Home » What is the difference between an agency ad account and a normal ad account?

What is the difference between an agency ad account and a normal ad account?

A Normal Ad Account (often called a Personal Ad Account) is tied to an individual person. It’s like your personal checking account.
An Agency Ad Account is a tool used by agencies to manage the ad accounts of multiple businesses securely and efficiently. It’s like a bank’s master system for managing many individual accounts.

Let’s break down the differences in detail.

The “Normal” Ad Account (Personal/Business Ad Account)

This is the standard ad account created by an individual or a business owner.

Ownership & Access: It is owned by and tied to a single personal user profile. Even when added to a Business Manager, the ultimate ownership lies with that individual.
Primary Use Case: Ideal for small businesses, solopreneurs, or individuals who run ads for their own single business.
Key Characteristics:
- Single User Focus: It’s created and managed primarily by one person.
- Direct Billing: The payment method is directly linked to this ad account. The owner is financially responsible.
- Limited Collaboration: To give others access, you must add them as partners or users to the ad account or the associated Business Manager. This can get messy with many people.
- Risk: If the person who owns the account leaves the company or is locked out, recovering access can be difficult and may involve contacting support with identity verification.

The Agency Ad Account (Managed through a Platform’s Agency Tool)

This isn’t a special “type” of ad account you create. Instead, it’s a normal ad account that is owned and managed by an Agency Business Manager.

Ownership & Access: The ad account is owned by the Agency’s Business Manager, not an individual’s personal profile. This is the most critical difference.
Primary Use Case: Designed for marketing agencies, consultants, and freelancers who manage advertising for multiple clients.
Key Characteristics:
- Centralized Management: The agency can oversee all client ad accounts from a single, central dashboard (their Agency Business Manager).
- Secure Client Access: Agencies can grant clients view-only or limited access to their own ad account without giving them ownership or control over the agency’s other clients.
- Agency Billing: Platforms often offer special billing arrangements for agencies, like consolidated invoicing across all client accounts they manage.
- Reduced Risk: Employee turnover is less disruptive. If a staff member leaves, the agency simply removes their access from the Business Manager; the client’s ad account remains securely with the agency.
- Asset Ownership: All ad assets (pixels, catalogs, etc.) are owned by the agency’s Business Manager, making it clean to transfer or revoke client access.

Side-by-Side Comparison Table

Feature	Normal Ad Account (Personal)	Agency Ad Account (Managed)
Ownership	Tied to an individual’s personal profile.	Owned by the Agency’s Business Manager.
Primary User	Business owners, solopreneurs.	Marketing agencies, consultants.
Client Access	Gives partners full access to the entire account.	Can grant clients restricted, view-only access.
Billing	Payment method tied directly to the account.	Often uses Agency Billing for consolidated invoicing.
Security & Risk	Higher risk if the owner leaves/locked out.	Lower risk; ownership is institutional, not personal.
Scalability	Poor for managing multiple businesses.	Excellent for managing dozens or hundreds of clients.
Employee Access	Adding employees requires sharing login or adding them as users.	Employees are added to the Business Manager with specific roles.

A Simple Analogy: The House Key

Normal Ad Account: You own a house (the ad account). To let a friend (an employee) or a contractor (an agency) in, you have to make a copy of your master key. They have the same level of access as you do, and if you want the key back, you have to ask for it.
Agency Ad Account: The agency owns a master key system (their Business Manager). They own the house (the ad account) on behalf of the client. They can give the client a key that only opens the front door (view access) and give their employee a key that opens the front door and the tool shed (limited editing access). The agency always retains the master key and full control.

Which One Should You Use?

You are a business owner running ads only for yourself: A Normal Ad Account within your own Business Manager is perfect. It’s simple and effective.
You are an agency or freelancer managing ads for clients: You must use the Agency Model. Create a Business Manager for your agency, and then create new ad accounts within it for each client (or request access to their existing account). This is the professional, secure, and scalable way to operate.

Important Note on Terminology: “Agency Ad Account” is a common industry term, but on platforms like Meta, you won’t find a button to “Create an Agency Ad Account.” You simply create a standard ad account but ensure it is owned and housed within your Agency’s Business Manager.