CBO (Campaign Budget Optimization) when scaling Meta Ads. Choosing the wrong method can waste money, slow down learning, and stop campaigns from growing. If you want to scale profitably, you must know when to use ABO and when to switch to CBO.

Both ABO and CBO have their strengths, but they work differently. Let’s break it down step by step:

1. What is ABO?
2. In ABO, you set the budget at the ad set level.
3. Each audience or ad set gets its own budget.
4. Perfect for testing new audiences, creatives, or placements.
5. Example: Running 3 ad sets at ₹500 each to test which audience works best.
6. What is CBO?
7. In CBO, you set the budget at the campaign level.
8. Meta’s algorithm automatically pushes more budget to the best-performing ad sets.
9. Best for scaling once you already know what works.
10. Example: Running one campaign with ₹5,000 daily, letting Meta distribute it across winning ad sets.
11. When to Use ABO?
12. During the testing phase.
13. When you want equal spend across different ad sets.
14. Useful for experimenting with 3–5 different audiences or creative angles.
15. When to Use CBO?
16. During the scaling phase.
17. Once you’ve found 2–3 proven audiences or creatives.
18. Ideal for letting Meta optimise at scale without manual budget shifting.
19. Scaling Strategy in 2025
20. Step 1: Start with ABO at small budgets to test audiences and creatives.
21. Step 2: Identify the winning ad sets (lowest CPA, highest ROAS).
22. Step 3: Move winners into a CBO campaign and increase budget gradually.
23. Step 4: Duplicate and test again under ABO while scaling winners with CBO.

In simple words: ABO finds the winners, CBO scales the winners.

Choosing between ABO and CBO is not about which one is “better” but about timing. Use ABO for testing and CBO for scaling. This way, you reduce risks, optimise budgets, and grow campaigns profitably.

At AlmostZero, we design smart scaling strategies that balance ABO testing with CBO scaling. Our team ensures you never waste money guessing — we build a roadmap that takes campaigns from testing to consistent growth.

Want to scale your Meta Ads without confusion? Connect with AlmostZero today and let’s design your winning ABO + CBO strategy.